South African Lieuwe Boonstra won the Cycletech Spring Festival held over the weekend. Namibian Master triathlete Paddy Murphy was second while veteran Tokkie Bombosch finished third.
Patrick de Goede reports on the event:
What an awesome day! The 11th annual Cycletec Spring festival has come and gone and we would like to thank each and every one of you that made the effort to participate, spectate, support, marshal or just be there! This year’s event was definitely about being OUT IN THE STICKS, as every event on the day was off road, and it seems fun was had by all. (We hope?)
The day started with 42 brave trail runners and walkers toeing the start line at Eagles Beergarden, just below the Avis dam wall. The task ahead: 8.5 km of tough, thorny Namibian trails and cattle paths with some breathtaking views and lung busting climbs around this popular leisure area. First across the line was Martin Compion for the men, but not before crossing a man-made mud pit at the finish. 5th overall and 1st lady was Genevive Weber, who proved that dynamite comes in small, pretty packages! The rest of the field crossed the line tired but happy, with this being a first attempt at trail running for many.
By the time the last runners and walkers were finishing, most of the triathletes and duathletes were setting up their transitions and getting ready for the 09h00 start. Lieuwe Boonstra, an experienced pro from Cape Town, was the defending champion and definitely the favourite after a 2nd place at X-Terra Japan only days earlier. Ahead of him and the other athletes lay a 1km swim, a tough 22 km mountain bike leg and the same 8.5 km loop the trail runners had just sunk their teeth into.
With uncharacteristically hot weather for early September, the racing promised to be tough. A shorter distance of 500m swimming, 10 km mountain biking and a 4.5 km trail rum was an option for the less fit or experienced, as well as a run/bike/run for non-swimmers with a total of 65 athletes spread across the various options. Most encouraging was the large amount of newcomers who had ventured out to test themselves against Mother Nature. Boonstra lead the race from start to finish, even with a slight detour after he lost his way. Namibian master Paddy Murphy finished a well deserved 2nd overall, as he managed to put some daylight between himself and veteran Tokkie Bombosch. For the ladies it was Vera Adriaan, who while incurring a time penalty for a missed turn, still had a huge lead over the other ladies. Elke Jagau was the 1st master lady, with the fastest run split of the entire day!
Over the short distance, 14-year-old Martin Freyer and 12-year-old Herbert Peters showed the competition a clean pair of heels, finishing first and second respectively. Barbara Ackerman was the 1st lady across the line. The remaining field was a great mix of young and old, who all raced hard to get to the finish line where cold drinks, fresh fruit and chocolates awaited them. While the main events were underway, the organisers staged two fun events, a toddlers duathlon and a dirst kids duathlon .As usual the kids were calm and collected, while nervous parents gave last minute advice. The racing proved to be some of the fiercest of the day, with nearly 20 kids giving it their all.
From around noon, a steady flow of mountain bikers started arriving for the final event of the day. Waiting for them was 20 or 44km of hot, hilly racing with temperatures rising steadily above 30 degrees. The start gun went at 13h00 and over 80 riders took to the trails. First back after 2 loops of the short route was Herbert Peters, who only hours before had won his age group and finished 2nd overall in the short triathlon. Vera Adriaan showed her great cycling form and comfortably won the ladies cat. The long route proved to be a bridge to far for many riders, with the mercury reaching 42 degrees out on the course. Eventually, Martin Freyer took line honours from Tristan de Lange. Both of these youngsters, with boatloads of talent, are bright stars for the future. Third overall and first master was Aidan de Lange, while Zoe Mitchell and Monika Grossmann finished 1st and 2nd in the ladies category.
Attached are the full results
| Attachment | Size |
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| Results Cycletec Springfestival.xls | 56.5 KB |