South African champion, Yolande Speedy, will be looking for a victory to boost her chances of winning the 2007 Mazda National Mountain Bike Series, when she tackles The Talisman Herald Karoo to Coast from Uniondale to Knysna on Sunday.
South African champion, Yolande Speedy, will be looking for a victory to boost her chances of winning the 2007 Mazda National Mountain Bike Series, when she tackles The Talisman Herald Karoo to Coast from Uniondale to Knysna on Sunday.
A win at Karoo to Coast, which doubles as the ninth event in the prestigious 10-leg Mazda Series, would give Speedy (IMC Mongoose) a 4000-point injection, to shoot her from fourth to second in the rankings, and within a very realistic shot at the overall Series title, which she narrowly missed out on last year.
Last year’s winner of Karoo to Coast and the Mazda Series, Yolande de Villiers (Mazda Merida), is out of contention for both this year following a serious crash during the Mazda Haenertsburg race two weeks ago.
Current Series leader, Tania Raats (Maverick Momentum) is ill with bronchitis, and will not be in action on Sunday, and also absent is Amy Jane Mundy (Jeep Specialized), currently lying second in the Series, who has opted to compete at the Sunday Tribune Jeep Hill to Hill event in KwaZulu-Natal.
This gives Speedy outright favourite status for Sunday’s testing 100km haul from the dry and dusty Karoo town of Uniondale to the lush coastal forests at Knysna.
Speedy’s busy international racing schedule has allowed her to only compete in four events of the eight held so far. She won three of those, and could edge out Raats to win the Series if she records victories in the final two events.
Other riders that could be in contention for a podium place on Sunday include Ellane van Wyk (Fabrinox), Hanlie Booyens (Jeep Specialized), Michelle Lombardi, Jeannie Bomford, Carla Rowley (Raleigh MTN Energade), Ischen Stopforth and Jane Seggie.
With Raats and Mundy absent, Rowley, who currently occupies third place in the Series, will wear the Mazda Series pink leader’s jersey. Speedy will don the Velotex Queen of the Mountains jersey.
More than 1600 riders have already pre-entered the popular event. Pre-entries are closed but late entries will be taken at registration at the Uniondale Show Grounds hall on Saturday 22 September from 16h00–21h00.
No entries will be taken on race day, but late registration will be open on Sunday 23 September from 06h00–06h30. For more information, visit the Adventure Zone website .
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