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Neethling nails Continental Champs downhill title in close encounter


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Yes only one EW rider. Rika chose to ride in her class so she can go to masters world champs.

 

Simone is not form the African continent so she cant compete in the EW category.

 

so there was only one womans elite competitor for the entire continent?

 

I need to go read all the comments from Wyatts thread about the state/future of womens downhill because this is most concerning?

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so there was only one womans elite competitor for the entire continent?

 

I need to go read all the comments from Wyatts thread about the state/future of womens downhill because this is most concerning?

 

 

If the other girls [Nadia, Stacey, Kath (she would maybe have done sub vets)] were given some financial support I am sure they would have been there. A weekend like this isn't cheap!

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Yes guys my name doesn't deserve to stand there but I even failed to get out of that one sadly due to no other elite woman coming to ride... it is quite embarrasing!

 

at least you made the effort to show up - what the hell is going on ladies? there was a lot of angst in that thread I mentioned..so when the opportunity for a continental title comes up surely you make an effort?

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If the other girls [Nadia, Stacey, Kath (she would maybe have done sub vets)] were given some financial support I am sure they would have been there. A weekend like this isn't cheap!

 

sure I get that Hayley..but this is a continental champs.. a combined roadtrip or whatever, and I am sure with some appeal people would have offered accommodation.

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at least you made the effort to show up - what the hell is going on ladies? there was a lot of angst in that thread I mentioned..so when the opportunity for a continental title comes up surely you make an effort?

 

An effort is different than having to take off work responsibilities and putting money into a weekend if you don't get anything in return. (I'm not talking about myself here, cause my work is quite generous in that regard)

 

I would love to get more ladies involved and I scratch my head daily thinking of how to do so. We need some sorts of sponsors. And I'm not talking about people that would pay these ladies, just something that will get the top ladies (not me) and their bikes to the races.

 

It is a sad story!

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Yes guys my name doesn't deserve to stand there but I even failed to get out of that one sadly due to no other elite woman coming to ride... it is quite embarrasing!

 

You pitched up, you rode, you finished first. Nothing you can do if there was nobody to race against you, you did your bit. Congrats, champ!

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did the sport men compete on a different course? faster times than sub vets and vets.....?

 

First 3 should have been riding elite men but you had to have a south african jersey to ride elite categories (UCI rules for international championship races). So they rode sport instead.

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Hayley,

 

Just want to say well done! It takes guts to go down the mainline, even with a DH bike I don't think I would make it down.

 

Respect!

 

PS Met your nephew on Saturday and he is very proud of you and shouted when you were coming down a practice run. He just could not understand why you don't want to do some of the jumps when you can jump over lamp posts!

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You pitched up, you rode, you finished first. Nothing you can do if there was nobody to race against you, you did your bit. Congrats, champ!

 

Haha. .. I'll only see myself as a champ of I have that result with at least 4 names following mine.

 

Best is I have learnt a lot! Fell my butt off a few times. When I was speaking to the other ladies (the one riding 15 years+) I realised what a noob I am in this thing. I'm making progress (end of last year I was more than double the ladies times, now on my seeding run I was 50sec off the previous lady). Most importantly is that I don't go to race against to others anyway. For me it is remembering that rock drop after that knarly rock garden that I could ride and I wasn't scared of the ruts...I put my foot out like a drift king :D

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That rock garden took no survivors ha ha. Buddy of mine took a tumble there on his second run :w00t:

 

Definitely want to give the mainline a try to prove to myself I have at least larger balls than the 10 year old that was tearing it up lol.

 

Well Done to whoever he was, flowing at 10 is winning at 18 :thumbup:

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His name is Ike Klaasen. Awesome little kid!

 

That rock garden took no survivors ha ha. Buddy of mine took a tumble there on his second run :w00t:

 

Definitely want to give the mainline a try to prove to myself I have at least larger balls than the 10 year old that was tearing it up lol.

 

Well Done to whoever he was, flowing at 10 is winning at 18 :thumbup:

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so there was only one womans elite competitor for the entire continent?

 

I need to go read all the comments from Wyatts thread about the state/future of womens downhill because this is most concerning?

 

 

Only one women's elite competitor? !!

Wasnt Ryan Du Toit entered?

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That rock garden took no survivors ha ha. Buddy of mine took a tumble there on his second run :w00t:

 

Definitely want to give the mainline a try to prove to myself I have at least larger balls than the 10 year old that was tearing it up lol.

 

Well Done to whoever he was, flowing at 10 is winning at 18 :thumbup:

 

His name is Ike Klaasen. Awesome little kid!

 

Think this was him ripping on a practice run...

 

IMG_1306.jpg

 

IMG_1307.jpg

 

IMG_1308.jpg

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It is unfortunate that only a few girls turned up to race, but as has been mentioned before Rika cannot acquire any UCI points if she wishes to defend her Masters World Champs title in Norway this year (which she plans to do) and a lot of the other girls unfortunately had prior commitments or were injured. Yes it is not ideal, but it is where we currently find ourselves in SA. It would be awesome having more girls on the track and I really hope that the enduro scene will help to add to the numbers and that everyone (girls & boys) realize that you don't have to be smashing every obstacle on the track to compete (you can roll pretty much every track in SA without your wheels leaving the ground).

 

That said, congrats to Hayley she survived the weekend and was in the end the winner on the day and that can not be taken away from her.

 

I personally had a rad weekend (1st time riding in the Cape) surrounded by like minded people who love to ride their bikes. Good times!

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