Low cloud, steady rain and a track that just kept taking it.
| This event and race report is supported by Cape Cycle Systems, distributors of SRAM and RockShox in South Africa. |
Paarl’s Taal Monument came in wet and unpredictable, but far from unrideable. With more than 50mm of rain forecast for Sunday, organisers made the call early – cut the weekend of racing to a one-day shootout. It was a smart move. Conditions were only going one way, and getting racing done on Saturday kept things fair, fast and also preserved the new sections of the track. What could have been a washout turned into a proper test.
The track, fresh off over R130 000 worth of maintenance, held together impressively. New features added flow where it mattered, but didn’t take away from the challenge. Grip came and went. Lines were there if you committed, gone if you hesitated. It was classic Paarl, just wet with hero dirt in sections and ice-like traction in others.
With Sunday cancelled, Saturday’s seeding times became the race results – no second chances, no safety net. You had to be on it by the afternoon. Less than five minutes after racing began, the rain seemed to arrive and settle in for most of the afternoon.
At the sharp end of the racing, it was a two-man fight. Theo Erlangsen, bringing World Series pace and that signature freeride steeze, edged out Matt Lombardi after a flat-out run that left little on the table. Lombardi pushed hard, but Erlangsen held firm. The gap between them was tight – the gap behind them wasn’t. Around six seconds back to the rest of the field says everything about the level they were riding at. In the women’s race, Anne Cramer set the benchmark and didn’t leave much room for anyone to challenge.
Not the weekend anyone planned, but one that delivered regardless. Tough conditions, smart decisions, and a track that proved its worth. Now, a pause. The series heads into its winter break before racing fires up again in October. For now though, here’s a recap of the action with images from Chris Taylor.
Andre Steinfurth getting to grips with the many gaps and rollers on the revised track.8-year-old Aretha Gray navigates the wet and very slick root section, like a pro!Winner winner – great to see the master of big-wave surfing Mr Barry Futter taking the win in the Masters Men category.Moto man turned DH racer, Craig Stone is no stranger to wild and changing conditions and used his two-wheel experience to clock another impressive result with a P1 in the Vets Class and P9 in the overall.Daniel Stone, a youngster who excels in the steeps, was just 3.5-seconds off the win this weekend in the Sprog Boys category.9-year-old Neil Finley nails the rock roll.16-year-old Gerhard Hoepfner turns it down on the way to the win in Youth Men. Gerhard’s time put him into P6 in the overall – impressive stuff!14-year-old Isabella Stermin storms to another win in the Junior Girls race.John Rostance may be a rookie DH racer but he has been riding mountain bikes for many years and used the experience to soak it all up and enjoy the weekend.Luke Futter – always precise, always stylish, always inspires.Joshua Ord smashes through the roots and took P3 in the Junior Men this weekend.During any era of SA’s Downhill racing history, a competitive Junior Men’s category is a pretty strong indicator the depth of talent in our Elite category will grow. Such is the case right now. As an example, one weekend Julian Oosthuizen is very close to winning the National title and the next race he is 5-seconds back, in 5th place. This is where and how the country’s future World Series racers, are made — and how youngsters learn to work harder.Just his third race and it was a solid P2 in Sprog Boys for Maks Bergh. Onwards and upwards lad.Lian de Jager is a Pinner! This 16-year-old is another talent from the Durbanville based Flow Factory skills program – what is Jaco feeding them…Malakite Gray lets it roll through those slick roots that claimed so many this weekend.Sebastian Nosworthy with a sneaky one-hander on his way to the win in the Sub Junior Boys category.It wasn’t really the rock that was slick, it was the off-camber hardpack turn it led into that caught many out. Tricia Rossouw had no such problems this weekend and is steadily improving in her final year as Junior Women.The Elite Women’s racing in 2027 will be very exciting!…. case in point.My weekend’s steeze and speed award goes to Zak Jones. After he admitted to being disappointed with his result at SA Champs at Spice Route, Xavi Gomes was looking for redemption. And he found it with raw speed that gave him the win in the Junior Men’s category. Nice one Xavi.Fastest Femme on the day was Anne Cramer. The Stellenbosch-based student looks more and more composed (and faster!) every time we race.Matt Lombardi was very close to another win this weekend. 0.3 is very very close. Lycra/onesie next time bru?After Commencal dropped R100 000 into the rebuild of the lower section of this track it was only right that the man who instigated that investment, was available to race it this weekend. Thank you Theo Erlangsen for helping grassroots racing grow and for inspiring so many in the process. Legend! [Oh, and Theo went P1 this weekend with the fastest time of the day.]Congratulations to all involved!
