The Junior Eliminator Series 2016 kicked off in the Western Cape with two highly entertaining races at Bloemendal Wine Estate and Bishops Diocesan College where young riders representing 24 different schools entertained the crowds with some exciting, high paced racing action.
Eliminator is a short course heat racing format of mountain biking, riders race four at a time around a course roughly 800m in length – just one lap, a flat out sprint interval. The top two finishers advance to the next round whilst the bottom two are eliminated from the competition. Every rider gets to race a minimum of two times per event(no elimination in round one).
Riders get one hour to practice the lap once they have registered giving them the opportunity to learn sections and obstacles to then work on their race strategy. This time also allows “newer” riders to potentially overcome a fear or learn a new skill like riding down a set of stairs or confidently riding over a bridge, drop off or through single track and switch backs.
The Eliminator format evens the playing field as most riders(especially as they have youth on their side) can be competitive over the short distance and there is no real “favourite” to win as racing is tight and the smallest mistake can cost you a position but open the door for a new podium contender. It is also great for newer participants to the sport as they dont get “left behind” and are urged on and encouraged by fellow team mates and spectators as they make their way around the course.
The two courses for the Western Cape varied with Bloemendal Wine Estate testing the riders power to get up a climb and into the single track where they could play over the jumps and through the berms. Bishops Diocesan College showed the importance of a good start to get out in front and negotiate the tight turns whilst keeping enough in the tank for the large wide open sprint finish.
This year saw the addition of two new age groups: under 10 and under 12 to join the under 14, 16 and 19 riders. It was incredible to see the skills and speed produced by such small humans as well as the determination to win as they grit their teeth and charged around the courses and over all the obstacles. The series also welcomed a large increase in the ladies division across all age groups who also contributed to the excitement with elbow to elbow racing.
As with all events, they are not possible without the support of sponsors, a huge thank you to Trek Bikes, Fox Racing, Skullcandy, OGIO, GoPro, Bontrager, Frog Bikes and Olympic Cycles who showered the participants with incredible prizes, both for the podium finishers as well as a number of raffle draws at each event for all participants to stand a chance to win.
The second(final) event also saw the crowning of the Overall Champions for the Western Cape leg of the series. There was a great tussle in all the age groups with every rider wanting to come out on top. Further to the battle of the age groups was the fight to be the Overall Team winners. Going into round two there were four teams separated by a mere 500 points. It was the new comers Kenridge Primary who put on a dominant performance at the final round filling the podium spots in their respective age groups that saw them leap well into the lead and walk away victorious.
The series is moving onto KwaZulu Natal with the first event on the public holiday Thursday 16 June(Youth Day) at Northwood Boys High School followed by Sunday 26 June at Thomas More College. Entries are open and can be done online: www.onemovement.co.za
Junior Eliminator Series 2016 – Western Cape Overall
Girls Under 10:
1. Megan Scholtz (Kenridge Primary)
2. Chloe Chesterton (Sweet Valley Primary)
Boys Under 10:
1. Matthew Jones (Kenridge Primary)
2. Matt Laughton (Kenridge Primary)
3. Scott Meredith (Kenridge Primary)
Girls Under 12:
1. Kayleigh Scholtz (Kenridge Primary)
2. Anna Marx (Springfield)
3. Erin Jones (Kenridge Primary)
Boys Under 12:
1. Alec Coleske (Kenridge Primary)
2. Hendre De Villiers (Durbanville Primary)
3. Ryan Veer (Totius Primary)
Girls Under 14:
1. Danielle Barnard (Durbanville Primary)
2. Julia Marx (Springfield)
Boys Under 14:
1. W.G Van Der Walt (Montana)
2. Pierre Le Roux (Durbanville High)
3. Krige Van Der Vyver (Paul Roos)
Girls Under 16:
1. Carla Hollander (DF Malan)
2. Nadia Van Niekerk (Bridge House)
3. Renate Blumers (Bridge House)
Boys Under 16:
1. Jamie Penfold (Paul Roos)
2. Josh Laughton (Paul Roos)
3. Ben Ringwood (Fish Hoek High)
Girls Under 19:
1. Allison Morton (Westerford)
2. Jessi Nixon (Fish Hoek High)
3. Jana Barry (Parel Vallei)
Boys Under 19:
1. Jarrod Van Den Heever (Paarl Boys)
2. Rossouw Bekker (Paul Roos)
3. Morne Hollander (DF Malan)
Junior Eliminator Series 2016 – Western Cape Overall Schools
1 Kenridge Primary
2 Paul Roos Gimnasium
3 DF Malan
4 Durbanville Primary
5 Parel Vallei
6 Bridge House
7 Songo.Info
8 Reddam House
9 Paarl Boys High
10 Welgemoed Primary
11 Sweet Valley Primary
12 Fish Hoek High School
13 Montana
14 Westerford
15 Bishops Diocesan College
16 Durbanville High School
17 Totius Primary
18 Laerskool Stellenbosch
19 Milnerton Primary
20 Fairmont High school
21 Hendrik Louw
22 Private
23 Courtrai Primary
24 Eversdal
