MTN National MTB Series driven by Nissan, Barberton #1

Barberton is widely regarded as the start to the season and one can always be sure to see a strong field competing for the coveted top spots and series points at this event. As it is the first leg in the MTN National 

MTB Series everyone comes to test their form and see how their preparation has gone.

 I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the woman’s field that lined up at the start of the 75km marathon event.  Not only did the field include all the top names in woman’s mountain biking, but also a few top road cyclists who decided to try their hand at mountain biking.

The race route was tailor made for a climber. Basically you climb for the first third of the race, then for the 2^nd part you ride alongside the escarpment and for the final stretch you slowly start making your way down the mountain on very fast jeep track, traversing several water crossings before you finally reach the finish.

The weather also played its part with overnight rain making the course quite muddy in places. This also meant you had to be on your toes as any loss of concentration could result in a crash on the rutted course.

After the neutralized start things got a little bit hectic as we had to navigate our way through some muddy and technical jeep track. With all the girls knowing that position was important, it was quite a fight to stay amongst the leaders. I steadily moved up the field and by the start of the day’s main ascent I found myself climbing next to my teammate Leana de Jager.

At this stage we were riding in 6^th and 7^th position and because we were of similar strength we decided to stick together. It was nice to have Leana alongside me as we motivated each other to keep pushing right to the end.  

At the end Leana and I crossed the finish line together in 5^th and 6^th place. At first I was disappointed with my result but looking back I know where I can improve and I look forward to upcoming races.

 As always I enjoyed racing my bike in the hilly terrain of the Lowveld. The area has some stunning scenery and riding through the lush green forests and mountainous terrain always adds to the racing experience. 

Race results:

1^st           Candice Neethling

2^nd          Roben de Groot

3^rd           Ischen Stopforth

4^th           Catherine Williamson

5^th & 6^th Leana de Jager and Yolandi du Toit

7^th           Ariane Kleinhans