The recent Matsa event saw cyclists battle headwinds, mud and unforeseen mechanical issues, which all demanded resilience.

Matsa was the second milestone of the Oryx Unbound Gravel Series, and cyclists from all over entered for this event that commenced on 28 March from Petrusburg showgrounds.

The Unbound Gravel Series is designed for riders of all levels, offering three uniquely challenging distances – the fast and exciting Dash short distance, the adventurous Quest middle distance, and the Unbound 100-mile gravel distance.

Winners and runners-up of Matsa are as follows:

Unbound (160km)

Men: Nico Groenewald (5:37:26); Werner Booysen (5:38:28); and JP le Roux (5:42:16).

Women: Amorine Olivier (6:47:35); and Fran-Mari Lombard (8:40:43).

Quest (74km)

Men: Rhyn van Niekerk (2:38:06); Flip Viviers (2:38:27); and Gerhard Germishuis (2:38:28).

Women: Colleen Jacobs (3:02:12); Zania Hartman (3:21:27); and Emma Booysen (3:48:54).

Dash (30km)

Men: Niel Fourie (1:23:05); Rantso Ramabanta (1:24:15); and Etienne Burger (1:27:06).

Women: Ane Joubert (1:31:28); Chriselda Liebenberg (1:40:56); and Amanda Ferreira (1:41:09).

E-bike:

Quest (women): Elana van Jaarsveld (3:29:09); Carla van Jaarsveld (3:29:10), and Machtild Husselmann (3:41:23).

Dash (women): Annelien Du Randt (1:13:17); Amy Aldeia (1:49:07); and Christine Potgieter (1:49:09).

Dash (men): Wouter du Randt (1:13:21).

• The next event in the Oryx Unbound Gravel Series is Sungazer, commencing and ending at Tiffany’s outside Bloemfontein on 30 May, with one of three challenges to choose from. Enter by 27 May.
• Visit Oryx Endurance Event Management on Facebook for more details on Sungazer, and for the full set of results – as well as photos – of the Matsa event.

ALSO READ: Oryx Unbound Gravel series: No distance too great for pedallers