Yolande de Villiers takes Barberton Win

Top road riders, Yolandi du Toit (left) and Ronel van Wyk were all smiles on the start line of the 2008 Mazda MTN Barberton Challenge. Du Toit finished third and Van Wyk ninth overall.

Reigning South African marathon champion Yolande Speedy gave her best to beat Yolande de Villiers, but it was a resurgent de Villiers who went on to win the Mazda MTN Barberton Mountain Bike Challenge at the weekend.

The 75km Barberton event started out as a two-way battle developed between Speedy (IMC Racing) and de Villiers (Cycle Lab), but de Villiers, back after a long injury-induced break, triumphed in a fast 3 hours 35 minutes and 39 seconds.

Speedy finished two minutes later while road racing star, Yolandi du Toit (Garmin Trek), upstaged some seasoned mountain bike racers to claim a surprise distant third place. 

A large field gathered for the 2008 Mazda MTN Barberton Challenge, the first major mountain bike race of the year.

Defending 40km half-marathon champion Caitlin de Wet (Mongoose Red) continued where she left off in 2007, the talented 17-year-old Youth Women’s South African champion was in no mood for company, winning her race by a comfortable margin.

The Mazda MTN Marathon Series makes way for the big stage race segment of the season over the next couple of months, before returning with Event 2 on Sunday 3 May in Graskop, Mpumalanga.