![\"ccs-62657-0-04312100-1458759168.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-04312100-1458759168.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Sabine “Beani” Thies is looking forward to the tough and challenge track at the second round of the 2016 KZNMTB Provincial DHI (which doubles as the South African DHI Cup Series) and Enduro Series – presented by Greg Minnaar at Giba Gorge MTB Park on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March. Photo Credit: Paul Botma<\/span><\/p>\nEver ready to take on the next descent is young KwaZulu-Natal local, Sabine \u201cBeani\u201d Thies, (riding for Greg Minnar cycles Pizzology craft caf\u00e9 Foxhead South Africa). Thies says that for her, a Provincial doubled-up as a National doesn\u2019t necessarily mean added pressure. \u201cIt just means that I will have to race harder because there will be girls and women from all over the country racing at one of our local provincials. It is always nice to see so many more girls coming to the downhill events,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Looking forward to the course venue, Thies said: \u201cThis course is challenging at a few parts but otherwise it is a fun, spectator-friendly track. It has one or two tricky rock gardens and nice flowing berms. I always like a bit of a challenging track that can test a person\u2019s skills and capabilities. This track is one of the best I have ever ridden.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though she is one of the youngest female members of the Downhill community, the 13-year-old is by no way threatened by her peers. In fact, she looks up to the other women and pushes herself each day to improve on the day before. \u201cRacing against Elite Women makes me want to push myself harder each time I do a run. Getting onto the podium with Elite women shows me I am capable of racing against women older than myself,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Thies says that she likes to live by a simple philosophy: \u201cDream big, never give up, do your best, be kind, love your family, set a good example, give hugs away, love God, keep the faith and your goals will follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
She has demonstrated remarkable abilities not only on the Downhill scene, but in other mountain biking disciplines as well. \u201cI am also racing the Provincial Enduro on Saturday the 26th, and I will be doing the Cross-country, Enduro, and Downhill races in Lesotho next weekend at the African Continental Champs. It\u2019s too much fun!\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n
Also riding in both disciplines this weekend is KZNMTB\u2019s Downhill damsel, Kathryn Fourie. \u201cIn terms of the Enduro, Giba is always a really good venue as the stages are close together and centralised, but it’s even more exciting this year as they’re adding in new tracks and sections of single track. There are also a number of really cool built features that we all enjoy riding like drops and jumps, so it’s so much fun to ride. But it’s also easy to overcook things and get it wrong so you need to ride smoothly and consistently versus aggressively,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Fourie says that although the Downhill course is short, it can be brutal if concentration is lacking. \u201cYou need to really know your lines to keep moving fast. Nigel (Hicks) has added in a new rock garden for an interesting twist and really overhauled the finishing jump, which looks awesome!\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Although this Provincial doubles up as a National, Fourie too doesn\u2019t feel pressure from the status of the event. \u201cMy aim for the National Series was just to complete it and support the development of the female contingent. I rode the Cape Town National a few weeks back and had a very average race, so I’ve ticked that box already. If I do well enough at the two KZN events with national status, that may lift my points and position but to be honest I’m more focused on riding well and telling the story of female progression than my actual results,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Fourie ended by saying: \u201cIf you’re conquering something that really challenged you before but you’re not winning, that’s better progress than winning but avoiding the thing that intimidated you before.\u201d<\/p>\n Round two of the 2016 KZNMTB Provincial Enduro\/DHI Series \u2013 presented by Greg Minnaar Cycles takes place at Giba Gorge MTB Park (near Pinetown) on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March respectively.<\/p>\n Entries close at midnight tonight (Wednesday 23 March 2016). Enter here: http:\/\/www.roag.co.za\/eventinfo.aspx?EventID=1728<\/a>. For any further details, please visit www.kznmtb.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more information, contact Rebecca van der Linde info@kznmtb.co.za.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As the cooler autumn months creep closer, riders from around the country will still be able to soak up the sunshine on offer from the warm province of KwaZulu-Natal at the second round of the 2016 KZNMTB Provincial DHI (which doubles as the South African DHI Cup Series) and Enduro Series \u2013 presented by Greg […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":43655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[207,2366,1537,1226],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-18455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-downhill","tag-giba-gorge-mtb-park","tag-kathryn-fourie","tag-sabine-thies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18455"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=18455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a>Kathryn Fourie knows that the Downhill course needs focus and concentration at the second round of the 2016 KZNMTB Provincial DHI (which doubles as the South African DHI Cup Series) and Enduro Series – presented by Greg Minnaar at Giba Gorge MTB Park on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March. Photo Credit: Paul Botma<\/span><\/p>\n