Press Release: Road professional Rabie upsets classy field to win Nissan TrailSeeker Diamond Rush 9 July 2013 at 12:15 PRESS RELEASE: For immediate release – no embargo DATE: 09-07-2013 “The times they are a-changin.” It seems as if Bob Dylan had a peep at the results of the Nissan TrailSeeker Diamond Rush 70km race for pro-elite riders when he sang these lyrics. The event took place in and around the small town of Cullinan on Saturday, 6 July. Johann Rabie (NuWater) won in a time of 2 hours 44 minutes and 55 seconds. Gawie Combrinck (Westvaal/Bell Cycles) was 2nd in 2:45:43, followed by Matt Brittain (USN) in 2:48:01. It is interesting to note that Rabie is a road cyclist who has only recently started to compete in mountain-bike races. Combrinck is also a former ‘roadie’ who turned mountain biker and Brittain is an Olympic gold medallist rower who is on a forced year-long mountain bike sabbatical. Hanco Kachelhoffer (EAI Solutions/Specialized), who had only decided in May to become a full-fledged mountain biker, was 5th, and Dylan Girdlestone (Westvaal/BMC), who finished 8th, is also better known for his achievements on the road. The fact that four novices finished among the top eight in a major mountain-bike race is certainly proves that the sport is becoming increasingly popular. It is also a feather in the cap of every mountain-bike organizer that more and more athletes are succumbing to the lure of mountain biking. Rabie’s meteoric rise as a mountain biker is almost unbelievable. Although he only competed in his fourth mountain-bike race on Saturday, he can already boast with three podium finishes. Rabie is actually South Africa’s most versatile rider at the moment. He finished 2nd in the road race at the South African Championship and was 3rd in the national time-trial. He has also achieved various second and third-place finishes in some of the smaller road cycling events. Rabie maintains that, although he is in the process of becoming a full-fledged mountain biker, he is still searching for the right sponsors. “I should like to start competing in mountain-bike tours like the Absa Cape Epic and the Nedbank Sani2C. But even if everything works out as planned, I still hope to compete in some of the more important road races such as the 94.7, Argus, Amashova and OFM Classic.” Rabie admits that racing from the front in a mountain-bike race is somewhat more strenuous than it is in road cycling. “Tactics play an important part in road cycling. This means that you can be racing flat-out for 15 minutes and then everything slows down again. “To be successful in mountain biking, however, you have to grind away at 80% of your maximum effort for three to four hours. “It is also important to make sure that you start a mountain-bike race with the right equipment, otherwise it could become a long day in the saddle.” Rabie said he enjoyed the Nissan TrailSeeker Diamond Rush. “The only time I had to battle to some extent was when we raced through a very technical section. I dropped back to about 8th, but then managed to catch up with the leaders again.” The deciding point of the race seemed to have been when the riders had to first go through a river crossing and then ride up a steep little climb. Most of the riders opted to get off their bikes and run, but Combrinck decided to stay on his bike all the way. This turned out to be a mistake because he got dropped and was not able to catch up with Rabie again. Rabie rode the last approximately 20 kilometres out in front all by himself. Yolandi du Toit (Bizhub) won the women’s 70 km race in 3 hours 15 minutes and 44 seconds. Nicci Grobler was 2nd in 3:21:47 and Janine King 3rd. Ends. For more information about the upcoming races please visit www.advendurance.com For full results and more info visit www.trailseekerseries.co.za Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/trailseekermtb Find us on Twitter: @mtbseries / @trailseekermtb The dates for the 2013 Nissan TrailSeeker Series are: 25 May Nissan TrailSeeker 1 - Curro Hazeldean 6 July Nissan TrailSeeker 2 - Cullinan 14 Sept Nissan TrailSeeker 3 - Van Gaalen 5 Oct Nissan TrailSeeker 4 - Hakahana 2 Nov Nissan TrailSeeker 5 - Cornwall Hill
