![\"ccs-62657-0-82821700-1435219450.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-82821700-1435219450-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDefending champion David van Straaten will be striving for his hat-trick when he lines up for the 60km Bestmed Sondela MTB Classic, presented by ASG, near Bela-Bela in Limpopo on Sunday. Photo: Jetline Action Photo.<\/span><\/p>\n Van Straaten has dominated the event, which traverses the 4 700-hectare Sondela Game Reserve in Limpopo, for the past two years.<\/p>\n A former road rider, he has proved himself unbeatable on the flattish course that features testing sandy stretches of what route designer Melgard Meyer refers to as \u201chorizontal climbing\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not too technically demanding and I\u2019m strong on sand, so I\u2019d say it suits me very well,\u201d said Van Straaten.<\/p>\n He said the major challenge would come from within himself, as he had been battling flu in the lead-up to race day.<\/p>\n \u201cMy fitness is not what it was in previous years but I will still give it my best shot to try and win.\u201d<\/p>\n As team mechanic to the South African national cycling squads, Van Straaten has had his hands full off the bike this season.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not on top form at this stage as I was more focused on this and opening a cycling shop as well.\u201d<\/p>\n He will be looking forward to testing his legs in the 40km warm-up race on Saturday.<\/p>\n Van Straaten\u2019s wife, Ronel, also has her sights set on a third consecutive victory in the women\u2019s race to complete a dominating double-header for their family.<\/p>\n \u201cMy wife will be participating in both the 40km and 60km races but she is also sick with the flu. She really wants to make it a hat-trick too.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the family-oriented nature of the two-day cycling festival kept them coming back.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re proud of our results here as it\u2019s a sport we enjoy doing as a family; our 10-year-old son is also cycling.<\/p>\n \u201cIt also gives us a chance to camp and enjoy time with friends and family.\u201d<\/p>\n More than 1 400 riders of all ages are expected to participate in the Bushveld\u2019s biggest mountain bike bash.<\/p>\n Saturday is devoted to the family events, which include the 20km and 40km races.<\/p>\n In addition, there are two kiddies\u2019 races on the menu \u2013 a 500m circuit for three to five-year-olds and a 5km single-track loop for children up to the age of eight.<\/p>\n The weekend draws to a close with the 60km feature race on Sunday.<\/p>\n There will be live music, a beer garden, restaurants and loads of nature-based entertainment for the children, including a chance to feed the farmyard animals and interact with cheetahs in the wildlife rehabilitation centre.<\/p>\n