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<\/a><\/p>\nTIB Insurance’s Andrew Hill and Tyron Bird celebrate their overall win in the dusi2c MTB race.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Kyle Gilham\/<\/span><\/span><\/strong>Gameplan Media<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n As riders of a variety of ages and abilities, full of praise for both the new event and the unfamiliar format of GPS racing, celebrated two incredible days of mountain biking adventure once they crossed the finish line at Blue Lagoon in Durban, it was the Valley of a Thousand Hills spectacular natural beauty, sights and sounds and the magnificent overnight stop and Mfula Store that continued to be the hot topic of conversation.<\/p>\n At the front of the field Hill and Bird enjoyed an up and down second stage as they stormed into a solid early lead before a navigational mishap and a mechanical issue saw them having to dig deep in the later stages of the race to ensure they claimed the day\u2019s victory, despite their overall title never being in any real danger having started the day with a comfortable twelve minute lead.<\/p>\n \u201cWe came here to have a really good time \u2013 which we definitely did \u2013 but any time there\u2019s a number board on your bike you slot straight into race mode so to walk away with the win is fantastic,\u201d described Hill after the race.<\/p>\n TIB Insurance’s Andrew Hill and Tyron Bird soak up the sights and sounds of the Valley of a Thousand Hills en route to victory in the dusi2c MTB race.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Anthony Grote\/Gameplan Media<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere was a pretty big group of us at the start but Andrew and I managed to get away on one of the technical sections not long after the start. We stayed away for quite a while and then after ten or so kilometers Andrew decided to really put the hammer down and that\u2019s when we really had quite a substantial lead,\u201d explained Bird.<\/p>\n \u201cWe then lost a lot of time though when we made a navigational error and were riding up and down for quite a while and that\u2019s when Mark (Malherbe) and Trevor (Rowe) managed to catch us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe rode together for a while but then Andrew picked up a puncture but fortunately we were able to catch the other two pretty quickly once we got going again but it did mean that the last few kilometers were pretty tight,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Hill and Bird were full of praise for the new event and believe it will grow in stature quickly going forward as well as playing a vital role in opening up countless opportunities for the locals in the valley whilst continuing to expose mountain bikers to the beauty of the region.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were some 75 people working on the track before the race and heaps more helping get the overnight stop ready so already the race\u2019s impact on the people of the valley can be seen,\u201d said Hill. \u201cWithout the local\u2019s buy in then we wouldn\u2019t have a race so it really is great that everyone from the local communities have been involved.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe overnight stop was fantastic. We slept right on the side of the Dusi (River) and when we woke up this morning the views were incredible so it really was a great experience that I\u2019m sure many more riders will be able to experience through this race in years to come,\u201d added Bird.<\/p>\n Coffeeberry\/Momsen’s Mark Malherbe, and partner Trevor Rowe, tried hard to close in on leaders Andrew Hill and Tyron Bird during the second stage of the dusi2c MTB race however hin the end had to settle for the second step on the podium.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Anthony Grote\/Gameplan Media<\/strong><\/p>\n The Coffeeberry\/Momsen team of Mark Malherbe and Trevor Rowe tried their best to close the time difference between themselves and the overnight leaders however not even a solid second stage was enough to haul the eventual victors in.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a really good ride. It was a pleasure to be able to ride with Andy (Hill) and Tyron (Bird) for the short times that we did today but they were really strong so well done to them,\u201d said Malherbe. \u201cThere aren\u2019t too many tough climbs along the route to separate the guys so it\u2019s really just about speed \u2013 it\u2019s almost like a drag race \u2013 and Andy & Tyron were really quick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRiding through the valley just completely blew my mind though! It was even better than I ever could have imagined. Places like Karkloof and Howick are fantastic mountain biking areas and this is right up there with them but in such a different way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe dusi2c was awesome. I did both the sani2c and joberg2c a little earlier this year and the dusi2c definitely is of the same Farmer Glen quality as sani2c and joberg2c but is just a completely different type of race. It was a great!\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The final step of the podium was claimed by PeptoPro Racing\u2019s Jarrad van Zuydam and Stu Rawlinson whilst valley locals John Ntuli and Bongumusa Zikhali of RMB Change a Life claimed fourth and Andrew Cairns and David Cooke of Team BlackBerry rounded out the top five.<\/p>\n Overnight ladies’ race leaders Lise Olivier and Eszter Erdelyi continued to dominate proceedings on the second and final stage of the dusi2c MTB race.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Anthony Grote\/Gameplan Media<\/strong><\/p>\n Erdelyi and Olivier of Velo Life were unchallenged in the women\u2019s race and instead worked together to do their best to compete against the mixed doubles competitors, eventually claiming a comfortable women\u2019s race win whilst finishing in a commendable nineteenth position overall.<\/p>\n \u201cYesterday was great and then today was another really good day,\u201d said Erdelyi. \u201cWe had a really good race and we came to have fun so the win is a really nice bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHaving a young baby I don\u2019t really do many stage races anymore but with this being just two days it was ideal and it really was so much fun,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dusi2c is very relaxed compared to joberg2c and I\u2019m sure the race will really grow over the next couple of years,\u201d added Olivier.<\/p>\n The fairer half of the mixed FedGroup Itec team, Bridgette Stewart leads a group of riders early on in the second stage of the dusi2c MTB race.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Anthony Grote\/Gameplan Media<\/strong><\/p>\n The mixed category saw FedGroup Itec\u2019s husband and wife pairing of Brandon and Bridgette Stewart claim victory by seventeen minutes of iCycle\/Kargo\u2019s Tim Stark and Robyn Ryan whilst the Giba Mixed team of Tamryn Taylor and Siyabonga Njiva finished third with all three pairs finishing inside the top twenty overall.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t often get the chance to race with Bridge (Stewart) so it was awesome to spend a couple of days on the bike with her,\u201d explained Brandon Stewart. \u201cI\u2019ve had a couple of weeks off recently though and Bridge was really pushing hard at times so I really had to work hard to stay with her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe new GPS racing was interesting. \u201cBrandon definitely did all the navigating though \u2013 I\u2019m terrible with maps!\u201d chuckled Stewart\u2019s wife and partner, Bridgette.<\/p>\n The dusi2c mountain bike race saw teams of two head from Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg, along as close to the Dusi Canoe Marathon route as possible, to Blue Lagoon in Durban with close on 300 pairs tackling the two day adventure through the valley of a Thousand Hills in 2013. More information can be found at www.dusi2c.co.za<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n