The race for the women’s title at the 2014 Sappi Howick MTB Classic was thrown wide open just days before the event is set to get underway on Sunday, 1 June, when women’s defending champ Eszter Erdelyi confirmed she has been ruled out of this year’s action due to the return of a mysterious and crippling knee injury.
Image credit: Johan Pretorius/Gameplan Media
Erdelyi, who obliterated the women’s field in 2013 to finish over ten minutes ahead of her nearest competitor, recently underwent keyhole surgery to establish the cause of major swelling and discomfort around her right knee and frustratingly is unsure just how long she will be out of action for.
“My knee just keeps swelling up. It doesn’t matter whether I ride or not, it just swells up and then the only way to get it back down again is to have it drained,” explained the Time Freight VELOLife rider.
“It’s very frustrating not being able to ride my bike and I’m very disappointed to be missing this year’s Sappi Howick MTB Classic!
Erdelyi and her fellow Time Freight VELOLife team mates regularly traverse the region’s trails and so the former Hungarian national athlete knows the characteristics and features of the course well, aiding in the enjoyment of taking part on the annual Howick event.
“We train on those trails at least once a week and a lot of races in the area use bits and pieces of the trails in their courses so I know the trails really well!” said Erdelyi.
“Even though we ride the trails quite often, the race makes things even more fun. I really love that race!”
The 2014 Sappi Howick MTB Classic kicks off a bumper four weeks of marathon mountain biking action in Pietermaritzburg and surrounds as this weekend’s race is closely followed by SA MTB Marathon Championships on Sunday 8 June and then the inaugural edition of the Rainbow Challenge and UCI MTB Marathon World Championships on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June respectively.
Erdelyi is hardly surprised by the region’s jam packed schedule as she believes the area offers tremendous trails, MTB adventure and scenery.
“I absolutely love the area. The trails are almost certainly the best in KZN and some of the best in the country!” exclaimed Erdelyi.
The defending champion’s absence from Sunday’s race now opens the door for Erdelyi’s fellow Time Freight VELOLife rider, 17 year old Alexandra Mapstone, who will look to clinch a rare senior title after showing some solid form at the recent Sappi Karkloof Classic MTB Festival where she finished in an impressive tenth overall and was the third junior woman across the line.
The popular Howick event offers participants the choice of the 40km Sappi Howick MTB Classic, 20km SPAR Intermediate Ride or the 10km Fun Ride and takes place at Howick High School on Sunday 1 June.
