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MUZI BREAKS RECORD, WINS SISEKELO MTB CHALLENGE

31/03/2019 00:41:00 BY SANELE JELE

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BIG BEND – MTN Khemani cyclist Muzi Shabangu did not only topple William Kelly but also broke Sisekelo Mountain Bike (MTB) Challenge’s record.

Sisekelo High School in Big Bend was home to the event held yesterday. Provisional results showed that Shabangu clocked an impressive 01:48:36 hours in his debut in the 60km race and in the process breaking standing record of 02:30:00 hours. The previous record was set by veteran cyclist Kelly who finished fifth yesterday.

The race started at the school and the competitors did three laps at the nearby Mhlosanga Nature Reserve before racing back to the starting point.
“I was happy to beat Kelly to his game. After the race, he came to congratulate me and it felt good that he acknowledged that I won on the day,” said the proud champion.

The 19-year-old cyclist said despite that he was a road specialist; he managed to win the race ahead of strong contenders in runners-up and teammate Similo Nyoni and third-placed Sihawu Dlamini.

“At first, I was scared of the competition but the route was more like riding in a road race as there were less climbs from the start but along the way, Thulani Gule took charge before I regained my lead in the last lap,” he added.

Noteworthy is that Shabangu’s bicycle developed mechanical chain faults in the first lap before he fixed it and that is when they overtook him before he bounced back in the last lap. Nyoni clocked 1:50:08 hours to finish second while Dlamini completed the top three bracket on 1:50:17 hours.

Other events were 40, 20, and 10km, as some scholars from the host joined the seasoned competitors at the trails. Over 80 cyclists took part in the races and SwaziMed CEO Peter ‘Samora’ Simelane also joined other riders during the second edition of the annual race. SwaziMed sponsored the race to a tune of E50 000.
(More reports and results in next edition)