Race Report: The Greg Minnaar Cycles KZN Regional Championships Come to a Head in Pietermaritzburg

The final race of the 2019 KwaZulu-Natal Gravity Calendar took place over the weekend of the 20th and 21st of July at Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg. The event formed the KZN Regional Championships sponsored once again by Greg Minnaar Cycles. A prolonged dry winter made for dusty and loose trails, in stark contrast to the mudbath that occurred at the same venue for Round 1 of the Series earlier in the year.

Enduro

A crisp morning greeted the 104 Enduro riders on Saturday morning with low hanging mist and frost keeping the winter temperatures in the single digits. This did not deter from some heated racing however with Stage 1 of the 5 stage Enduro Championships beginning in the iconic 2013 World Championships start gate. Stage 1 was long and steep, filled with natural rooty and rocky goodness. Stage 2 needed a total change in tactics with a 5 minute flow trail filled to the brim with berms and jumps. Stages 3 and 4 were new to the racers, linking existing trails in the lower section of the bike park. Stage 5 was a fitting end to the season, using the full 2012 FourCross World Cup track to bring the riders home into the finish arena.












Downhill

As is customary with the Greg Minnaar Cycles Gravity Series, the Downhill followed on the Sunday, with the riders having to negotiate a very different top of the Pietermaritzburg World Cup Downhill track. Gone were the hard pack trails used for the previous events, and in their place were countless loamy, loose flat corners that snaked their way down to the signature Cloud 9 and Pebble Beach rock gardens. Exceptionally wide taping saw multiple lines forming through the technical steep rocks.









KZN Gravity Commission would like to thank all their sponsors for the 2019 Season


Full results are available at Elite Timing http://www.elitetiming.co.za/results/

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Racing and Events Greg Minnaar