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<\/a><\/p>\nAhead of Schoeman in the 80km was Andre Nelson and Conrad Viljoen. Viljoen overcame an early crash to break away from Nelson and stay away till the end. \u201cIt was a good day\u2019s racing,\u201d he commented afterward. \u201cI came out here with the intention of taking the win and having a good hard session. It was a very challenging course and a lot of guys probably underestimated it a bit, but I gave it a good go from the beginning before it split up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Both the 60km and 80km route required good technical proficiency and some serious training in the legs. The pace was fierce from the start with cool, overcast conditions ideal for racing, but the undulating nature of the course and the ever-strengthening northwester made things interesting. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a great day, said Mark Pickering, General Manager of Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm, who finished the less-technical 40-kilometre route on \u2018very little training\u2019. The JBay MTB Open carries the distinction of being the only mountain bike race on the continent that traverses a wind farm. \u201cWe were very pleased with how the race was organised,\u201d he said, explaining how important it was for the wind farm to build a relationship with the local community through events such as this. \u201cWe\u2019re (the wind farm) are here for 20 years, so we\u2019re looking at a long term relationship. <\/p>\n