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Illovo Eston MTB Challenge

The 2010 version of the Illovo Eston MTB Challenge certainly lived up to expectations! A huge field of just on 3000 riders gathered at the Eston Club this last weekend on the 1^st August, and celebrated a feast of mountain biking.

 The event was finally run under clear skies and perfect winter sunshine. Such a change from previous years. And the weather certainly brought out the best crowd on record. As usual, there were riding options for every level of rider. From young to experienced, and from social to Seriooouus (with a capital S)! Changes had been made to the 60km route, and judging by the rave reviews, these changes certainly made the ride a magnificent spectacle. The 40km was similar to previous years, with a few minor adjustments in the second half of the race. Unfortunately the killer hill 3km from the finish was BACK with a vengeance! This certainly made the Aquelle at the end worth the effort.

 Racing in the 60km Illovo Marathon was certainly as hot as the weather. A high quality field from all over South Africa, as well as Namibia, ensured that the winners prizes of R10000 in each of the men's and ladies divisions would be hard earned. Added to the seasoned professionals like Melt Swanepoel and Pietermaritzburg's own Brandon Stewart, were a number of KZN's top juniors trying the longer distance for the first time. These young guns brought a new unknown quantity to the racing, as nobody quite knew how long they would survive the pace over the longer distance. Most pundits were in for a surprise.

 Brandon Stewart led the charge to the King of the Mountain point, which at Illovo Eston is only 3 kilometers into the race. From there on, the chasing pack had work to do to close the gap that Stewart had created, with the chasers only catching him 15km before the end. Melt Swanepoel, probably the most experienced rider in the field, led the chase, with only a handful of riders including KZN's exciting talent James Reid, being able to follow. Nearing the end, Stewart was unable to react as Swanepoel surged on the final hill, giving Swanepoel the space he needed to surge for the line. Stewart hung on grimly for second place, with Reid closing fast for the final podium position.

 The young guns continued to dominate in the 60km ladies race. Cherise Taylor, only 20 years old, and Candice Neethling, still a junior, proved that Ladies mountain biking is in great hands. Their dominance of a quality field that included champions like Carla Rowley, Yolandi du Toit and Samantha Oosthuizen was remarkable. In the frantic sprint for the line, Neethling and Taylor touched handle bars and crashed heavily within site of the finish line. Taylor managed to get back on her bike quickest and snatch victory from KZN's junior star Neethling. Yolandi du Toit took third, a further 8 minutes behind the leading duo. Neethling's win in the Queen of the Mountains was little consolation for her disappointment.

 The 10km Aquelle half marathon was won convincingly by Kyle Dorkin, with Matthew English taking second place. Again Pietermaritzburg featured on the podium with the well known Starr family, in this case Murray Starr, providing third place. All 3 of these riders are under the age of 18, and managed to beat many of their older rivals in a field of nearly 800. The ladies race over the 40km distance provided a tale of young and old. Youth, in the form of Hayley Smith prevailed over the experience of Allegra Wykerd, and Candice Parker-Dennison of KZN's South Coast took a well deserved third place.

The rest of the day was dedicated to fun and enjoyment with a further 1600 riders taking part in the 18km Illovo Fun ride through Tala Game reserve and the 10km Ola Milky Lane kids ride. Young and old, tall and small all cycled, bobbled and wandered their way along the roads and tracks laid out by the ever enthusiastic Eston farming community.

 At the end, riders, friend and family all settled down to good old farming hospitality, ice cold beverages, medals and various goodies handed out by the tireless sponsors and helpers of this fantastic event.