Odendaal wins South African downhill title

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Garlicki and Van Der Merwe round out podium

The 2013 South African National Championships culminated in the downhill event near Port Elizabeth on Sunday, July 21.

Defending Champion Tiaan Odendaal won his second consecutive title when he posted the quickest time on the 1.7km Hayterdale Trails course in 3:15.83.

Odendaal, who raced in the junior category at last year's national champs and beat the elite field, seems to have experienced a simple transition into the elite category. This year’s four-second advantage placed his descent as the fastest on the day beating Capetonian Stefan Garlicki into second place, in 3:19.82 and Adi van der Merwe third in 3:21.64.

The junior men's race saw Andrew Martin take the top step of the podium in 3:24.61, followed by Tian Strooh (3:25.11) and Theo Erlangsen (3:31.94).

The downhill course was extended by 500m, which increased the overall distance to 1.77km, with a vertical drop of 240m. The course featured a few tweaks and new additions from last year's National Cup Series event.

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Elite men
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Tiaan Odendaal (RSA)0:03:15.83
2Stefan Garlicki (RSA)0:00:03.99
3Adi Van Der Merwe (RSA)0:00:05.81
4Jonty Neethling (RSA)0:00:06.16
5Alasdair Fey (RSA)0:00:06.88
6Timothy Bentley (RSA)0:00:07.55
7Andrew Martin (RSA)0:00:08.78
8Tian Strooh (RSA)0:00:09.28
9Adriaan Smit (RSA)0:00:15.38
10Theo Erlangsen (RSA)0:00:16.11

 

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