PCG Athlete Gawie Combrinck Vulintaba Extreme 2nd Place Finish

It was a busy Easter weekend of racing for the Team NAD riders. Nico and Gawie competed at the Vulintaba Extreme 75km MTB race on Saturday and the Vulintaba Extreme 100km road race on Sunday 1 April which took place in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. The MTB race started off in damp conditions and made for very wet and slippery trails. Riders had to work hard and concentrate to ensure that they stay on their bike and finish the race safely. The tricky conditions took its toll on the equipment, but the Specialized S-Works Epic bikes held up incredibly well and Nico and Gawie worked together to finish first and second respectively, with Nico taking the King of the Mountain. “It was very muddy and slippery out there. Gawie and I worked well together, and we really enjoyed being out on the trails,” Nico explained. A great result to kick off the weekend’s racing for the team.

On Sunday morning, riders got the news that the 100km road race would be shortened to 60km due to the bad weather conditions. The new shortened route made the racing short, sharp and aggressive. Gawie explained, “We attacked from the gun and got away with one other rider. The race was very similar to a training ride and we stayed away for the remainder of the race, attacking on the hills and working together. Nico took the win and I finished second.”.

Men’s road race results:

1. Nico Bell 1:30:07

2. Gawie Combrinck 1:30:08

3. Ryan Harris 1:31:04

4. Warren McKay 1:32:28

5. Calvin Beneke 1:32:57

The Vulintaba Extreme weekend races also had a combined prize for the road and mountain bike events where Nico took first and Gawie claimed the second place. It was a great weekend of racing for both.

Young XC ace, Wessel Botha took the the start line at the SA MTB Cup Series XCO #2 held on the Thaba trails in Gauteng. Unfortunately, the race did not go to plan when Wessel started to feel ill on the second lap. The young man made a brave, but responsible decision to pull out of the race and focus on the next event.

Our main focus now shifts to preparing for the J2C – 9 day MTB stage race which takes place from 20^th of April.

Gawie Combrink is coached by Hunter Allen PCG Master Coach