Riders from the Fairtree Imperial Cannondale MTB team fared well at the 2022 Savanna Origin of Trails MTB at the weekend with Luyanda Tobigunya 04:06:08 (1st Overall) and Kusaselihle (Lihle) Ngidi 04:07:28 (2nd overall) taking top two spots in the race.
The rest of the riders Ongeziwe (Ongs) Tyapa 04:34:26 (19th Overall and 11th in Cat), Siyabulela Tutu 04:38:34 (30th Overall and 24th in Cat), Avuyile Mhlahlo 05:00:48 (43rd Overall and 33rd in Cat), Thembela Lukalo 05:02:34 (49th Overall and 39th in Cat), Lwandile Tshandana 05:25:33 (75th Overall and 61st in Cat) and Lwazi Tshandana 5:28:41 (88th Overall and 71st in Cat) showing endurance.
“Day 1 was definitely the harder of the two and our team managed to build a decent lead with Lihle and Luyanda leading the charge and helping each other,” said Chris Norton of Fairtree Imperial Cannondale MTB team. “On day 2 they kept a steady pace and managed to finish the day in just over two hours. It was a great way to end off the year and will give the team great confidence before the 2023 race calendar.”
He said the whole team managed to finish within the top 100 riders and there is some great talent coming through the ranks. “Unfortunately, both our ladies were ill and could not take part. This is the main MTB event in Stellenbosch and Stillwater MTB Events pulled out all the stops to ensure it was a memorable one. Thanks to Michael Meyer, Nicola Martin and the rest of the Stillwater team for sponsoring entries for the team and giving them a really special MTB experience.”
“We are extremely excited by the progress made by many of the riders and look forward to some great results in 2023. The appointment of CP van Wyk as full-time coach has definitely made a significant impact on the results of the team and the plan now will be to focus on individual MTB skills (single-track and technical prowess) and greater team cohesion and strategy, in stage events,”he adds.
“To our incredible anchor sponsors Imperial Logistics, Fairtree Capital and Cannondale thank you for your continued support and backing of this team. The team has grown dramatically over a year period due to this support and shows no signs of slowing down. To the network of amazing people that have supported the team during 2022, thank you, and we will not disappoint in 2023.”
