![\"ccs-62657-0-54909200-1441464537.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-54909200-1441464537.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>The muddied South African sub-veteran marathon champion Henry Uys en route to victory in the Pennypinchers Silverstar MTB Challenge in Krugersdorp on Saturday. Photo: Jetline Action Photo.<\/span><\/p>\nUys said it had definitely not been the easiest of victories, given the mud and intermittent rain throughout the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would have been a waste of energy to try and tear the legs off the guys today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really about riding cautiously and sensibly and maximising the advantage whenever I had one.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said, however, that the racing had gotten off to an incredibly fast start as the contenders tried to force an early split going up the Hill Snacks climb.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs expected, straight out the starting blocks, the guys were on the gas and tore the race to pieces immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Radiokop resident said a selection of five riders went over the top together before shedding one of their number as they turned up onto the ridge.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy lungs were burning in the cold conditions and I was trying to get my legs to wake up and start responding, so I just hung in there and tried to survive,\u201d said Uys.<\/p>\n
The quartet stayed together on the rocky downhills and slippery packed clay sections.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve fallen quite heavily in conditions like this before, so I was very cautious and didn\u2019t get too carried away if I lost a bit of ground on the guys who were just ahead of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
With 10km to go, Uys attacked on one of the ascents and whittled the group down to himself, Bester and Barnard.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stayed on the gas and then we were down to two.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Bester went on the offensive and put a couple of metres into him, Uys stayed within touching distance.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt one stage I went down in a puddle of water and lost about 20 seconds on him and had to chase to catch up again.\u201d<\/p>\n
They lost contact once more going over the last climb of the day, with Uys resigned to taking second place at that point.<\/p>\n
Then disaster struck Bester as they raced down through the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens and down towards the finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019d taken as much risk as possible to try and gain the advantage and ended up cutting his tyre somewhere on the descent,\u201d said Uys.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I passed him with about a kilometre to go and managed to take the win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having done three or four different editions of the Krugersdorp race, Uys said each of the routes had been technical and testing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis new route is a very good one. It\u2019s more a cross-country style one, so I think if it were dry it would have been a whole lot faster and harder than it was today.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a winning combination that the organisers have here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 32-year-old said the highlights of his season so far had been this victory, his national champion\u2019s jersey and the birth of his first son.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a good year,\u201d he smiled.<\/p>\n
In the women\u2019s race, Valencia Cycling\u2019s Amy Beth McDougall took a convincing win in 2:07:56.<\/p>\n
The former single-speed world champion showed the kind of mental toughness and form that saw her win the recent 24-hour Trans Baviaans MTB Challenge alongside Theresa Ralph.<\/p>\n
Michel Coetzer claimed the runner-up spot, with Lisa Bontekoning third.<\/p>\n