The second round of the 2025 SRAM Western Cape DH doubled up as round one of the SA Cup. We saw record entries, summer vibes and new faces.
The track at Spice Route continues to be a real challenge for the best riders in the country as it’s still relatively new and after all the practice laps becomes powdery in the steeps. Added to that, the steeps are real steep, — it’s the kind of gradient that most other tracks in South Africa don’t have. Adapting to the gradient, the off-cambers and the ‘easy speed’, can take some doing.
However, there were no complaints by the riders. They came (in record numbers!) for the steep tech and they were not disappointed. If South Africa is to breed more GOATS, this is the kind of terrain our riders need to get used to. This is real downhill. This is not far off of what our riders will experience in Europe. Paarl Trails, Duran van Eeden and Andrew Neethling have done well with the design and building of the Needles DH line here at the Spice Route. The weather was prime all weekend, all be it a little hot. Into the final run on Sunday, the wind did pick up a little which might have slowed the times by a few seconds but the spectators, organizers, marshals and medics welcomed the cooling breeze. Of course, on a track like this there would always be a few injuries and the medics were pretty busy on Sunday.
With Theo Erlangsen in New Zealand preparing for Red Bull Hardline, Stefan Garlicki retired and Ross Kew taking a (forced) break from bikes, there was much banter about who would be in the running for the Elite Men podium. Fortunately there’s decent depth in our talent pool. In Saturday’s practice, Rory Kirk, Matt Lombardi, Ethan Hunter, Keagan Brand and Johann Potgieter were ‘winning’. They all looked incredibly fast. Across all the categories, I also noticed a few other standout riders on Saturday. Frankie du Toit, Philip Van Schalkwyk, Zander du Plessis, Luc Rossouw, Lenisa Alessandro, William Nelson and Arielle Behr all looked impressive on track.
Into the finals on Sunday, and the winning run went to young Rory Kirk. Racing through the tail-end of some nasty flu, Rory squeezed Johan Potgieter off the top step of the podium, by a margin of just 0.3 seconds. Third place in Elite Men went to first-year Elite, Ethan Hunter. Keagan Brand was fourth and young Fourie van Wyk, a man on a mission in 2025, secured fifth overall, despite still riding in the Junior category. In the Elite Women’s category, Frankie du Toit was absolutely dominant and took the win. Her time was good enough to be ranked 21st in the overall, only 17 seconds back on the fastest of the weekend. Relive some of the action with these hot images, just in, from Chris Taylor.
Some say he is smart, some say he is fast, some say he is a nice guy. Pottie is a husband, father of twins, business owner and a man who simply refuses to slow down or yield to the younger generations. I say he is all of the above. If you didn’t attend the race and haven’t been to the radical Spice Route track then all you need to know is there are some big hucks and drops that require full commitment. There’s also no shortage of young riders like 11-year-old Levi Ulyate, willing to send everything.Bryce Munro laid down another silky smooth run to take the win in the Sub-Vet class.Wondering who is likely to be a first-time winner at a National this year? Look no further than young Ethan Hunter. A trip to Europe last year has changed the way he looks at tracks here and changed the way he races. This is 14-year-old Luc Rossouw. He took another win this weekend and I have a feeling this guy could be the real-deal, as he matures. He has the right headspace and race pace to go far in this sport. Yea Jenna! So much style and speed with a solid P3 in Elite Women. The eMTB class was won by the lightning fast Pieter Rossouw.Andre Steinfurth from Namibia took the win in the Vets Category.Zander du Plessis, tweaked into 2nd spot in Junior Men.Seth Greybe-Smith might be 9-years-young but he’s riding with the posture of an experienced pro. Xavi Gomes, another rider with pace, charged into fifth position in Junior Men.Getting towards the upper end of his 50’s (the exact number I’m forbidden from mentioning), it’s always a pleasure to watch Sir Chris Nixon chase the clock. He’s been racing bikes for nearly 50 years and still loves every minute of it.That’s a legend right there.An XC, Enduro and DH talent,Luca Zietsman is an exciting rider to watch. Here, he finds a hole under the powder and makes his fork work.Danika Botha lines up one of the powdery turns on her way to a solid second place in Elite Women.Fifth in Elite Men, Philip Van Schwalkwyk has insane skill and a love for riding, FAST!With or without the super-trick mass damper technology, Luke Kirk is always charging and I think could take an overall win this year. Ninth overall this weekend is nothing to be sniffed at. On a tear all weekend, Arielle Behr took the win in Junior Women. With only a couple of days to run in the new bike, Pieter Venter was only 2.2 seconds off the win in Junior Men.If less track time factored positively into the final results sheet, Jason Boulle would have been right up there, close to the win. Unfortunately the Enduro Champ missed half of Saturday’s practice and ended Sunday in P10. Lenisa Alessandro, first in Youth Men ain’t a fluke. Lenisa has brilliant technique and I can’t wait to see where the sport takes him. Talking about technique… eyes up, heels down and perfect posture for the steeps. Keagan Brand placed fourth and one day is going to win one of these things.Frankie’s unbeaten spree is looking everlasting. Always pinned. Always winning. What an athlete!P6 in Elite Men isn’t what Matt Lombardi was after. With his pedigree I’ve no doubt he’ll be threatening for the win soon. Junior rider Fourie van Wyk was chasing the fastest time of the day and the clock stopped just 2 seconds off of it. It was enough for a category win and reason to celebrate. I do like it when Juniors chase the fastest time of the day. The king of Spice Route is Rory Kirk. The margin was tight but a win is a win and Rory did it with his signature style. Precise, crafty and disaster-free – Chapeau Rory!
Congratulations to the organizers, partners and sponsors for pulling off another slick event. Full resultshere. // Looking for racing images? Purchase yours from the official photographer of the SRAM WC DH Series, Chris Taylor on info@christaylorphotography.co.za //