Events

Hendricks and Potgieter step into the unknown at KAP sani2c

· By Press Office · 4 comments

After a long string of successful outings throughout South Africa on the slicks of a road bike, Clinton Hendricks and Bradley Potgieter will open their KAP sani2c account at the 2016 edition with the former tackling his first elite mountain bike event when the Race gets underway from 12-14 May.

The RoadCover Elite PLUS pair has been at the top of the local road cycling scene this year with Hendricks winning the prestigious Cape Town Cycle Tour whilst Potgieter added to the team’s trophy cabinet when he won the aQuellé Tour Durban recently.

ccs-62657-0-60794300-1462465995.jpegIt is going to be a watershed moment in the career of RoadCover Elite PLUS star Clint Hendrick’s (pictured) life when he leaves his road bike at home and takes part in his first competitive mountain biking race with Bradley Potgieter at the 2016 KAP sani2c starting at Glencairn Farm outside Himeville from 12-14 May 2016. Liam Philley/ Gameplan Media

Their road cycling pedigree speaks for itself however the pair have yet to take on a mountain bike race together, which is an exciting development for the duo who have been so successful on the road in 2016.

For Hendricks, the time was right for him to break the mountain biking ice and with a rider like Potgieter to lead him through the three days of racing, he feels that the KAP sani2c is a good chance to get his mountain biking career underway.

“This is going to be a completely new experience for me!” Hendricks mentioned. “It is going to be the perfect opportunity for me to test my skills on what I have heard are some of the best trails in the country. What better way to start your mountain biking career?”

“From a road cycling perspective we are fairly quiet at this time of the year so when the opportunity came up to ride the sani2c I could not refuse and I am hugely excited to take on the challenge.”

Potgieter comes into the 2016 KAP sani2c with a fair knowledge of mountain biking however for Hendricks, feeding off his partner is going to be crucial as well as adapting any skills that he might have picked up from road and track cycling over the years.

“It is going to be a completely different ball game and the concentration levels are going to have to be right up there with my focus shifting from the tyre in front of me, like I do on the road, to loose rocks, the single track as well as the rider in front!” he chuckled.

“There are so many different aspects to mountain biking but I am hoping that my track experience with regards to big bunches and those elements will help me out during the race.

“I have trained on my mountain bike but it definitely isn’t something that I do often!” he remarked.

ccs-62657-0-61525000-1462466000.jpegHaving accumulated a number of wins on the road in 2016, the RoadCover Elite PLUS pair of Bradley Potgieter (pictured) and Clint Hendricks will take on their maiden mountain bike stage race when they line up for the 2016 KAP sani2c starting at Glencairn Farm outside Himeville from 12-14 May 2016. Liam Philley/ Gameplan Media

As is the case with many elite sports people, the competitive nature of a race tends to take over once they are in the heat of the action however Hendricks’ attitude towards the sani2c is a relaxed one as he hopes to soak in the full experience while still understanding the nature of the competition all too well.

“We have got a little internal race amongst the three RoadCover teams but in terms of the elite race, I really just want to enjoy myself and take in as much as I can over the three days.

“With that said though, when the gun goes and the racing starts its going to be difficult to hold back from being as competitive as possible – my competitive side could quite easily come out!

“I don’t really know what to expect and I have tried to steer clear of finding out about the route; I am avoiding asking about the tough sections so I hope I can go into the race with an open mind and just enjoy it,” a calm Hendricks explained.

The Trail, Adventure and Race events of the 2016 KAP sani2c take place from Glencairn in Underberg to Scottburgh on KZN’s South Coast from 10-12, 11-13 and 12-14 May respectively. For more information visit www.sani2c.co.za.

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Comments

Ttocs

May 6, 2016, 5:47 AM

Going to be interesting to track their progress, as history has shown not many roadies go to MTB and shot the lights out (sorry Darren).

Sparki 1

May 6, 2016, 6:26 PM

Good luck guys. Gonna be interesting indeed. Hope u guys pull it off. ☺

Bat

May 9, 2016, 5:02 PM

Yes good luck. Hope no bottle necks get formed behind them?

Sparki 1

May 9, 2016, 5:15 PM

Yes good luck. Hope no bottle necks get formed behind them?

Haha, just make sure you stay ahead of them then you'll be fine bud.

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