![\"ccs-62657-0-78318100-1437397166.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-78318100-1437397166-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFrom Left: Theo Erlangsen (second), Stefan Garlicki (first) and Tiaan Odendaal (third) celebrate at the protocol ceremony at the 2015 Stihl South African Mountain Bike Championships presented by Subaru Cape Town\/Novus Holdings on Sunday 19 July. Craig Dutton\/pics2go.co.za<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt really hasn\u2019t quite sunk in yet to be honest!\u201d he beamed. \u201cI have wanted this title for so long and I have been working really hard for it so to say that I am the national champion is something that will take some time to get used to!\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n It was a barnstorming run from Garlicki who flew down the Jonkershoek course last to take the championship title by nearly two seconds from Theo Erlangsen in second and three-time national champion Tiaan Odendaal in third place.<\/p>\n It had been a solid weekend of riding from the 24 year old who managed to finish the seeded run in first position and although he felt a slight amount of pressure he knew that he had what it would take to win the national jersey.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt really good going into the final and with my number one seeding it gave me a little bit more confidence although there was an added bit of pressure being the last guy to go down the hill.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rain earlier in the week made it a bit tricky so I tried to keep it smooth during my seeding run and I managed to get through clean but I understood that I was going to have to push it a bit more in the final.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the rain having made the course a bit slippery I understood that it was going to be really easy to make a mistake during my seeding run so it was important that I made it down safely.<\/p>\n \u201cThe times were really tight which meant that I was going to have to go harder in the final if I wanted to win.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really isn\u2019t that often that you can say that you had a really good run \u2013 I think I did today.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I had got to the bottom and I hadn\u2019t won then there were no regrets because I don\u2019t think it could have gone any better,\u201d the Investec star mentioned.<\/p>\n It has been a busy build-up to the national championships for Garlicki who has been overseas racing the World Cup circuit in Europe and came into the national showpiece in top shape as opposed to previous years.<\/p>\n