Van Dyk dominates Paarl Rock Challenge
2007-03-15
LOCAL wheelchair athlete Ernst van Dyk once again reigned supreme on local turf during the second Paarl Rock Handcycling Challenge.
The event which started last Monday with a kiddies fun ride, a new addition to the event, is going from strength to strength.
This year 27 athletes - seven from overseas and 20 from SA - took part in the event.
Ernst made his intentions clear from the start when he won the 800m hill climb, another new addition to the event programme, in a blistering time of three minutes 24 seconds.
In the second position was Lebanon’s Edward Maalouf in a time of five minutes 42 seconds and breathing down his neck was Frans Nietlispach of Switzerland in five minutes 43 seconds.
This year the road race of 42km followed a new route chosen by Ernst himself in an effort to better comply with the prescribed safety regulations.
The Paarl resident won this race, as well, in a time of 01:10:55. This time was some three minutes faster than the time he clocked last year on the route around Boland Park.
Hot on van Dyk’s heels was former South African and now American resident Krige Schabort in 01:11:13. Maalouf crossed the finish line in the third position in 01:18:51.
In Saturday’s third and final leg Ernst won the 21km route in 34 minutes and three seconds, followed by Maalouf (30:20) and Nietlispach (41:15).
On Sunday 18 handcyclists also competed in the Pick ’n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour, with 15 of them finishing the gruelling 109km race.
Van Dyk was again the first handcyclist to finish with a time of 3 hours 22 minutes and 55 seconds.
He was followed by Schabort (3 hours 41 minutes), Nietlispach (4 hours 24 minutes).
In the fourth place was Meinrad Mueller of Switzerland, the first able-bodied athlete who took part in the handcycling race.
Maalouf finished in the fifth spot.
This year also saw the first junior athlete taking part in this international handcycling event.
The 12-year-old Hanno Burger of Stellenbosch gave a very good performance throughout the event even though a part of his handcycle broke early on.
The organiser of the event Maranda Fourie is very pleased with the progress of the Paarl Rock Handcycling Challenge.
“We in conjunction with the Department of Sport and Recreation as well as Boland Sport for the Physically Disabled are already gearing towards aggressively promoting and developing handcycling in the Boland and Western Cape,” says Fourie.
“The Paarl Rock International Handcycling Challenge will be hosted in Paarl every year in the week leading up to the Argus,” she added.
Persons interested in contributing or competing in the sport, can contact Maranda on 082-515-9860 or marandafourie@yahoo.com.
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