Malherbe in action at Nelson’s Creek challenge
2009-09-03
ONE of Paarl’s top mountain-bikers, Petrus Malherbe (27), will certainly enjoy home-ground advantage when he returns to compete for the championship title at the action-packed Nelson’s Creek Mountain-bike Challenge running from 11 till 13 September as part of the Nelson’s Creek Mountain-bike Festival. Malherbe placed second behind Jacques Rossouw at the inaugural Nelson’s Creek Challenge in 2008 when he completed the thee-day stage race in an impressive combined time of 8 hours 26 minutes 21 seconds, a mere 5 minutes 11 seconds short of the winning time. According to Malherbe, the Nelson’s Creek Challenge was his first professional event in South Africa after competing in Belgium for six months. “In preparation for the event, I put in approximately ten hours of training a week consisting of short, but hard intervals, combined with pilates. “The Nelson’s Creek Challenge is well organised and is sure to grow every year.” Other top competitors to look out for include Jacques Rossouw, Erik Kleinhans, Max Knox, Brandon Stewart and Elmien Stander. Bikers taking on the Nelson’s Creek Challenge will have to complete a combined distance of 235km over the three days. Friday’s stage is 65km, while Saturday’s stage is 85 km and Sunday’s stage 80km. The top three male and female participants with the best overall times for the three days’ riding will share a R26 000 prize pot. Each day’s trails will start and finish at the beautiful Nelson wine estate. Riders can decide whether they want to participate on all three days or if they only want to ride on one day and select the distance that best suits their abilities. Beginners and novices can tackle the shorter loops of 15 km-18 km on fairly flat terrain, while intermediate riders can enjoy the fast 32km or 35 km routes through the rolling countryside. More experienced bikers can try the longer 50 km and 55 km trails. The races will start at 13:00 on Friday and 08:30 on Saturday and Sunday. Fun wine tastings, farm stalls and beautiful scenery will ensure a weekend of entertainment for the whole family. Camping facilities with 700 camping spots are available for making the event a weekend get-away. For more information and pre-entries, visit www.mtbfestival.co.za, email theteam@dirtopia.co.za or call the Dirtopia Trail Centre on 021-8844752.
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