NISSAN Trailseeker #3, Hemel en Aarde Valley, Hermanus @ Sumaridge Estate dominated by Buys and Stenerhag.
On Sat 8 Oct nearly 1,000 frantic mountain bikers set off on a challenge second to none in the Western Cape.
Riders from around the world took part, enjoying the great new Mtb paradise, created by Hermanus Adventures under the Planning Manager Deon Ferreira and Construction Captain Oom Schalk.
National and international riders enjoyed the various challenging trails, from great fynbos single tracks, mountain ridge jeep track and great downhills to some awesome river bank bush trails. Something for everyone.
2016? Yes, book the date! Saturday 8 October.
Philip Buys and Jennie Stenerhag showed their class as internationally successful racers when they claimed dominant wins in the men and women’s races respectively at the Nissan Trailseeker Hemel & Aarde mountain bike race in Hermanus, Western Cape at the weekend.
Buys, a multiple Cape Epic stage winner and national and continental cross-country champion, dispatched his closest rivals early on during the 65km race and charged to victory in a time of 2 hours 55 minutes 08 seconds. The SCOTT Factory Racing LCB team member was the only rider in the event to break the three-hour mark. Swiss ace, Konny Looser (Wheeler iXS) claimed second place, six minutes later with Adriaan Louw (Contego Swift) rounding out the podium places in 3:03:35.
For Stenerhag, the current Swedish national champion, it was virtually an individual time trial from start to finish. The in-form Ascendis Health rider finished an impressive 17th overall in a time of 3:26:12. Namibian champion, Vera Adrian (BestMed), finished a distant second in3:36:09, with Carmen Buchacher claiming third place another two minutes later.
Close to 1000 mountain bikers tackled the four distances on offer. Strong winds and rain later in the day made the scenic routes more challenging, but the race village at Sumaridge Wine Estate provided the usual Nissan TrailSeeker hospitality and comfort for both spectators and riders once they’d crossed the finish line.
“It was my first time racing in the region and I really enjoyed the trails. After I won the last Gauteng Nissan TrailSeeker event last weekend, I decided to make the most of my form and come down to do this one,” said Philip Buys.
“This is such a fantastic venue and the Advendurance guys always have a knack for finding and linking incredible trails for these events. I can really see the Western Cape Nissan TrailSeeker Series growing.”
“This was my first event back in South Africa and I loved the route. It was really tough. In Sweden we complete a 60-odd kilometre race in just over two hours and today it took me over three hours. This was real mountain biking with nice technical rocky sections, incredible views and fast downhills,” smiled a satisfied Jennie Stenerhag.
For more news, vimeos and photos visit www.trailseekerseries.co.za
2015 Nissan TrailSeeker Series, Western Cape
Round 3, Hemel & Aarde, 10 October 2015
Leading results
Overall men – 65km marathon:
1 Philip Buys (SCOTT Factory Racing LCB) 2:55:08
2 Konny Looser (iXS Wheeler) 3:01:17
3 Adriaan Louw (Contego Swift) 3:03:35
4 Nicol Carstens 3:05:08
5 Stephan Senekal 3:06:48
6 Charl-Pierre Esterhuyse 3:10:05
7 Jurgens Uys 3:10:51
8 Jean de Villiers 3:12:26
9 Matthew Lombardi 3:12:39
10 Neil Bradford 3:15:34
Overall women – 65km marathon:
1 Jennie Stenerhag (Ascendis Health) 3:26:12
2 Vera Adrian 3:36:09
3 Carmen Buchacher 3:38:06
4 Ila Stow 4:05:32
5 Nicola Gilliomee 4:05:32
6 Hanli Cilliers 4:11:31
7 Kylie Hanekom 4:22:32
8 Zelda van Wijk 4:23:51
9 Kate Munnik 4:29:19
10 Sanja Murray 4:30:22
Overall male – 37km half-marathon
1 Edward Boschoff 1:43:17
2 Ian Lategan 1:46:00
3 Anrique Davids 1:46:20
Overall female – 37km half-marathon
1 Louise de Roubaix 2:05:06
2 Alison Morton 2:07:12
3 Beualah Buitendag 2:19:22