Parel Vallei High School showed their steel at the first race in the Spur Schools Mountain Bike League Western Cape leg logging 479 points to retain the top spot on the mixed team log in which close on 50 schools competed.
Their women’s team also finished first with 160 points, while the Parel Vallei men’s team had to bow the knee with 319 points to defending champions Paul Roos Gimnasium, who is in a comfortable lead on the men’s log with an impressive 460 points and overall second.
DF Malan finished third overall with 266 points, second in the women’s category with 137 points and third in the men’s category with 129 points.
A close third spot on the mixed team log went to Montana with 208 points, while the women’s and men’s team finished respectively third and fourth with 82 and 126 points respectively.
The Western Cape also has a healthy Primary Schools participation with Kenridge logging 412 points to retain the top spot with a strong home schooler contingent snapping the second position with 208 points, followed by Totius in third with 189 points and Eikestad Primary in fourth with 160 points.
League director, Meurant Botha of Amarider said that the league has been growing at a steady pace with a marked improvement in rider skills as well as a large number of first time participants, which according to him shows that the league is achieving its goals of more kids on bikes as well as competitive participation.
“In addition we had three development teams competing from Jonkershoek in Stellenbosch, Elsiesriver and Kayamandi for which the league provides free entries and transport funding assistance. While the key focus of the development programmes is getting more kids on bikes and to drive a better lifestyle and attitude of the local community children through sport, clubs like Songo have riders that are progressing and competing on a higher level as well as still introducing children to riding,” states Botha.
Western Cape riders still have three events in which to generate points to secure a spot in the Spur Schools League National Finals in Magaliesburg in October. The top three mixed teams as well as the top men’s and women’s team and the respective individual categories winners will be invited.
The first sub-junior boys race was won by Samuel Swart of Montana High School followed by team mate WG Van Der Walt in second and Joshua Burger of Parel Vallei in third. Stefke Tolmay of DF Malan High School took line honours in the girls race with Nienke Moster of HTS Drostdy second and Julia Marx of Springfield Covent in third.
Jamie Penfold of Paul Roos Gimnasium rode and exceptional race to finish first in the youth men category followed by Ryan Peter Kellerman of Parel Vallei second and George Ducharme also of Paul Roos in third.
Carla Hollander is in top form and clinched first in the youth women with Michaela Beaton of Rhenish Girls High School second and Emma Bekker of Bloemhof Hoër Meisieskool in third.
The youth men B race was won by Mulder Oosthuizen of DF Malan with Ilan Meintjies of Paul Roos Gimnasium second and Johan Kruger of Durbanville High School in third.
Newcomer to the league, Mia de Villiers of Paarl Girls High had a comfortable win in the youth women with Carla Steyn of Parel Vallei showing good form in second and Nadia van Niekerk of Bridge House securing the third podium position.
The juniors wrapped up the day with Jana Barry of Parel Vallei finishing first in the girls race with Courtney Webb of Westerford High School second and Jessi Nixon of Fishhoek High School third.
In the showstopper race of the day, the junior men had the spectators glued to the track as Matthew Keyser and team mate Joshua De Freitas of Parel Vallei High School really pushed hard for the win, but it was Matthew who game through strongest in the end. Robert Hobson of Paul Roos Gimnasium was third.
Online entries for the second Western Cape Spur Schools MTB Race to be hosted on Saturday, 23 July at Bloemendal Wine Estate just outside Durbanville are now open so be sure to visit the website www.spurmtbleague.co.za for details.
For more information on the league, visit www.spurmtbleague.co.za, or contact Amarider’s Michelle du Preez at 021 8844547 or michelle@amarider.co.za
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