2018 marks the second year that the GO!Durban Cycle Academy is competing in the KZN Spur Schools MTB League and it has proven to be a season beyond expectations!

The racing team has performed consistently over the last three events (29 July, 19 August, 26 August), with their results improving each time and achieving a number of top 10 finishes.

The flashes of bright green GO!Durban kit have become instantly recognisable on the course with our riders competing in almost all of the age categories, from Primary School through to High School, and 40% of these being girls.

“The Spur MTB Schools League is an annual highlight on our racing calendar as it really puts our training during the year to the test,” says Shaun Peschl, Programme Director of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy and Director of PeschlSports. “We have seen significant improvement in our team from last year and being able to consistently put up to 22 riders on the start line is a proud achievement for us.”

“We are particularly impressed with our ladies’ results and we are hoping to send some of our female athletes to represent the province at the National finals.”

As the first development programme in KZN to train female cyclists, Head Coach Siyabonga Njiva is also very pleased with the ladies’ performance to date:

“The girls are improving with each race. It’s their first XCO series so it’s still new to them, but they are doing very well and we’re on the right track.”

For the academy as a whole, the Spur Schools MTB League is the foundation of competitive XCO racing and is a training ground for young riders to hone their skills, before moving up to compete in the more difficult National MTB XCO Cup Series.

“I’d like to say thanks to Spur and the organising team for allowing us the opportunity to participate in the league,” says Njiva.

“For us, it’s bikes and school; we work on the basis that you have to pass the term in order to race so the kids make sure that they pass at school so that they are able to race in the Spur series. Even if they come last, that medal means a lot to them!”

With just one more provincial race to go, the stakes will be high at Thomas Moore College in Kloof on the 9th of September 2018 with all riders hoping to collect as many points as possible to qualify for the National Spur Schools’ MTB League finals, taking place in Gauteng in October.

Upcoming Race:
KZN Spur Schools MTB League #4: 9 September 2018