A successful Xco cycle

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KNYSNA NEWS – Last weekend saw the Oakhill Sports Campus abuzz with cyclists of all ages as it was the venue for the second race in the 2021 Eden Xco series, with the provincial championships around the corner.

While the race was held on Sunday 6 June, participating riders could saddle up on their mountain bikes and test out the brand-new track at the Oakhill Sports Campus (OSC) on Saturday.

This allowed them to get a feel of what to expect from the track on race day. The new Xco track was put together by Garden Route Trail Park owner Rob Dormehl in the three weeks leading up to the race.

Dormehl already had a track at the OSC with which he could work, but he and his team were to expand it to be able to host a provincial cross country mountain bike event, and potentially a national one too.

Photo gallery: Xco cycling on show at OSC

This was in response to Oakhill and the OSC being named the venue for the 2021 Western Cape Mountain Bike Xco Championships, which are to be held on 26 June.

Jaydan Durandt prepares for a drop off, followed closely by Jaco Jacobs, Cronjé Beukes and Willem Botha.

According to Dormehl the aim was to build a track that catered for all riders. "A lot of Xco tracks out there feature lots of difficult riding that often exclude many riders due to the skills needed to ride them," he said. "Our aim was to create a track with elements of speed and skill that both the most skilled riders and the least skilled riders could ride and enjoy."

Photo gallery: Oakhill Sports Campus abuzz with cyclists

Dormehl and his team seem to have succeeded in their task, as on race day just under 200 cyclists, split between 21 categories, took part in the Eden Xco 2. The course was opened up for some more practice riding on the morning of the race, with riders able to enjoy just over an hour and a half before matters got underway.

Two track layouts were used during the event. Riders between the ages of 7 and 12 used the short course, a 2,72km loop, and riders 13 and up then migrated to the full course, a 4,52km loop. Both loops were lapped a certain number of times, based on the age group.

The day was a huge success, and proved an efficient test of the track ahead of the provincial championships at the end of the month. Organisers thanked the volunteers from the Knysna Sports Academy as well as the Kwano Cycling Academy who marshalled on the day. They are further immensely thankful for the various sponsors that made the day possible.

The sponsors donated in various forms, including but not limited to the construction of the track and helping make race day a huge success. Thanks go to the following sponsors: Oakhill, Seattle Coffee, Knysna Toyota, Squirt, Talisman Tool Hire, Dr Dylan Joseph, Simonsig, Magnetic South, Head Over Hills Luxury Retreat, and Knysna Municipality.

Streicher Swart (left) makes his way past Linke Oosthuizen (right).
Photos: Blake Linder