MTN National MTB Series #6, Rooiberg

Rooiberg made its debut on the MTN National Series calendar as the sixth leg of the 2013 series.  This little town is found at the foot of the majestic Waterberg Mountains in the Limpopo province.

The event was staged at the Rooiberg Golf Club and from what I had read in the Race-Tech document, we were in for a rough route. What else does it mean when they say: “Bring a full suspension bike”?

With that in mind, the 75km marathon route came as a pleasant surprise. I prepared myself for rocky and bumpy terrain, but instead we got loads of fun single track. Some of it was tricky with loose rocks and thick sand, but all of this was a joy to ride on my Rocky Mountain hard tail. It was one of those courses which required focus and consistent pressure on the pedals which meant it was a proper challenge.

The MTN Series is the biggest mountain bike series in the country and this always ensures a strong ladies field on the start line. With big races comes big nerves, but strangely enough this time around I felt at ease going into the race. I think I put enough pressure on myself for the Big Induna and the USN event that by the time Rooiberg rolled around I didn’t have much nervous energy left J

Early in the race, just after the Queen of the Mountain prime I opened a gap on Robyn de Groot in a sandy single track section which put me in the lead of the race. I put my head down and went for it trying to maximize my advantage.  This lasted for about 30km before Robyn re-joined me close to the second water point. On a steep hill Robyn drew away from me as she powered to keep her single front chainring turning up the ascent.  I kept her in sight, but after stopping at the water point to refuel, I only saw Robyn again once we had crossed the finish line. I was delighted with my unexpected 2^nd place.

It was Robyn’s first win in her National Champion’s Jersey proving that it was no fluke. Yolande Speedy showed that she is back for good after her crash at the Epic to round out the podium in 3^rd place.

Final Results

1^st           Robyn de Groot

2^nd          Yolandi du Toit (bizhub)

3^rd           Yolande Speedy (ASG Epic Sport)

4^th           Kendall Ryan (Jeep)

5^th           An-li  Pretorius (BestMed- ASG)

I’ve had the opportunity to do two of the MTN Series events so far this year and on both occasions I was impressed by the professionalism of the Advendurance Team in hosting an event. They give attention to small details and sometimes it’s that small details that can make or break an event.  If there is ever an MTN event in your area, be sure not to miss it.