Johann, Gawie’s glory ride

FORTUNE favoured Johann Rabie and Gawie Combrinck as they rode safely into Scottburgh on Saturday to claim their maiden win in the nine-day Old Mutual joBerg2c mountain bike race.

The EAI Cycling duo sprinted across the floating bridge on the Scottburgh lagoon to complete their 880km journey from Heidelberg just south of Johannesburg to the sea on the KZN south coast in 33hr 36min 41sec.

They finished three minutes clear of overnight leaders Waylon Woolcock and Darren Lill, who took the runner-up spot for Cannondale-Blend in 33:39,45.

Max Knox and Kevin Evans of FedGroup-Itec outsprinted Rabie and Combrinck by a single second to win the final stage in 2:48,04, in the process securing third place in the overall standings in 34:45,27. Third place belonged to Louis-Bresler Knipe and Craig Boyes of Contego, who came home in 2:55,48 to secure fourth overall in 35:26,47.

South Africa’s longest fully serviced stage race was largely characterised by a ding-dong battle between EAI Cycling and Cannondale-Blend, with the teams claiming three and four stage wins respectively.

While both teams were plagued by mechanical issues, it was Woolcock and Lill whose title hopes deflated when they suffered a serious blow-out 20km from the finish of the 84km final stage. Forced to stop for repairs, the CannondaleBlend riders saw their overall lead of more than six minutes ebb away. They fought back to finish sixth in the stage in 2:57,51 to fall one place in the general classification. They took their seventh stage win in 3:27,26 ahead of overall runners-up Brenda Potts and Sarah van Heerden of Old Mutual in 3:33,59 (42:55:29).

Sasol Racing’s Yolande de Villiers and Franso Steyn won the stage in 3:07,52 and with it the mixed category (36:50,51). Second, in 3:12:41, were teammates Leana de Jager and Johan Labuschagne (37:16:51).

Avis Van Rental’s Alison Richardson and Rob Dormehl took fifth on the stage in 3:27,30 to finish third overall (40:26,14).