Meaton wins two-day
Jason Meaton was overall winner of the Trans Elands TwoDay MTB Stage Race that took place on 12 and 13 November, from the Wacky Woods Private Riverside Resort situated on the banks of the Gamtoos River.
Meaton won the 100km Stage 1 in 3 hours 34 minutes, two minutes ahead of Kyle Bradford. He followed this up with a second spot behind Bradford in a sprint finish, at the end of the 85km Stage 2. However, his two-minute lead from day one was enough to ensure Meaton was crowned the champion of the stage race. Meaton finished in a combined time of 7:28:15.
In the women’s race, Gemma Meaton finished fourth on both stages to take fourth place overall. Gemma finished Stage 1 in 4:41:07 and Stage 2 in 5:24:11. Gemma and Jason are married.
Asked about the route, Jason Meaton said: “I found it wonderful. There were spots in the race that are hard and some that are easy but in all a really great and well organised event.” Meaton has made a name for himself in the Eastern Cape as one of the leading mountain bikers.
Both days of the Trans Elands MTB Stage Race started and finished at the race venue, situated about 15kms from Jeffrey’s Bay.
Stage 1’s 100km stint included 1 386m of climbing and which saw riders make their way up the “Never Ender” of Trans Baviaans fame.
Stage 2’s route took riders via the Loerie Ruskamp into Longmore forest, before climbing to the top of the Winterberg range via “Lex’s Monster Climb” reaching the saddle and Elands River Valley overlook. The route then descended through Longmore to the Loerie Ruskamp before crossing the Gamtoos River twice on the way back to Wacky Woods. The second day’s 85km included 2 136m of climbing.
The Trans Elands also in- cluded a Lite, made up of a 45km Stage 1 and 60km Stage 2. In addition to the Stage Races, riders were also able to participate in a single stage.
Jason Meaton will be in action again this weekend when he takes part in the Nissan Trailseeker 65km at the Bosman Family Vineyards in the Western Cape. He will use Saturday’s race as seeding for the Fairview Attakwas Extreme MTB Challenge over 121km which takes place on 21 January in Oudtshoorn.