{"id":79124,"date":"2016-10-02T22:35:01","date_gmt":"2016-10-02T20:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/nissan-trailseeker-series-faces-crucial-stage-at-buffelsdrift\/"},"modified":"2016-10-02T22:35:01","modified_gmt":"2016-10-02T20:35:01","slug":"nissan-trailseeker-series-faces-crucial-stage-at-buffelsdrift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/nissan-trailseeker-series-faces-crucial-stage-at-buffelsdrift\/","title":{"rendered":"Nissan Trailseeker series faces crucial stage at Buffelsdrift"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nissan Trailseeker series faces crucial stage at Buffelsdrift<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\"Pic2\" <\/p>\n

Only a stones throw away from Pretoria, riders will get to enjoy some of Buffelsdrift’s hand crafted singletrack. Photo: ZC Marketing Consulting<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Heine Engelbrecht and Theresa Ralph will go into Saturday\u2019s fourth round of the 2016 Nissan TrailSeeker Gauteng Series as respective leaders of the men and women\u2019s marathon rankings.<\/p>\n

Neither Engelbrecht nor Ralph (Galileo Risk) has won any of the first three rounds, but their consistently high placings sees them topping the points standings, making Saturday\u2019s fourth leg at Buffelsdrift Mountain Bike Park north of Pretoria a crucial one for those with Series-winning ambitions.<\/p>\n

Both will be gunning for high finishes again but they\u2019re in for a tough battle considering the riders on the pre-entry list. \u00a0Maricel Bekker, currently second in the series rankings and Adrienne Moolman, runner-up at the 2015 round at Buffelsdrift, are also likely to be in the hunt for podium positions in the women\u2019s division.<\/p>\n

For Engelbrecht, his primary rivals are likely to be Philip Buys (SCOTT LCB Factory Racing), HB Kruger (Team Telkom), Henry Uys (Complete Cyclist), Arno du Toit (SCOTT LCB Factory Racing) and Thinus Redelinghuys.<\/p>\n

The marathon will be run over 69km with 890 metres of ascent. Only 25km of the route will incorporate regular Buffelsdrift MTB Park trails, with the rest of the route on new sections built specifically for the event and by access to neighbouring land. The drought has made it possible to build new singletrack segments along the Pienaar\u2019s River, which are sure to be a hit with the participants.<\/p>\n

The Half marathon over 40km has 450 metres of climbing. More than 80% of the route will be different to the one used last year, while the Fun Race (20km) and Fun Ride (10km) also offer stimulating new sections, making the most of the bushveld venue, which is less than an hour\u2019s drive from Johannesburg.<\/p>\n

Nissan TrailSeeker Bundu Bash 2016, schedule of events:<\/strong><\/p>\n