![\"ccs-62657-0-29561600-1523266922.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-29561600-1523266922.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>2018 Glacier Cradle Traverse champions Andrew Stockwell (left) & Bryce Munro (right) of the Continental Tyres team. Photo by Sage Lee Voges\/www.zcmc.co.za.<\/span><\/p>\nUpon completing their third stage win of the race, repeating the feat the Continental Tyres team achieved with Stockwell and Danny Fowler in 2017, Stockwell and Munro were crowned 2018 Glacier Cradle Traverse champions in the men\u2019s team category.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a last minute decision to race\u201d Munro reflected upon crossing the finish line. Munro stood in for Fowler, who had been laid low by bronchitis which he developed at the Absa Cape Epic. \u201cAs much as I\u2019m a local, there are a lot of trails I\u2019ve never ridden and they were immaculate; so I\u2019d like to say a big well done to Richard Beswick. He put so much work into the trails and everyone was really impressed. All-in-all it was a fantastic weekend and thank-you to everyone involved\u201d Munro summarised.<\/p>\n
The solo women\u2019s champion, McDougall, won each of the three stages and finished 3 minutes and 27 seconds behind the men\u2019s stage winners on the final stage. In total McDougall was just 7 minutes and 21 seconds behind the men\u2019s team champions, Munro and Stockwell, on her way to claiming the title. \u201cI definitely went flat-out every day\u201d McDougall confessed. \u201cI rode my hardest and tried to race the boys, so it wasn\u2019t easy. But I loved the short distances, it just cut out all the boring long roads and made for a weekend full of fun\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n The solo men\u2019s race came down to the wire, with stage winner Grant Usher having relaxed on the opening day; the general classification battle was between Steven Bark and Sean O\u2019Flynn-Madden. O\u2019Flynn-Madden crossed the finish line in second on the stage, 1 minute and 39 seconds ahead of Bark to turn the 1 minute 22 second overnight deficit to a 17 second advantage.<\/p>\n The mixed and women\u2019s team categories were less fiercely contested but the riders taking part in them arguably had more fun. Du Toit and Swanepoel were the first riders across the line to have stopped at every water point throughout the three stages. The Garmin pairing certainly maximised their enjoyment. \u201cWe\u2019ll definitely be back again next year\u201d Swanepoel enthused while laughing at the fact that he managed to combine a beer at the final water point of every stage with a general classification victory.<\/p>\n The women\u2019s team champions, the De Villiers women, were not the only parent and child combination in the race, but they were the most successful. \u201cI\u2019m very proud of Michelle\u201d Yolande de Villiers said as the Silverback team wrapped up their victory. \u201cShe dug very deep today, she was in a bit of a hole but we got through it and it\u2019s proved to her how strong she really is,\u201d the visibly delighted mother said. \u201cI\u2019m selling my bike tomorrow\u201d her daughter joked, before adding: \u201cno I really enjoyed that. It was great to ride with my mom.\u201d<\/p>\n While the more competitive riders were racing for stage honours Steve and Keith Buhr had managed to convince Trevor D\u2019Oliveira, Dieter Rothman, Kevin Lawrence and Deon van Zyl to ride in fancy dress for the Smile Foundation. The six set out in various outfits, some (D\u2019Oliveira and the Buhr brothers in particular) more revealing and shocking than others. They did however manage to exceed Steve Buhr\u2019s initial R25 000 fundraising goal, so their embarrassment and in some cases sunburn (in areas which seldom see daylight) was for a good cause.<\/p>\n The real winners at the Glacier Cradle Traverse were the riders who simply took part for the love of mountain biking. With a relaxed atmosphere and even a Schools Race and Fun Ride on the final day it truly was a memorable family experience.<\/p>\n<\/a>Amy McDougall (at the front of the group) claimed three successive stage victories to win the overall solo women\u2019s title. Photo by Oakpics.com.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Grant Usher (pictured) won two of the three stages, but lost out to Sean O\u2019Flynn-Madden in the battle for general classification honours. Photo by Carli-Ann Furno\/www.zcmc.co.za.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Yolandi du Toit (left) and Ben-Melt Swanepoel (right) arguably had more fun than anyone at the Glacier Cradle Traverse. Photo by Carli-Ann Furno\/www.zcmc.co.za.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>A beaming Yolande (left) and Michelle (right) de Villiers pose for a photo on the finish line. Photo by Carli-Ann Furno\/www.zcmc.co.za.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>From left to right: Dieter Rothman, Trevor D\u2019Oliveira, Keith and Seve Buhr \u2013 rode the final stage to raise funds for the Smile Foundation. Photo by Sage Lee Voges\/www.zcmc.co.za.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Bryce Munro rides past a giraffe in the Cradle Moon section of Stage 2 of the Glacier Cradle Traverse. Photo by Oakpics.com.<\/span><\/p>\n