Buys, Van Schoor blaze to Herald Cycle Tour glory

Gqeberha's Kelsey van Schoor crosses the finish line to win the 40th edition of the Herald Cycle Tour's women's category in Addo on Sunday. Photo: Eugene Coetzee

Seasoned Durban campaigner Philip Buys and Nelson Mandela Bay star Kelsey van Schoor lit up the trails on Sunday, claiming the men’s and women’s mountain bike titles in the Herald Cycle Tour, made possible by Telkom.

Buys, 37, cruised to victory in the 80km MTB extreme race, finishing in two hours, 58 minutes and 40 seconds.

The Team Ford Prime mountain bike rider was followed by Cronje Beukes, who finished second in 3:02:07, and Josua Wagner, in 3:08:07.

“This is probably my third HCT, but the last one I did was about 10 years ago,” Buys said.

“The event usually clashes with other events we do, but my calendar looked a little different this year, so I remembered the race and its good coverage and came here.

“I am happy with the win, this is all part of a training block for me.

“On Saturday, I competed in a big 150km race in Gauteng, then got onto the plane and came here for the HCT.

“So I was a little tired when I awoke this morning.

“The course was fun. I remembered the trails and they were fun.

“It’s something to look forward to, but you have to work hard to get up there and truly enjoy all of the trails.

“That’s why I got a gap. I enjoyed the steep trails and the slight drizzle made them more grippy.

“It was amazing, I believe the soil here absorbed the rain well. It’s not muddy where you get stuck, you actually get more grip.”

Nelson Mandela Bay’s elite female cyclist Van Schoor was the first female to cross the finish line in 3:30:05.

She was followed by Karlise Scheepers in 3:58:33, and the third finisher was Nicola Clayton, 4:28:43.

Van Schoor, 24, aims to win the Ultimate Quest, which is the fastest combined time for the 106km Classic and 80km Mountain Bike Extreme.

“I am really happy with the win because the last time I did the 80km MTB Extreme, I finished in second, so winning today is pretty cool.

“The ultimate quest is going to be very interesting because I went pretty hard today, so my legs are feeling quite sore, but hopefully I can recover in time for the road race,” Van Schoor said.

Sarah Baartman District Municipality mayor Deon de Vos expressed pride in being a part of the event as it celebrated its 40th anniversary.

“This is our third year contributing to the success of this event, and we believe that sports tourism is an important component of tourism in our areas.

“This event provides us with an opportunity to promote our region and the beauty of our district to attract more tourists.

“We are the top tourism destination in the Eastern Cape.

“Sport can bring together young people, and this event caters to them with various categories for entry.

“This makes us proud to be a part of the event and able to contribute to it,” De Vos said.

The 60km winners were:

Men: 1 Gabriel Tomsett 2:08:15, 2 Leon de Kock 2:08:17, 3 Travis Anderson 2:08:54

Women: 1 Ashleigh Schroeter 2:23:14, 2 Gail Willimott 2:25:19, 3 Olivia Read 2:27:32.