Pretoria school on top of the mountain

THE final stage of Spur’s Interschool MTB (mountain biking) League ended last weekend with the pupils of Pretoria’s Garsfontein High School taking first place in two separate categories.

Held at Bekker High School in Magaliesburg, the competition hosted 433 riders, their parents, coaches, and fans on the school grounds.

Garsfontein High won the mixed (gender) category, with Menlo Park High and Potchefstroom Gymnasium in second and third places respectively.

They were also victorious in the men’s category, followed by Stellenbosch’s Paul Roos Gymnasium in second place and Somerset West’s Parel Vallei High School in third.

Garsfontein junior men’s team captain Hanno Erwee, 18, said: “Being crowned as national champions this past weekend really means the world to all of us at Garsfontein. We came a long way and finally the effort and all the long hours we put in were rewarded.”

The junior girls team captain, Rimari Sutton, said: “When we were sitting on those plastic chairs and our name was announced as the overall winners, I was overwhelmed, filled with joy and so much pride.

“We have come a long way. A few years ago we, didn’t even have cycling shirts. I am so proud of my team.”

“We are incredibly proud of our riders,” said Jan-Albert de Kock, MTB co-ordinator at Garsfontein High.

“They’ve trained hard throughout the season and their commitment to the sport has been first class. First place in the Spur MTB League is testimony that hard work really pays off.”

The league was first launched in 2009, and is the biggest high school cycling programme in South Africa.