Philip Buys and Sarah Hill conquered the Fedhealth Magalies Monster MTB Classic on their first attempt at the ATKV Buffelspoort on Saturday 28 August 2021.
Celebrating its 18th anniversary on the day, mountain bikers could choose between the Marathon/+-65km, Half Marathon/+-33km, Fun Ride/+-16km and a 2.5km Kids Event.
Philip Buys. Photo credit: Tobias Ginsberg.
Philip Buys (Menlo Park, Pretoria) completed the Marathon/+-65km route in a lightning-fast time of 02 hours 49 minutes 02 seconds. “The route was quite rough. I really enjoyed it,” says Buys. “I’m used to this type of terrain. It’s loose and rocky, very similar to what we have in Pretoria. It was my first Magalies Monster, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun that rough downhill was. The weather was fine today. We had a little bit of rain on the far end of the route, but it didn’t affect the outcome of the race. If my schedule allows it, I’ll definitely be back next year.” Pieter du Toit came in 2nd, while Jan Withaar finished 3rd.
Sarah Hill (Bryanston, Gauteng) secured gold in the women’s race in a deserving time of 03 hours 31 minutes 11 seconds. According to Hill she wanted to see what all the hype was about. “Everyone talks so highly of this race. I was absolutely blown away. I’ve done Breedt’s Nek a couple of times, but I did not realise that there was more to it. I really enjoyed finding rhythm on the climbs and the downhills were absolutely phenomenal. It was rocky, technical, hard-packed, fast – everything you want, and it rained. My favourite part was the moment that I crested Breedt’s Nek and turned right to start descending. You have the most beautiful views of the North-West. It’s a great area for training and it’s breathtakingly beautiful.” Samantha Sanders came in 2nd, while Karlise Scheepers finished 3rd.
Sarah Hill. Photo credit: Tobias Ginsberg.
Lenre Coetzee (Klerksdorp) was on fire in the Half Marathon/+-33km securing victory in 01 hour 19 minutes 40 seconds. “I think I’ve done about four Magalies Monsters already,” says Coetzee. “Today’s route was definitely more technical. The wind was hectic, but at least at the end we conquered the Monster.” Ernie Roets came in 2nd, while Bertieemmett Anderson finished 3rd.
Yvonne Prinsloo (Hartbeespoort) was the strongest contender in the women’s race, crossing the finish line in 01 hour 43 minutes 40 seconds. “The race was great,” says Prinsloo. “The route was well marked. The up-hills were my favourite part of the route as well as any part where we caught the wind from behind. I’ve probably completed the Magalies Monster seven or eight times already, but this is my first short one. I’ll definitely be back.” Sasha-Lee Sauer came in 2nd, while Tshidi Ebudilwe finished 3rd.
Riaan van den Berg (Rustenburg) claimed the top spot on the podium in the Fun Ride/+-16km in 55 minutes 35 seconds. “The route was technical with a lot of ups and downs,” says Van den Berg. “It’s rough terrain. I trained for four days, it’s very little. I’ll definitely be back and will train for the 15km again.” Dirk Steenkamp came in 2nd, while Frans Naude finished 3rd.
Alicia Steenkamp (Hartbeespoort) was the first lady home in the women’s race in a time of 57 minutes 12 seconds. “The route was awesome,” says Steenkamp. “I loved the route, and I loved the challenge. The downhills and up-hills were awesome, and I loved going through the water. I’ll definitely be back next year for the Half Marathon.” Alet de Lange came in 2nd, while Lianne Zermatten finished 3rd.
Fedhealth Principal Officer Jeremy Yatt said: “We’ve just concluded the Fedhealth Magalies Monster MTB Classic at ATKV Buffelspoort and what an event it’s been. Despite the restrictions due to COVID-19, we trust that all the MTB riders had a blast on some of the North West’s most spectacular routes. It was amazing to be out riding in the fresh air again and to celebrate health and fitness with all the participants. Thank you for joining us!”
Marathon/+-65km: OVERALL MEN
1 Philip Buys 02:49:02,
2 Pieter du Toit 02:50:05,
3 Jan Withaar 02:52:21,
4 Dewald Reinecke 02:54:51,
5 Barend Burger 03:05:15,
6 Jan Montshoai 03:16:23,
7 Marcus van den Berg 03:17:50,
8 Justin van der Linde 03:19:13,
9 Allen Lewis 03:19:49,
10 Pressmore Dhlamini 03:24:03
Marathon/+-65km: OVERALL WOMEN
1 Sarah Hill 03:31:11,
2 Samantha Sanders 03:56:38,
3 Karlise Scheepers 03:59:38,
4 Kerry Rice 04:06:48,
5 Sheryl van den Berg 04:27:59,
6 Denni Cartwright 04:28:08,
7 Lee Ziervogel 04:45:05,
8 Mireille Koster 04:48:42,
9 Auralia Edwards 05:06:59,
10 Isabel Prins 05:09:34
Half Marathon/+-33km: OVERALL MEN
1 Lenre Coetzee 01:19:40, 2 Ernie Roets 01:19:45, 3 Bertieemmett Anderson 01:22:09, 4 Jacques Griffiths 01:23:15, 5 Aaron Pietersen 01:25:32, 6 Gregory Roy McCall 01:28:32, 7 Reinhardt Geyser 01:29:31, 8 Steven Nkhoma 01:32:20, 9 Bertus Anderson 01:35:41, 10 Jacques Human 01:35:44
Half Marathon/+-33km: OVERALL WOMEN
1 Yvonne Prinsloo 01:43:40, 2 Sasha-Lee Sauer 01:54:53, 3 Tshidi Ebudilwe 02:13:29, 4 Samantha Zermatten 02:13:47, 5 Charissa Prinsloo 02:24:26, 6 Myra Mantle 02:25:38, 7 Gobona Mantle 02:25:49, 8 Anais Huyser 02:29:53, 9 Liesl Cloete 02:30:58, 10 Lindie Pretorius 02:31:15
Fun Ride/+-16km: OVERALL MEN
1 Riaan van den Berg 00:55:35, 2 Dirk Steenkamp 01:00:21, 3 Frans Naude 01:00:49, 4 Riaz Yayoball 01:01:35, 5 Joshua de Beer 01:06:23, 6 Gys Albertus 01:06:56, 7 Sweef Mostert 01:11:10, 8 Jason Botha 01:11:42, 9 Henko Terblanche 01:13:38, 10 Janco Pretorius 01:15:18
Fun Ride/+-16km: OVERALL WOMEN
1 Alicia Steenkamp 00:57:12, 2 Alet de Lange 01:00:39, 3 Lianne Zermatten 01:04:42, 4 Sulf Mey 01:15:32, 5 Bianca Beumer 01:16:37, 6 Saskia Beheydt 01:20:22, 7 Vaness Beumer 01:24:38, 8 Sanette Scheepers 01:29:21, 9 Sheree Schoeman 01:31:41, 10 Marieta Van Zyl 01:38:06
