Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - James Reid and London Olympic road cyclist Robyn de Groot were crowned champions at the SA Mountain Bike Marathon Championships in Hazyview on Saturday.
Reid won the elite men's title over the 112km race in a time of four hours, 40 minutes and 36 seconds (4:40:36).
He was followed by Nico Bell in second place with a time of 4:41:08 and Kevin Evans in third place posting a time of 4:41:41.
The lead group changed on several occasions as Max Knox, Lourens Luus and Evans led for most of the first loop of approximately 40km, but they were reeled in by the determined chasing group.
At the 74km mark Luus, Knox, Darren Lill, James Reid, Bell, Evans, Brandon Stewart and Philip Buys were working hard at the front.
The leading group managed to place a significant space between themselves and the splintered chasing pack.
Coming into the final kilometres of the race Evans, Bell and Reid were out in front to secure their podium finishes.
In the elite women's race De Groot, who recently turned to mountain biking, finished the 73km race in 3:33:56.
Local Lowveld rider Samantha Sanders crossed the line in second place in 3:38:25, with cross-country Olympian Candice Neethling rounding out the podium, less than a minute behind in a time of 3:38:57.
All age categories cycled on the same route, although the distances were altered to provide the correct race route for the various categories. Sapa
