Cascade of medals for SA women riders

IT WAS a strong start for the South African women riders at the UCI MTB Masters World Championships yesterday as they claimed three of the five World Championship jerseys and eight of the 15 medals on offer at the Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg.

The women’s 30-34 category was a monumental showdown with South African Nedene Cahill and Hungarian Eszter Erdelyi battling it out for the first two-and-a-half of the three laps.

It was a head- to- head encounter right up until the final half- a- lap, where the South African opened up a significant lead to take the World Championship title.

“I am unbelievably happy with the win,” Cahill said. “I knew Eszter was going to be strong and it was always going to be neck and neck between us.

“But I knew that in the technical sections, if I got ahead, I would be ok and I had the confidence to get ahead of her.”

It was then the turn of Pietermaritzburg regular and Coffeeberry/ Momsen rider Natalie Bergstrom to claim the second South African win when she claimed the 40-44 category, two minutes ahead of second-placed Lyn van Breda, also from South Africa.

“I am so unbelievably happy with the win,” Bergstrom said. “I have worked so hard for this, from Nationals, to KZN Champs to African Champs this was what I was working towards and I was so hungry to win!”

The third title winner for South Africa, riding under the banner of her adopted Namibia, was Genevieve Weber.

It was a strong ride from the 35-39 rider who won her category with about two minutes to spare over American Marie Walsh.

“I knew that when I went into the race I could nail the technical sections and I have been working really hard over the training period but I wish that I had two or three more days to prepare,” said Weber. “It was an absolute honour to race for South Africa and for Namibia and it got pretty emotional for me coming down the last section.”

It was a Canadian who was the first non-South African to swoop one of the World Championship awards, following a stellar display from Cathryn Zeglinski as she took the 45-49 category.

She finished two minutes in front of defending champion Argentinian Maria De Bernardi. – Sapa