![\"ccs-62657-0-92771400-1432392243.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-92771400-1432392243.jpg\")
<\/a>Nic White (front) took the victory in the first ever 80km ultra-marathon at the Bestmed Walkerville MTB Classic, presented by ASG, in Gauteng on Saturday. \/\/ Photo: Jetline Action Photo.<\/span>\n<\/div>\nHe bested Alasdair Garnett to claim line honours at the Boswell Wilkie Circus grounds in Randvaal in 2:36:37 with Andrew Westaway finishing a distant third in 2:40:35.<\/p>\n
Eritrean sprinter Tesfom Okubamariam of the MTN-Qhubeka feeder team heads the road standings after winning the series-opening Bestmed Capital Classic in Pretoria last weekend.<\/p>\n
White, who rides in the colours of Team Europcar SA, said he was delighted with his performance after winning the Winter Fast One earlier this month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here today to make a good fast race, so I\u2019m quite pleased to be able to have won.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said headwinds and a flat and unfamiliar route had kept the racing together near the start.<\/p>\n
Getting off the road and into the tracks, White rode off the front to stretch the field out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started to climb up towards the hillier parts of the route, so I forced the pace a little bit and some more gaps formed.\u201d<\/p>\n
White attacked again and got away, with only Garnett able to come across to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOut on the district road, with a bit of wind from the front, we put a big dent into the rest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe established our gap there, within the first 20 kilometres, and held it for the rest of the race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Working together, the two used slipstreaming to maximum effect on the fast and flattish route to put more time into the chasers.<\/p>\n
White, who hails from Parkview in Johannesburg, said he had ridden the various incarnations of the shorter 60km Walkerville route many times in the past but not competitively.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 80-kilometre distance is quite useful. It\u2019s not highly technical or overly hilly, so the guys can go faster.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was still challenging and wasn\u2019t an easy ride by any means \u2013 there were some tricky bits. It was testing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 41-year-old now turns his attention to the veterans\u2019 race at the national marathon championships at Van Gaalen in two weeks\u2019 time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very different style of route to what we raced today.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t done one before but I\u2019ve got pretty good form after the Epic and sani2c, so I hope to have a nice race there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michelle Beetge was the definitive women\u2019s ultra-marathon winner in a time of 3:10:52.<\/p>\n
She was followed home by Catherine Tasseron-Meyer in 3:13:01, with Victoria Myburgh rounding out the podium in 3:14:48.<\/p>\n
The 35km race was won by Cobus van den Berg in 1:08:21, while the women\u2019s title in the half-marathon went to Retha Harmse in 1:22:17.<\/p>\n