Yolandi went into the final leg of the Nissan Triailseeker series #5 Van Gaalen with a few points lead of Samanatha. "I was determined to hold onto the leader's jersey on Saturday" said Yolandi "I really enjoy the Nissan Trailseeker races as they always offer more than just the race itself. All the race venues cater for the whole family by having restaurants, child entertainment areas, a bike wash bay, warm showers and much more. Nissan branded umbrellas are also put up providing shady viewing spots for spectators to see the riders coming in to finish. Van Gaalen Cheese Farm which hosted this particular event followed the same blueprint, but with the addition of the Magalies mountains as a spectacular backdrop".
The first few kilometres of the 70km route consisted of open jeep and single track. Here a small leading group of ladies formed consisting of Yolande Speedy (Team MTN Qhuebeka), Samantha Saanders (Valencia Cycles), Theresa Ralph, Karien Van Jaarsveld (Team USN) and Yolandi formed.
The single track led onto a steep, loose, rocky climb where Karien and Yolandi managed to distance the other ladies. "We crested the climb with a lead of a few seconds and from this point onwards the two of us 'almost' stayed together until the very end. On a few occasions I managed to drop Karien, but each time she regained contact whilst we were duelling amongst the men who had started with us" continued Yolandi.
"The final part of the race contained some amazing single track on the Van Gaalen Farm itself. Upon exiting the single track I slipped and fell in the final corner, jamming my chain in the process. I jumped back on my bike, but Karien passed me as I dismounted again and franticly tried to dislodge the wedged chain. Unbeknown to me there was less than a kilometre remaining to the finish line and by the time I got going again Karien was in the final straight winning the race a mere 11 seconds in front of me.
I would have preferred the opportunity to sprint for the win, but had to settle for 2nd on the day. The good news was that my 2nd place on the day confirmed me as the winner of the Nissan Trailseeker series in 2011, adding another victory to team bizhub's very sucessful season".
Samantha Saanders took the final spot on the podium with a fine 3rd place.
