The 2015 XCO SA Championship went down this past weekend at the ever popular town of Stellenbosch, with loads of spectators flocking there to show their support despite the bitterly cold morning temperatures. The 4.8km Coetzenburg loop was mostly the same as for the WP Championship, however course designers Hanno Lategan and Corrie Muller added in a number of A-line / B-line options to step up the difficulty as this was a National event. Some A-line options featured very technical rock drops, a steep log chute onto the start / finish area and a super tricky rock garden which caught out a number of riders. Because of heavy torrential downpours the Friday afternoon and evening, the race director kept all A-lines closed until 12pm, leaving just enough time for the mud to dry out a bit and reduce the chances of injury.
A total of 20 different categories meant riders from all shapes, sizes and ages signed up for the day. First off would be the nippers and sprogs with an early 8am start, with the last category of Elite men starting at 2pm. Most notably would be the Youth and Junior men’s categories, totalling 34 and 37 entries respectively, meaning XCO racing in South Africa has a very bright future. As for the Elite women’s racing. It was a very small lineup of riders on the start line, and with team OMX rider Cherie Vale fresh of the World Cup circuit in Europe, it was an easy win with a margin of just under 7 minutes to second place. Contrasting to the women’s race, Team RECM’s James Reid took an impressive sprint finish win over team Kargo Pro MTB’s Alan Hatherly, so close that the times registered as exactly the same.
Cherie Vale // Novus OMX Pro Team
James Reid // Team RECM
Alec Coleske – 1st Nipper Boys
Marco Strydom – 2nd Nipper Boys
Hendre De Villiers – 3rd Nipper Boys
Olivia Penfold – 1st Nipper Girls
Jeanine Badenhorst – 3rd Nipper Girls
Luca Ruwiel – 1st Sprog Boys
Ben Du Plessis – 2nd Sprog Boys
Justin Chesterton – 3rd Sprog Boys
Chante Olivier – 1st Sprog Girls
Chloe Bateson – 2nd Sprog Girls
Marjone Strydom – 3rd Sprog Girls
Megan Bircher (far left) – 1st Sub Junior Girls
Sabine Thies – 2nd Sub Junior Girls
Kelsey Van Schoor – 3rd Sub Junior Girls
Luke Moir – 1st Sub Junior Boys
Cwynton Collett – 2nd Sub Junior Boys
Daniel Van Der Walt – 3rd Sub Junior Boys
Cherie Vale warming up.
Cherie Vale – 1st Elite Women
Candice Neethling – 2nd Elite Women
Hanli Cilliers – 3rd Elite Women
Hayley Smith – 1st Under 23 Women
Sarah Hill – 2nd Under 23 Women
Rozalia Kubyana – 3rd Under 23 Women
Frances Du Toit – 1st Junior Women
Genevieve Van Coller – 2nd Junior Women
Kristen Louw – 3rd Junior Women
Tiffany Keep – 1st Youth Women
Danielle Strydom – 3rd Youth Women
Neil Bradford – 1st Veteran Men
Warren Price – 2nd Veteran Men
Jeroen Swart – 3rd Veteran Men
Corrie Muller – 1st Master Men
Jimmy Redman – 2nd Master Men
Guy Lanfear – 3rd Master Men
Linus Van Onselen – 1st Grand Master Men
Clive Gaven – 2nd Grand Master Men
Johann Trotzky – 2nd Youth Men
Chris Du Plessis – 3rd Youth Men
Brand Du Plessis – 1st Sub Vet Men
Dan Fowler – 2nd Sub Vet Men
Matthys Koekemoer – 3rd Sub Vet Men
Elite men start line.
Philip Buys leads out the Elite men.
Travis Walker – 3rd Elite Men
Philip Buys – 5th Elite Men
Alan Hatherly – 2nd Elite Men
Rourke Croeser – 4th Elite Men
James Reid – 1st Elite Men
Top 3 Elite women:
1. Cherie Vale – 01.36.47 5
2. Candice Neethling – 01.43.56 5
3. Hanli Cilliers – 01.56.32
Top 3 Elite men:
1. James Reid – 01.28.41
2. Alan Hatherly – 01.28.41
3. Travis Walker – 01.29.05
Full results can be found here.
Thanks to our sponsors: Novus Holdings, Subaru Cape Town, Sappi, Mondi, PWC, Durbanville Commercial Printers (DCP) for making this event such a success.