Sandes is back

It was “welcome back” to Ryan Sandes in Stellenbosch on Saturday (December 12) as South Africa’s leading ultra-trail athlete over the past decade raced to a convincing victory in the MaXiRace Cape Winelands 75km.

Sandes’ victory in the race, on a track between Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, was his first on home soil since winning the Add 80km in March 2019 – while Dutch-born veteran Ragna Debats placed third overall to win the women’s crown.

Although at his best in the pre-dawn single track route through Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve, Sandes maintained a consistent pace throughout, crossing the finish line in 7 hrs 32 min 43 sec – twenty-five minutes ahead of Durbanville athlete, Grobler Basson,.

Sadly, the anticipated head to head tussle between Sandes and Spanish trail star, Pere Aurell, never materialised as Aurell withdrew from the race yesterday following medical advice.

“I have been experiencing heart palpitations,” explained Aurell. “I’m not sure if it is a problem but thought it best to play it safe before seeing a specialist back in Spain later this month.”

It was left to Aurell’s partner, Debats, to fly the family colours and maintain their impressive race record on their “Rolling Mountains” world tour, and she did that in style, running a strong second half to win in 8:03:40 – some 90 minutes ahead of the winner of last year’s 68 km race, Jana van Houwelingen.

 “It was nice to have a competitive outing after a year of no racing,” admitted Sandes. “It would have been good had Pere been able to run. I was hoping for strong race competition ahead of next year, where I plan to race the Madeira Island Ultra-trail 115km in April and the Ultra-trail Mont Blanc in August.

“Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it, particularly the first part through the Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve. It’s a great course with superb views of the spectacular Winelands mountains. And we were pretty luck with the weather. Although it warmed up in the second half, it could have been much hotter and there were several river crossings where one could replenish water supplies.

“All in all, I was pretty chuffed with the run,” Sandes continued. “I had started to feel race rusty and I needed to find out if I still knew how to race!  I took it quite comfortably until the last section where I was told that Ragna was closing in on me. So I picked up the pace on the final stretch to the finish!”

In the absence of Aurell, who won the Otter African Trail 42km, the SkyRun 100km and the 90km Merrell Hobbit Race in recent weeks, it was left to Basson, second in last year’s SkyRun 100km, to give Sandes a semblance of competition, tracking his more illustrious rival to the first checkpoint, before falling behind a strong-climbing Sandes on the climb to Perdekop.

Back in Franchhoek after the first 27 km, Sandes held a 5 minute lead over Basson, with Gabriel Kriel just ahead of Kennedy Sekhuthe in fourth. Debats was first woman through in fifth overall, twenty minutes behind Sandes and 28 minutes clear of Van Houwelingen.

The gap continued to widen and Sandes was nine minutes clear at the Berg River Dam shortly before the half way mark. Wasting little time at the refreshment stop, Sandes was soon back in the saddle and galloping towards Boschendal, leaving his rivals trailing.

Debats was now running strongly, overhauling trail strong man, Kriel, between Berg River and Boschendal to move into third overall, just eight minutes behind Basson, but she mis-judged her water supply, running dry and was forced to slow on the 15 km stretch into Bartinney Wine Farm at 62km, where she was still 8 minutes adrift of Basson.

“I found that section quite long and hot,” Debats admitted. “It was a beautiful race, especially the first section where I loved the mountainous section through Mont Rochelle.  It got pretty hot towards the end, but I was able to pick up the pace a bit once I filled up with water at the last aid station.”

Sandes gained a further three minutes on Basson, racing home to an impressive victory, while Debats closed on Basson by a similar margin, ending five minutes adrift in third in a world-class display of ultra-trail running.

KZN runner, Bruce Arnott won the MaxiRace Cape Winelands 40km in 3:44:05, 11 minutes clear of Matthew Burke, with Rose Bailey taking honours in the women’s contest in 4:28:13

Results 

MaXiRace Cape Winelands 75 km

Men: 1 Ryan Sandes 7:32:43; 2 Grobler Basson 7:58:18; 3 Gabriel Kriel 8:12:08; 4 Kennedy Sekuthe 9:04:53; 5 Danie van Zyl 9:05:31; 6 Lyndon Nash 9:41:29; 7 Brett Nattrass 9:41:45; 8 Travis Green 9:43:10; 9 Justin Opitz 9:43:32; 10 Riaz Noordien  9:52:15

Veterans: 1 Nash; 2 Green; 3 Dawid Visser 10:40:36

Masters: 1 Ian Smith 10:24:15; 2 Rudolf Sattlegger10:57:08; 3 Keith Moodie 11:08:57

Women: 1 Ragna Debats (Ned) 8:03:40; 2 Jana van Houwelingen 9:36:45; 3 Amri Williamson 10:04:54; 4 Cleo Albertus 10:42:23; 5 Janeske Oosthuizen 10:57:09

Veterans: 1 Debats; 2 Oosthuizen

MaXiRace Cape Winelands 40 km

Men: 1 Bruce Arnott 3:44:05; 2 Matthew Burke 3:56:51; 3 Anele Bans 4:01:28 ; 4 Lovemo Nyaude 4:03:12; 5 Rohan Kennedy 4:03:38

Veterans: 1 Nyaude; 2 Kennedy; 3 Martin Jooste 40:34

Masters: 1 Spyker Germishuis 4:36:59;

Women: 1 Rose Bailey 4:28:13; 2 Marna van Deventer 4:45:36; 3 Elme Middelmost 4:51:31; 4 Lisa Pringle 4:53:15; 5 Naomi Williams 5:07:24

Veterans: 1 Van Deventer; 2 Middelmost; 3 Karen Wentzel 5:14:11

Masters: 1 Wendy Mcleod 5:08:58