Nissan Diamond Rush

The Nissan Mountain Bike Series consist of 5 events held mainly in and around Gauteng.
It’s extremely popular amongst the local riders and is quickly becoming the second biggest mountain bike series following the MTN Series.

The 3rd round of the Nissan Series was held in Cullinan, just outside of Pretoria.
The venue was quite unique as the start and finish line was placed in the main street of this little town, surrounded by quaint restaurants and coffee shops.

As always the start was very fast thanks to the elite men who were fighting for position at the front of the race. We were left to pick up the pieces in the wake of their vicious pace.

Leatitia Botha (Team Ghost/BBT) had a great start and managed to get herself into the slipstream of a small group just in front off me. I tried to ride over to them but they were going just to fast on the flat, twisting single track.

Soon I was joined by a small group of 4 which included Sanet Smal (Team Ghost/BBT). The group stayed together until we got to the real technical section on the course around 10km into the race.

On this section I got stuck behind some slower riders who decided to dismount and walk rather than ride. I lost contact with Sanet, as I struggled to pass some of the riders on the narrow hiking trail.
During this section Theresa Ralph also caught up with me but luckily I managed to continue on my own once through the demanding section.

This part of the course mustn’t be mistaken for a ‘bad’ section. It only tests one’s skill and was actually a very scenic piece to ride. It took us over and through river crossings, over narrow wooden bridges and through a spectacular cave.

I lost a bit of my motivation because of how things were going for me during the first quarter of the event. I tried my best to stay focused and continued at my own pace.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted Leatitia Botha in the distance. When I finally caught up to her around 30km into the race, she was very tired and didn’t even attempt to jump on my back wheel. I realized that she was exhausted from her effort at the beginning. She took off like a rocket and rode so impressively that I honestly thought I wouldn’t see her again.

3km further I also managed to ride up to Sanet Smal. We rode together until we got to a gradual ascending climb where Sanet started losing contact with me. Once I was on my own, I gave it my all to stay in the lead.

It was a battle all the way to the finish as I knew my pursuers were not about to give up without a fight. At the end I was very happy to cross the line in 1st place ahead of a strong finishing Theresa Ralph.

Results

1st Yolandi du Toit (Bizhub)
2nd Theresa Ralph
3rd Sanet Smal (Team Ghost/BBT)
4th Leatitia Botha (Team Ghost/BBT)