“When we started riding in the mountains and building those trails I would never in my wildest dreams have imagined that the best riders in the world would ride them,” Hanekom said after he and partner Jandri Ferreira crossed the finish line after a brutally hot and dusty Stage 2. “Never mind in one of the biggest races in the world. It's a blessing to be able to do this and share these trails with like-minded people from all over the world. It might’ve been hellishly hot, but it was close to heaven up there on the summit.”

That being said, according to Hanekom, he knew the first two stages of the 20th edition of The Untamed African Mountain Bike Race would be some of the toughest ever. “There was no free kilometres over the 97 kays,” he said, before adding what kind of a toll these rough trails take on the body. “It was hectic — heavy going — super dusty and rough. And, even though I know the trails and the lines to take, every corner was different because a hundred riders had already been over it.”

Famed for its relentlessly technical trails, the route featured the Witzenberg valley singletracks of Ouplaas, Wakkerstroon, Slagboom and Welgemeen which provided riders with some rough African riding. “These are like ‘old-school’ trails,” Hanekom said, explaining how they aren’t smoothly groomed trails.  “They’re rough for sure, those who don’t know might be in for a reality check.”

Of course, the common theme of the week is the heat, and Tuesday was no different, taking its toll on riders and proving just why this is the Untamed. “I was surprised. I thought it was going to be cooler on the other side because it’s at a much higher altitude than Tulbagh, but there was no wind, so it was like an oven. I think Wellington might be hotter though.”

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