![\"ccs-62657-0-34233000-1465139112.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-34233000-1465139112.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Trek’s Brendon Davids charges through the Gauntlet en route to victory at the 60km Sappi Karkloof Marathon, the feature race of the 2016 Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival that took place at Karkloof Country Club on Sunday. Anthony Grote\/ Gameplan Media<\/span><\/p>\nWhile much of the festival\u2019s more than 3000 participants tackled the 40km aQuell\u00e9 Half Marathon, 20km aQuell\u00e9 Family Ride and 10km aQuell\u00e9 Kids Ride in cool, overcast conditions, the racing snakes battled it out at the front of the 60km clash for one of the country\u2019s more prestigious marathon titles.<\/p>\n
Having suffered a wretched time of late, Davids\u2019 victory came as a major morale boosting result and one that he was well pleased by.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really happy to take my second win here at Karkloof,\u201d said Davids. \u201cThe fact that I\u2019m not with a team at the moment also makes getting the win a huge deal for me and it was great to get a win for Trek!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Tuesday I leave for Spain \u2013 where I\u2019ll be racing a lot of races over there over the next couple of months as I\u2019m busy planning something for next season over there\u2013 so it was also great to get a win before I leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Falling back on tactics that saw him victorious in 2013, Davids (Trek) overcame the early challenge of fellow cross country aces Alan Hatherly (Kargo Pro Cycling Team) and Julian Jessop (Ballito Concept Cyclery powered by Burry Stander) before using his climbing strength to maintain his lead all the way to the finish.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing up the first major climb of the day I sat on the front of the group and made sure no one could come around me and as the field slowly whittled down it was just Alan, Julian and myself left before Alan then fell back a bit too.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing up Lebanon I saw Alan was coming back across to Julian and I so I put the hammer down which saw me crest the top first, getting the King of the Mountains hotspot prize in the process.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been working on my climbing a lot so I looked to exploit those as much as I could but I had to consolidate a bit on the down hills because I\u2019ve clearly been spending too much time on the road bike as my arms were frying!<\/p>\n \u201cFortunately everything worked out for me in the end though.\u201d<\/p>\n Young Jessop rode a strong second half of the race to surge to a deserved second place while Hatherly was eventually reeled in my Team BestMed\u2019s Matthew Wilkinson in the battle for third place overall.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got a third, fourth and now second at Karkloof in the past three years so its been a case one step backwards two steps forwards,\u201d laughed Jessop. \u201cI\u2019m really happy with second today though!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrendon is in some great form and was really strong up the Lebanon climb; he just seemed to get stronger and stronger and I got slower and slower but even so, I was really happy with my ride!\u201d<\/p>\n The top four of the women\u2019s race toed and froed throughout but ultimately Kargo Pro Cycling Team\u2019s Du Toit was simply too strong for the rest of the field with 2014 and 2015 winner Jeannie Dreyer (Merchants) having to settle for second this time around while Du Toit\u2019s Kargo team mate, Hayley Smith finished third.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt really good, I loved the trails and everything just worked today which was great and I\u2019m so chuffed,\u201d beamed Du Toit.<\/p>\n \u201cI normally get a bit bored during the longer races but never here at Karkloof; I love this route so much!<\/p>\n \u201cThere are such good trails up here and that\u2019s actually where I managed to open up my gap over Jeannie and Genevieve (van Coller).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew beforehand that Jeannie is really strong but I am probably a bit better than her in the single track because of my cross country background, so my plan was to just stay with her until the single track and then go for it and I managed to do that and it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n The 40km aQuell\u00e9 Half Marathon saw Bradley Rowlett and Nadine Nunes clinch the men\u2019s and women\u2019s spoils respectively while young Travis Stedman won the 20km aQuell\u00e9 Family Ride\u2019s men\u2019s title with Sabine Thies narrowly outsprinting Chloe Bateson in the women\u2019s dice.<\/p>\n<\/a>Ballito Concept Cyclery powered by Burry Stander rider, Julian Jessop was thrilled with his second place effort at the 60km Sappi Karkloof Marathon, the feature race of the 2016 Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival that took place at Karkloof Country Club on Sunday. Anthony Grote\/ Gameplan Media<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>RMB Change a Life MTB Academy rider, Ndumiso Dontso speeds his way through the Gauntlet during the 60km Sappi Karkloof Marathon, the feature race of the 2016 Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival that took place at Karkloof Country Club on Sunday. Anthony Grote\/ Gameplan Media<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Kargo Pro Cycling Team’s Frankie du Toit charges up the testing Lebanon climb before racing to victory at the 60km Sappi Karkloof Marathon, the feature race of the 2016 Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival that took place at Karkloof Country Club on Sunday. Anthony Grote\/ Gameplan Media<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Merchant’s Jeannie Dreyer was unable to defend her title but raced to second place at the 60km Sappi Karkloof Marathon, the feature race of the 2016 Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival that took place at Karkloof Country Club on Sunday. Anthony Grote\/ Gameplan Media <\/span><\/p>\n