AMARIDER 2010

MEDIA RELEASE     MAY 2010

CAPTION

Jacques Rossouw took gold at the AMArider 100Miler Ultra marathon in Malmesbury on Saturday, 22 May 2010 when he completed the 160km race in an impressive time of 05hours47minutes50seconds.  Photo Credit:  www.oakpics.com

ROSSOUW AND BOOYENS SHINE AT AMARIDER 100MILER ULTRA MARATHON

Jacques Rossouw and Hanlie Booyens were in peak form on Saturday, 22 May 2010 at the second annual AMArider 100Miler Ultra marathon in Malmesbury. 

According to Rossouw winning the AMArider 100Miler was a nice surprise.  “I started off reasonably slow, riding in a bunch for at least the first 70km of the race.  My strategy was to hang at the back of the pack, while the other riders did all the work.  A group of riders broke away at the second last water point and by the time I reached the last water point I think I was lying more or less 9^th overall.  I hydrated taking in loads of water and Powerade after which I started to chase hard, one by one managing to catch the leading riders.  The route was very flat with big climbs at the beginning and at the end.  I am a strong climber and that’s where I managed to make up on time.  The route was very well marked and all in all it was a really enjoyable event,” says Rossouw who completed the race in an inspiring time of 05hours47minutes50seconds.  Erik Kleinhans finished second in the men’s open category of the event, while David George placed third. 

Booyens took gold in the open women’s category of the AMArider 100Miler Ultra marathon when she crossed the finish line in an impressive time of 06hours44minutes14seconds.  According to Booyens the hot weather conditions definitely added to the toughness of the 2010 AMArider 100Miler.  “Going into the race I expected a challenge as I have loads of respect for Hannele Steyn-Kotze as a mountain biker.  Hannele, Esther and myself road together for the duration of the race and it was only at the last water point that Hannele made a break, with Esther in pursuit.  I was pleasantly surprised and very happy when I caught them both at the top of the last climb.  The route was flat with rolling hills, personally as a small female rider I perform better on the hills as I lack the power on the flat sections.  The AMArider 100Miler Ultra marathon is a stunning event and I really enjoy the distance.  I am glad to know that by participating I am helping AMArider to improve the sport of mountain biking in South Africa,” says Booyens.  Esther Lategan finished second, while Hannele Steyn-Kotze placed third.

Team ‘Fairbairn Private Bank’ obtained a first place in the open men’s team category of the AMArider 100Miler when they crossed the finish line in 06hours07minutes44seconds.  Team ‘Blend’ finished second, while team ‘Contego’ placed third.

The 2010 AMArider 100Miler saw the launch of the AMArider Trailtag, an electronic access control event timing system.  According to event organiser Meurant Botha the system will work perfectly at events where precision timing is not an issue.  “Riders will simply tag themselves when they pass through the finish, registering that they have finished.  At 24 Hour events the application will allow us to let riders ‘log-in’ at the start of a lap and ‘log-out’ at the end, giving a much more accurate reflection of “ride vs. rest time”.  The system is certainly still in development format and we welcome any feedback or ideas,” says Botha.

AMArider is a non-profit organisation and all AMArider 100Miler event proceeds will go towards the improvement of mountain bike trail opportunities around South Africa.

For more information on the AMArider 100miler visit www.amarider.co.za or phone (021) 884 – 4752 or email info@amarider.co.za.

ENDS

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Issued by                                                   PERIDOT

On behalf of                                                          DIRTOPIA

For media enquiries, please contact Jacky McClean on 083 291 9283 or email jacky@peridot.co.za.