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Hollard Gravel and Dirt MTB Marathon Series, done and dusted

Hollard Gravel and Dirt MTB Marathon Series, done and dusted

The 2018 Hollard Gravel and Dirt MTB Marathon Series finished in emphatic style this year with a Havana/Cuban theme last week.

Gravel and Dirt Series participants attended the night to celebrate the achievements reached by local Namibian MTB riders throughout the 8 race series.

This year the Gravel and Dirt Marathon Series offered riders the opportunity to take on the best Namibia has to offer, with races taking place all over the country from the sands in Swakopmund, to rocky paths of Mariental. Riders from far and wide entered into this year’s series to take on the routes that were designed to not only test the resolve of seasoned riders but to also provide a platform for beginners to thrive and hone their skills.

The competition was fierce as the Elite pushed themselves harder to secure a spot on the podium, with riders setting record-breaking times throughout the series. In the end, the best riders prevailed, earning the rights to be called Hollard Gravel and Dirt MTB Champions for 2018. These rider are:

Grandmaster Men: 1.Hercules Viljoen; 2. Daniel F Small 3 Tony Bassingthwaighte

Grandmaster Women:1 Elke Jagau

Master Women: 1.Karen Brockmann; 2. Dietlind Basson; 3 Barbara Ackermann

Master Men: 1. Sakkie Schreuder; 2 Kai Tagethoff; 3 Johann Liebenberg

Rhino: 1 Fana Lambert; 2 Volker Engling 3 Morne Honiball

Veteran Woman: 1 Wilmien Chamberlain; 2 Rina Lambert; 3 Johanita De Waal

Veteran Men: 1 Clinton Hilfiker; 2 Sven Strohmenger; 3 Marcel Suren

Sub Veteran Woman: 1 Rosi Hennes; 2 Marion Schonecke; 3 Courtney Liebenberg

Sub Veteran Men: 1 Ingram Cuff; 2 Braam Vermeulen; 3 Christiaan Bean

Elite Woman: 1 Michelle Doman; 2 Irene Steyn; 3 Lelani Swart

Elite Men: 1 Xavier Papo; 2 Drikus Coetzee; 3 Danzel De Koe

Clinton Hilfiker and Wilmien Chamberlain earned the titles of Best Category Performers with their phenomenal achievements over last couple of months, participating in all events and earning the highest overall points per category.

Meanwhile, the overall winners for this year’s Hollard Gravel and Dirt MTB Marathon Series were Michelle Doman and Xavier Papo, who truly took on the Gravel and Dirt and dominated from the get-go.


Caption – From left to right: Drikus Coetzee, Xavier Papo, Michelle Doman, Irene Steyn (Photography by Renate Wehl).

About The Author

Sport Contributor

The Economist does not have a dedicated sport reporter. This designation is used for several contributors who want their sport stories in the Economist. Experience has taught us that companies usually want their sport sponsorships published prominently, being the reason for a sports category. It now also carries general sport items but only those with direct Namibian relevance. - Ed.

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