Rogaine silver for South Africa in New Zealand

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Sunday, 21 November 2010 15:03

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Silver for SA at World Rogaine Champs

Team Cyanosis' Ryno Griesel and Nicholas Mulder raced to second place at the World Rogaine Championships this weekend. The result was a big surprise for the pair, who had been optimistic of a top-10 finish. The hilly terrain around Cheviot, New Zealand, as well as cold, wet weather during the race favoured the team as they used their strong adventure racing background to push on despite the conditions.

A total of 250 teams from 23 countries around the world were on the start-line in Cheviot (just north of Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island) for the noon-day start of the tough 24-hour race. Ryno and Nicholas got off to a good start, with both feeling very strong well into the night. Navigation between the 93 possible checkpoints was tough, with occasional mist near the Pacific Ocean reducing visibility at some points. Weather conditions turned from bad to worse at 2am, when the light drizzle turned into proper rain, which thankfully receded for good after two hours. By dawn, the Cyanosis pair were still going strong, but the final few hills mid-morning saw the team's speed reduced to a slow jog.

The pair crossed the finish-line with 5 minutes to spare before the 24-hour deadline, bagging a total of 3515 points, 170 ahead of third place, but a massive 850 points behind Chris Forne and Marcel Hagener of New Zealand.

Ryno and Nicholas are really thrilled with the result and their performance. The pair had a great build-up over the last few months in preparation for this race, culminating in the win back home at the Capestorm Rogaine in Kaapsehoop three weeks ago.

Place    Team Members (Country)    Score
1    Chris Forne (NZL), Marcel Hagener (NZL)    4365
2    Nicholas Mulder (ZAF), Ryno Griesel (ZAF)    3515
3    Tõnu Lillelaid (EST), Karli Lambot (EST), Rait Pallo (EST)    3345
4    Greig Hamilton (NZL), Phil Novis (NZL)    3345
5    Philip Whitten (AUS), Joel Mackay (AUS)    3260

Team Cyanosis is proud to have the following brands supporting them:
- First Ascent outdoor apparel, Salomon and Crocs adventure, trail running and casual footwear, Petzl headlamps, Foodstate vitamins and supplements, Island Tribe sun lotion.

-  Specialized bikes and accessories, Summit Cycles in Midrand, Suunto field compasses and wristop computers, O'Neill wetsuits, BSC compression garments, Kreature.co.za outdoor and survival shop.