THROWBACK
THEO ERLANGSEN
GREG MINNAAR SECOND PLACE
WINS IXS DOWNHILL CUP
AT UCI DH WORLD CUP IN AUSTRIA
Two times South African Downhill Mountain Biking Champion Theo Erlangsen went straight into a win at the IXS Downhill Cup in Winterberg, Germany recently.
Favourable weather throughout the week remained for finals day at Round 3 of the Mercedes-Benz UCI DH World Cup in Leogang, Austria. With slippery dust from start to finish, a winning run would need precision riding, while really pushing the envelope on one of the fastest courses of the season.
Erlangsen from Cape Town and Slovakian Spela Horvat from the BeFly World Team were the riders that coped with the dry course conditions the best and ended up on top of the podium in the elite men’s and women’s races respectively. Theo came in with a time of 1:36.646, while Tristan Botteram from Holland came in second. The win, Erlangsen’s first ever international victory, puts his European campaign off to a very good start. The Downhill Cup venue was packed, and everywhere there were scenes of exciting competition. The weather was warm, and several thousand spectators provided a breathtaking atmosphere. Erlangsen put his head down and emerged victorious, after putting in the hard yards training in South Africa. “My European trip is off to a cracking start,” said a very happy Erlangsen after the win. Photo: Theo Erlangsen Photo credit: Racement / Sebastian Gruber
“A big thank you to all the people who made it possible. It felt so good to be racing European tracks again.”
“The Elite Men’s race with big names, like Laurie Greenland, Bernard Kerr and Loris Vergier finding themselves on the wrong side of the grip limits. Loïc Bruni, the reigning world champion hit the track with energy and accuracy, sliding just the right amount and bouncing between turns. The French rider hurtled down the hill in 3m 16.132s.” Fastest qualifier Greg Minnaar, 21 times a World Cup winner, was the only man left to try and better Bruni’s time. From start to finish the result could have gone either way, with Minnnaar just a fraction of a second slower at each split and gaining speed as he progressed through his run. Bruni was literally on the edge of his seat in the finish arena – Minnaar had been strong at the end of the track in qualifying. He crossed the finish line in second place, 0.3s behind Bruni.
Photo: Greg Minnaar Photo credit: Bartek Woliński
PPS PANORAMA - WINNERS VAN DER BANK AND JANSE VAN RENSBURG The PPS Panorama Tour, South Africa’s “Toughest Race on Tar” - a race for cyclists in teams of two, took place in Mpumalanga from 15-18 June 2019. This four-day favourite cycle race covered a total of 320km of tough terrain which included a 6400m of ascent via the legendary mountains of Mpumalanga including Kaapmuiden and Spitzkop and parts of the Long Tom Pass. In 2019 race organisers introduced the Elite / Professional Category - “a race within a race” at the PPS Panorama Tour. It was the same route; the same PPS Panorama rules applied with a separate start time. The new event also came with a R40 000 cash prize. For the Traditional Tour, stage prizes and a final prize of R30 000 for the Overall Men and Overall Women winners. In the Traditional Tour category in four all-out stages, the Overall Men’s winners were Theuns Van Der Bank and Christiaan Janse Van Rensburg (Hartlief Deli P/B Powerbar SV) followed by Egon Campbell and Marnus Potgieter, and Johann Naude and David Labuschagne in third. Overall Demacon’s Carla Oberholzer and Kimberley Le Court De Billot had a clean sweep throughout the PPS Panorama Tour, taking all four stage wins and the Open Women’s first prize with teammates Suzan Cronje and Lynette Burger second, while Stacey Paul and Gillian Fourie finished third.
CAPE TOWN CELEBRATES WORLD BICYCLE DAY As noted in a recent policy brief written by transport specialist Richard Gordge for Open Streets Cape Town: “Making trips by walking and cycling is good for physical and mental health, improving quality of life and the environment, and boosting productivity while reducing costs to the public purse. Increasing non-motorised travel is a core and vital component for Cape Town’s transport and urban development future.” ”I ride my bicycle to work in Pinelands every day and besides the challenges – reckless drivers and lack of safe cycling lanes – it sets my day on the right course, saves me money and allows me to experience Cape Town in a complete new way,” says Noluthando Mqadi.
World Bicycle Day was celebrated across the globe on Monday, 3 June and Cape Town’s bicycle advocates came together to reward cycle commuters. Set up opposite Hartleyvale Stadium on the Liesbeek Parkway cycle path into the Cape Town CBD, the team handed out gifts to people cycling into town, capturing stories of everyday commuter champions.
Cycling in Cape Town has grown over the years, yet the transition from recreational cycling to commuting cycling has been slow. The challenges are not uncommon to other cities of the global South and include resource allocation to better infrastructure, safety, and cultural norms that celebrate the status of private vehicles, amongst others. Nevertheless, there are committed advocates in Cape Town working to overcome those obstacles.
One of the surprise recipients of a reward was cycling enthusiast and Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, who encouraged others to join in, get on bicycles and help reduce congestion on our roads.
“The bicycle is a tool that can change our cities. Unfortunately, in South Africa not everyone learns how to cycle and it is the first step in making a 2-wheel mobility revolution a reality. I have been teaching adults for a few years with my Learn2Cycle classes on a Saturday morning, and have already seen this simple skill changes lives,” says Lebogang Mokwena, Cape Town Bicycle Mayor.
The group of advocates included Bicycling Empowerment Network (BEN Bikes), Cape Town Bicycle Mayor Lebogang Mokwena, Bicycle South, Bike4All, Khaltsha Cycles, LIFE Brand, Open Streets Cape Town, Pedal Power Association and Qhubeka. Through various programmes, they all promote the use of the bicycle in and around Cape Town, believing it can radically improve the city’s transport landscape, as an affordable and environmentally friendly means of transport.
And this World Bicycle Day activation on a chilly Monday morning in Cape Town is a statement of the commitment civil society has made to see our city contribute to the type of change that is required at a global scale to respond to our climate crisis.
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The United Nations describes the bicycle as “a symbol of sustainable transportation that conveys a positive message to foster sustainable consumption and production, and has a positive impact on climate.”