Paul Roos Gymnasium hosted an unforgettable weekend of world class mountain biking between 4 and 5 February, making use of the UCI World Cup XCO track at Coetzenburg.
Two days of thrilling racing was enjoyed by hundreds of riders. From 9-year-old Nippers to the 50+ masters (and all ages in between), participants raced with skill, speed and courage around a course described by top professionals as “very hard”! Close to 250 riders from 17 countries participated in this race.
A highlight at the PRG Devmco XCO SA Cup #1 was the appearance of XCO World Champion Nino Shurter on the starting line for the Men’s Elite race, the final event of an exciting two days.
This Swiss legend did not disappoint the thousands of fans who had gathered on Coetzenburg to see him in action.
He and his fellow countrymen, Filippo Colombo and André Frischknecht, produced a master class in skill, speed and tactical racing.
The trio shared the workload over the first four laps before Shurter, the ten-time world champion, turned on the afterburners to ride away from his Scott Sram teammates on lap 5. Such was his burst of power in the last two laps that by the time he crossed the line, Shurter was 46 seconds ahead of Colombo with Frischknecht in third place.
The sight of hundreds of young fans queuing for selfies and autographs underlined the importance of hosting events like these in Stellenbosch, creating opportunities that young riders will remember for a long time. The effort put in by the entire Paul Roos MTB community – speared by Mr Ben Puddu and Mrs Adelle de Villiers – was immense.
“Well done to each and every person who made this event possible. A great weekend of racing and one that will go down in history. Special mention to Adelle and Ben for your leadership and guidance”.
– Cycling South Africa MTB Director, Paola Ambrosi.
