North-West Province – Philip Buys and Sarah Hill conquered the Fedhealth Magalies Monster MTB Classic on their first attempt at the ATKV Buffelspoort on Saturday 28 August 2021. Celebrating its 18^th anniversary on the day, mountain bikers could choose between the Marathon/+-65km, Half Marathon/+-33km, Fun Ride/+-16km and a 2.5km Kids Event.

Philip Buys (Menlo Park, Pretoria) completed the Marathon/+-65km route in a lightning-fast time of 02 hours 49 minutes 02 seconds. “The route was quite rough. I really enjoyed it,” says Buys. “I’m used to this type of terrain. It’s loose and rocky, very similar to what we have in Pretoria. It was my first Magalies Monster, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun that rough downhill was. The weather was fine today. We had a little bit of rain on the far end of the route, but it didn’t affect the outcome of the race. If my schedule allows it, I’ll definitely be back next year.” Pieter du Toit came in 2^nd, while Jan Withaar finished 3^rd.

Sarah Hill (Bryanston, Gauteng) secured gold in the women’s race in a deserving time of 03 hours 31 minutes 11 seconds. According to Hill she wanted to see what all the hype was about. “Everyone talks so highly of this race. I was absolutely blown away. I’ve done Breedt’s Nek a couple of times, but I did not realise that there was more to it. I really enjoyed finding rhythm on the climbs and the downhills were absolutely phenomenal. It was rocky, technical, hard-packed, fast – everything you want, and it rained. My favourite part was the moment that I crested Breedt’s Nek and turned right to start descending. You have the most beautiful views of the North-West. It’s a great area for training and it’s breathtakingly beautiful.” Samantha Sanders came in 2^nd, while Karlise Scheepers finished 3^rd.