Western Province Gravity Enduro round 1 at Jonkershoek

The Enduro scene is growing nicely here in Cape Town (and in South Africa) and it’s great to see so many new faces enjoying racing and having fun.

Early start to the day, hoping to beat the heat

Sunrise over Jonkershoek, the perfect Enduro playground

Admin

Parking lot strategy talk

Future Enduro star?

Race briefing for the 120+ riders

Jonkershoek has been a home away from home for mountain bikers since the early 90’s where steel framed hardballs were thrown down the gravel jeep-tracks by Lycra clad “downhillers” with narrow bars and skinny tyres. It offers some of the best trails in South Africa, validated by the fact that many top Europeans base themselves here in the off season, and the hot summer’s conditions make for some nice powdery dust. It was therefore fitting that the inaugural WP Gravity Enduro was held in here, 20 years after we raced the first WP Downhill event. In total, 122 riders attended the event, kicking the Western Province Gravity Enduro series off on a very positive note.

Liaison 1 front runners

Liaison 1 peloton

Daniel Dobinson – 3rd

Dale Barnard on SS1

Darryn Stow – 2nd

King Gary Barnard, pinned on SS2, for the top spot

The race consisted of only 3 special stages, each with a gradient of -11%, and a total liaison of 15.1km – to separate the men from the boys. SS1 was pretty technical and tight with a rad natural wall ride feature. SS2 was a lot of new trail combined with an old gravity run which ended with a nasty short climb before the final flow trail. SS3 consisted of flowing trails through amazing pine forests with more than some pedaling required. All in all a great balance of riding.

Liaison 2

Adi van der Merwe on SS2

Damion van Tromp on SS2

Adam van der Ploeg on SS2

“I had smooth runs and tried to carry as much speed everywhere without pushing too hard. The Pyga 140mm 650b with Mavics Crossmax wheelset performed flawlessly. Thanks to all the organizers for a super day out!” ~ Myles Kelsey

“Loved the race. Had to ride smart in the loose conditions… push hard while keeping it tidy. Great day on the bike.” ~ Gary Barnard

Peter Nilges on SS3

Bryony Mccormick on SS3

Jean-Pierre Jacobs on SS3

Gary Barnard 1st, Darryn Stow 2nd, Daniel Dobinson 3rd

Top 10 overall

1 Gary Barnard 13.32

2 Darryn Stow 14.05

3 Daniel Dobinson 14.13

4 Mark Hopkins 14.16

5 Myles Kelsey 14.16

6 Theo Elangsen 14.33

7 Dane Olsen 14.33

8 Duran Van Eeden 14.38

9 Rupert Von Tutschek 14.42

10 Adi Van Der Merwe 14.47

Full results here.

A huge thank you to all that made the event possible. Bennet ‘Ace Of Spades’ Nel and his team for preparing the trails. X-Fusion for sound on the day. Roost Apparel for supplying T-shirts. And of course, WPDH and WPGE. See you all at round 2 of the Western Province Gravity Enduro 2014!

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/352619/