GERHARD Mans Junior clinched his second major mountain bike race within a month when he won the 2019 Mountain Bike Eagle Ride over the weekend.
More than 400 riders competed in the race which was held at Otjiwa Safari Lodge, about 35km south of Otjiwarongo and formed the third leg of the Gravel & Dirt MTB Marathon Series, powered by Hollard.
The elite men’s category over 80km saw Namibia’s top riders in action, including national champion and African bronze medallist Alex Miller, Xavier Papo and Drikus Coetzee.
Mans, however, set a staggering pace and after a thrilling final sprint beat Miller to the line by a mere three seconds with Mans winning in a time of two hours 23 minutes 28 seconds. Papo came third overall in 2:23:39 and Coetzee fourth in 2:23:45.
Irene Steyn, riding in the veteran women’s category, rode an amazing race on the day and was the first female home, covering the 80km distance in a time of 2:43:40.
She finished nearly three minutes ahead of her nearest rival Jeanne Heunis (sub veteran women) with a time of 2:46:34, while Courtney Liebenberg (Sub veteran women) was third overall in 2:53:16.
“The MTB Eagle Ride also played host to 40km, 20km, and 10km cycling distances, as well as 20km and 10km running routes, which saw athletes of all ages competing. It really is an amazing sight to play witness to so many Namibians attending and competing at an event like this, where the professionals set the example of what is possible, while demonstrating how far we as the Namibian MTB community have come,” Hollard said in a press release.
A multi-faceted event such as the MTB Eagle Ride is the perfect platform for young up and coming riders to see their local heroes in action, nurturing and developing the next generation of champions who will represent Namibia in the years to come.
Several sponsors contributed to the success of the event including Hollard, Kia Motors Namibia, Windhoek Light Beer, Food Lovers Market, Candor Namibia, Panamor Gel, Cymot as well as Otjiwa Safari Lodge for the amazing venue.
The full results are available at raceday.events while the next event in the Gravel & Dirt MTB Marathon Series is the Africa Safari Lodge MTB on 8 June.
