No mountain high enough for duo
LOCAL cyclists Eben Hartslief and Jason Peach excelled at The Herald Continental Cycle Tour Extreme mountain bike event at Addo on Sunday morning.
Fast-rising cycling talent Hartslief triumphed in the 60km race, putting in a top effort to beat some of the more fancied names, while Peach came third in the main 80km event.
“It was very tough out there, but I am super happy to get the win,” said Hartslief.
“It was rainy and muddy, some places weren’t ride-able, but it was a really good challenge.
“I was feeling really great on the day, but I did not know the field, so I wasn't sure who the main challengers were, so I just decided to do my job and in the end I came out on top.”
Hartslief has a couple more races coming up in the next few weeks and he will be aiming to take the momentum gained from the weekend’s win into those event.
“I have the Herald Road race on Sunday which I am looking forward to and then an Eastern Cape cross-country race will be my next one after that,” said Hartslief.
“I am very positive after this win and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds for me.”
For Peach it was a really strong ride that saw him force his way into the top three of a strong field.
Peach is well-known on the local mountain biking scene and is always one of the frontrunners in events in the region, but admitted he did not expect to do so well in the Herald race.
Peach said the race was a very interesting experience, with the rain having made conditions extremely tough and mud constantly kicking up into the bikers eyes making it difficult, but in the end proved an enjoyable experience.
“It was exceptionally muddy, I think it is the muddiest race I have ever raced in my life,” he said.
“There was one part that was single track and that was just carnage, the roads were so thick that you couldn’t ride so you had to pick up the bike and walk and even then you almost couldn’t pick up the bike because it was so heavy from all of the mud.”
KwaZulu-Natal’s Andrew Hill and Port Elizabeth’s Marco Joubert took the top two places in the 80km, while top SA cyclist, Anriette Schoeman won in the women’s section.