Four victories in four races
Last weekend saw the culmination of the Madibaz XCO Mountain Bike Series at the NMU Campus, Saasveld, George.
Linél Engelbrecht has been in top form in the XCO discipline all season and dominated the final race on Sunday. She shrugged off the curse that has plagued her all season by having a fantastic start.
This set up the tone for the rest of the race as the riders entered the daunting single track sections, where race position is vital. As is customary, she set about consolidating her lead and turned in lap times comparable with the more senior and experienced riders.
The track, dubbed "The Chameleon", is relatively technical and at no time can the riders relax or be complacent.
One of the riders took a serious tumble in the race and suffered a broken nose, but tenaciously climbed back on his bicycle and finished the race.
Making it four victories in the four races in the series, Linél has definitely announced her presence in the XCO scene.
She has set her sights on participating in the SA XCO Cup and Champs in 2019, but will most definitely be back to defend her title in the Madibaz series. For now, though, all focus is on the start of the triathlon and duathlon series in Eden.
If one takes note of high profile races such as the Cape Pioneer Trek stage race that blasted its way through Mossel Bay and the region in the last couple of days, mountain biking is fast becoming synonymous with the Eden district.
Linél is a Grade 8 learner at Curro Mossel Bay.