Peters, Krugel win inaugural PSG Ride the Ridges
Mountain biking
A bigger number of riders are set to be allowed at next year's event.
Following the build-up to the much anticipated inaugural PSG Ride the Ridges MTB three-day stage race, the organisers, riders and sponsors alike agreed that the event, which was hosted from Friday until Sunday at Heja Lodge, exceeded all expectations.
This unique event, co-sponsored by Capricorn Group, turned out to be an epic mountain bike adventure on the beautiful scenic ridges surrounding Windhoek, which was lush green after the blessing of rain.
The three-day journey comprised of three stages, starting and ending at Heja Lodge, with the first Stage called “Chase the Sun”. Riders departed at around 15:00 on Friday just after a heavy shower of rain, and enjoyed breathtaking scenery from some of the highest mountains surrounding Windhoek.
On Saturday, riders tackled the second stage of the route which took them for 65 km on jeep track, spread out over three privately owned farms and restricted access land.
Sunday was the final day where riders took a shorter route of 30 km through the scenic Las Vegas Namibia camp.
After each day of riding, all the mountain bikes were cared for by the Cycletec technicians in the tech zone and stored safely for the next day. The riders were treated with world-class water points on all three stages and a rider village at Heja Lodge that brought out the deeper essence of the PSG Ride the Ridges with live entertainment, a gin and beer bar, and a variety of stalls.
Many lucky-draw prizes were on offer at the prize-giving ceremony of each race with a winner’s jersey handed over to the day’s male and female winners.
Family and friends gathered each day at Heja Lodge from early to cheer on the riders as they came in at the Rider Village, tired but exhilarated by the ride.
The overall men’s winner for the three days was Herbert Peters, with a total time of 6 hours, 11 minutes 30 seconds. From day 1, the 23-year-old maintained his lead ahead of Wim Steenkamp (6:20:11) and third-placed Wilke van Greunen (6:25:11)
The overall first female rider was Anri Krugel with a total time of 6 hours, 19 minutes 21 seconds, overcoming the challenge of Michelle Döman (6:54:19) and Ulanda Viljoen (7:25:48).
At the final prize-giving ceremony on Sunday, the organisers and sponsors announced that the number of entries for the 2023 PSG Ride the Ridges, co-sponsored by Capricorn Group, will increase by 50 to 200.
“We are humbled by the response from the riders on the event. The routes were sublime and the atmosphere on the routes and at water points were lively. We’re excited about next year’s event and to welcome even more riders,” said Brian van Rensburg, director at PSG.
Marlize Horn, Group Executive: Brand & Corporate Affairs at Capricorn Group, said: “Capricorn Group is proud of its partnership with PSG in hosting this very unique three-day stage race.
“The vision of PSG and Capricorn Group was to offer a world-class stage race, with a unique experience for riders around the capital city and we are pleased with the outcome. The event exceeded our expectations by far and we are excited about the many ideas already discussed to offer an even better experience for riders in 2023.”
This unique event, co-sponsored by Capricorn Group, turned out to be an epic mountain bike adventure on the beautiful scenic ridges surrounding Windhoek, which was lush green after the blessing of rain.
The three-day journey comprised of three stages, starting and ending at Heja Lodge, with the first Stage called “Chase the Sun”. Riders departed at around 15:00 on Friday just after a heavy shower of rain, and enjoyed breathtaking scenery from some of the highest mountains surrounding Windhoek.
On Saturday, riders tackled the second stage of the route which took them for 65 km on jeep track, spread out over three privately owned farms and restricted access land.
Sunday was the final day where riders took a shorter route of 30 km through the scenic Las Vegas Namibia camp.
After each day of riding, all the mountain bikes were cared for by the Cycletec technicians in the tech zone and stored safely for the next day. The riders were treated with world-class water points on all three stages and a rider village at Heja Lodge that brought out the deeper essence of the PSG Ride the Ridges with live entertainment, a gin and beer bar, and a variety of stalls.
Many lucky-draw prizes were on offer at the prize-giving ceremony of each race with a winner’s jersey handed over to the day’s male and female winners.
Family and friends gathered each day at Heja Lodge from early to cheer on the riders as they came in at the Rider Village, tired but exhilarated by the ride.
The overall men’s winner for the three days was Herbert Peters, with a total time of 6 hours, 11 minutes 30 seconds. From day 1, the 23-year-old maintained his lead ahead of Wim Steenkamp (6:20:11) and third-placed Wilke van Greunen (6:25:11)
The overall first female rider was Anri Krugel with a total time of 6 hours, 19 minutes 21 seconds, overcoming the challenge of Michelle Döman (6:54:19) and Ulanda Viljoen (7:25:48).
At the final prize-giving ceremony on Sunday, the organisers and sponsors announced that the number of entries for the 2023 PSG Ride the Ridges, co-sponsored by Capricorn Group, will increase by 50 to 200.
“We are humbled by the response from the riders on the event. The routes were sublime and the atmosphere on the routes and at water points were lively. We’re excited about next year’s event and to welcome even more riders,” said Brian van Rensburg, director at PSG.
Marlize Horn, Group Executive: Brand & Corporate Affairs at Capricorn Group, said: “Capricorn Group is proud of its partnership with PSG in hosting this very unique three-day stage race.
“The vision of PSG and Capricorn Group was to offer a world-class stage race, with a unique experience for riders around the capital city and we are pleased with the outcome. The event exceeded our expectations by far and we are excited about the many ideas already discussed to offer an even better experience for riders in 2023.”
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