Coetzee breaks record in Western Cape

Drikus 'The Machine' Coetzee is the 36One MTB Challenge solo champion for 2022 after he covered the 361 kilometers from and back to Oudtshoorn on Saturday morning within 13 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds.
He rode an average of 27.15 kilometers per hour to set a new record.
Coetzee improves on Swiss Konny Looser's record time of 13:26:14, which he set last year. Coetzee (13:26:17) was then beaten by Looser and Christiaan Janse van Rensburg (also in 13:26:17) in a sprint to the finish line.
Even the four-man relay teams of RDX Power (13:17:51) and JD Elliott Cycling (13:54:55) could not hold the fierce pace of the flying Namibian on Saturday night. The seasoned Dusty Day was the closest solo rider in 14:29:00 after Coetzee, with Freddie Visser third in 14:31:51.

Pain 'felt good'
The solo women's division was snapped up by Yolande de Villiers (16:18:10) while Alma Colyn (18:41:08) finished second and Bianca Cooper (19:03:21) came in third. De Villiers also dominated the solo division last year with a new route record of 15:11:22.
"It feels good to be crowned champion after last year's third place. I had a good plan and it worked for me," Coetzee said.
"I also had a good race in 2021, but was caught off guard with the sprint at the end. I am delighted with the new record I was able to set.
"Freddie [Visser] and I ride together to the halfway mark for a long time. With the first big climb, I decided to up the pace and he unfortunately could not keep up. After that, I emptied my tank in the last 15 km, giving everything.
"I then knew that I am already faster than the record and the pain in my legs felt good."