Candice Neethling writes about her win at the EP Herald MTB race in PE
The EP Herald MTB race this weekend was a mud festival! When I woke up to pouring rain beating on my roof, I had to come to terms with the fact that we were all in the same 'boat' - literally. It had been raining in PE for the last few days and the result was a sticky, wet paste that made for slow going around and edited 90km course. The route featured one main 10km climb, at about 25kms in, and the rest was a mixture of farm roads and jeep track, all extremely waterlogged. I started cautiously, but quickly realised there was nothing that wasn't going to get absolutely caked in mud. I rode clear of the other woman in the first few kilometers, and from there held my advantage up the main climb of the day. My BMC Team Elite 01 dealt with the mud fantastically, and the stiff rear triangle was great for putting some power down, even in the slippery stuff. On the long mud filled roads to the finish, I felt great and extended my advantage to come home a little less than 20mins ahead of Heidi Khoen (insert sponsor here and check official spelling of her name). I must say a big thank you to my sponsor, BMC South Africa for the opportunity to race all over the country, and the Judy and the rest of the organisers at the VW Herald Cycle Tour - brilliant organisation in poor conditions!
80km Extreme (Women)
1. Candice Neethling 4:06:35
2. Heidi Koen 4:26:12
3. Andrea von Holdt 4:41:37
4. Bridgette Stewart (FedGroup-Itec Connect) 4:42:51
1. Candice Neethling 4:06:35
2. Heidi Koen 4:26:12
3. Andrea von Holdt 4:41:37
4. Bridgette Stewart (FedGroup-Itec Connect) 4:42:51
