Adventure racing alive and well – both on the Route and around Rodrigues Island!
Eighteen teams from as far as Limpopo Province contested the recent Schools South Africa Adventure Racing Champs in Cape St Francis a fortnight ago… and that was just in the Junior category!
Garden Route adventure racing kids impressed in particular, with Team Painted Cubs from Knysna winning the Juniors, and Plett s Team Bike Shop doing extremely well on the same route (the older the age group, the longer the course) – until a navigational issue on the last 500m pushed them back to a still-commendable sixth spot.
Team Dynamite, also from Knysna, crossed the finish line first of all Sub-junior teams, while Knysna Ones were the fourth team home among the Seniors.
Aged 14 one and all, Painted Cubs team members Kate Tanner, Andrea Collins, Benji Tyrrell and Mark Canny only started training together in April, and Schools SA was their first official adventure race.
Explains Belene Collins: “Andrea was the navigator and Benji the trial finder, while Kate and Mark ensured that the compulsory equipment accompanied the team at all times and that everybody was eating and drinking enough. They worked together like a very well-oiled machine.”
Earlier this month, a total of 60 international teams took on Expedition Africa Rodrigues, presented by Kinetic Events on a small volcanic island in the Indian Ocean east of Mauritius. Among those who took up the challenge were Plett AR Team members Drew Scott, Steph le Roux, Jeanette Wylie, and Petrus Maree.
Their combined skills and determination gained this local outfit an incredible eighth place. And, says Drew, the entire experience was truly incredible and memorable, apart from the fact that it was “a really great race”.
Other Garden Route contenders on Rodrigues included Plett veteran Andrew Damp, and Knysna locals Graham Bird and Hanno Smit who along with fellow Team Merrell members, Capetonians Tat-um Prins and Lance Kime, managed to finish Expedition African Rodrigues in spectacular third spot.
• Look out for news on Sunday’s Robberg Xpress in CX-PRESS of October 9.