Saturday, 21 January 2012 22:02
McGregor and Kime jostle into the lead of GT Drak Challenge 2012
Underberg – Defending champion Hank McGregor and his K2 partner Len Jenkins traded the lead throughout the first stage of the Global Trader Drakensberg Challenge on the low waters of the Umzimkulu River, while Robyn Kime is striving to undo her jinx that has plagued her in the race by grinding out a massive first stage lead.
Organisers surprised many when they announced early on Saturday morning that the race would take place over the full 70km route due to light overnight showers having filled the river just enough to avoid having to shift to the widely anticipated shortened route.
The announcement left many nervous as they set off on their 28km journey from Castleburn to Sinister Pools, particularly the bulkier paddlers such as McGregor and Grant van der Walt. A cautious yet confident approach by McGregor though saw him to the front of the field early on in the race.
“There was actually a lot more water than I thought there would be and it actually wasn’t too bad,” said McGregor. “I got in front from the start and opened up quite a nice gap over Brandon (van der Walt) and Len (Jenkins) but then I made a stupid mistake in the gorge where I just got it all wrong and ended up running out of water and I had to get out.”
“That’s when Len passed me and I had to work quite hard to catch him which fortunately I managed to do about one hundred and fifty metres after Black Murray rapid and then he and I had a bit of a chat and worked together on the flats all the way to the finish,” he added.
McGregor, who has won the race for the past two years, will be pleased with his day one efforts as he aims to become the first person ever to claim three K1 titles in a row, however, he is well aware of the fabled ‘freakish’ talent of Len Jenkins, who seems to have rediscovered his passion for paddling, and on his day is unstoppable.
“It was great to win the stage today, it’s always nice to finish in front but obviously there’s nothing between Len and I and he’s going really well at the moment so tomorrow will be an interesting day and hopefully a great day’s racing,” said McGregor.
“It would be nice if we got some rain this evening, it would definitely make day two a whole lot more pleasant but either way I’ll just look to stay as calm as possible, keep composed and pick my lines carefully.”
“It will probably be quite tough for the guys behind Len and I to close the gap with us being together and them all on their own but you never know what can happen on the river so we’ll just have to wait and see how things go in the morning,” he added.
Jenkins, who has won the event three times himself, will however be determined to get his year off to a winning start and get one over his The Unlimited Dusi partner and Team Best 4 Kayak Centre team mate with a victory this weekend and will be right ready for a strong performance on the second of the two stage tussle.
“It was a screaming start and I unfortunately had a bit of an issue with my splash cover as we were setting off which meant Hank (McGregor) got away early but I managed to get past him later on and then he came back at me at the bottom of the gorge,” said Jenkins.
“All in all it was a good day though, I enjoyed the river level quite a bit and now we’ll just have to see how things go tomorrow,” he added. “I don’t think the other guys will be able to catch us with the lead that we have.”
U23 youngster Brandon van der Walt put in a superb effort on day one to claim a well-deserved third place finish, despite having suffered a bent rudder early on in the stage.
“I’m obviously super chuffed but the true test will come tomorrow. The guys behind me will all be trying to come at me and close the gap as early as possible but I’ll just try focus on my race and take things from there,” said van der Walt.
The hugely respected and six time Drak winner Ant Stott had a dreamlike return to the river after recent an Achilles tendon injury has seen him unable to paddle for over two months. The paddling stalwart showed his class and superior knowledge of the river as he quietly went about his business and crossed the line in a solid fourth place.
Van der Walt’s older brother Grant van der Walt came home in fifth and rounded off an incredible day for the men of Team Best 4 Kayak Centre as they claimed four of the top five men’s positions whilst in the ladies race the team’s colours once again dominated the leaderboard where three of the top four women’s boats belonged to the professional paddling outfit.
Robyn Kime led the charge in the ladies race and will rest easy overnight safe in the knowledge that she has a near unassailable seven minute lead over her nearest rival.
After a perfect start Kime put down the hammer early on in the stage and had soon opened up a commanding lead which saw her blend into the men’s batch ahead of her and putting the young competitor in a tricky situation due to the rules of the race.
“It was quite tough because I was going really nicely and had caught the B batch men but had to be very careful not to get too close and ride their wave,” said Kime. “Fortunately it all actually worked out really well for me in the end as I ended up pulling the bunch over the flats for quite a while which I think actually helped me go faster.”
“It’s not always easy to stay focused when you’re on your own on the flats so it was nice having others around to keep me motivated to the finish.”
“It was a really great day for me and I’m obviously really happy with the position I’m in at the moment but we’ll just take it one step at a time tomorrow and see how things work out,” she added.
Kime was followed home by Johannesburg based Jen Hodson and Kime’s Dusi partner Abbey Ulansky, both of whom did exceptionally well having not spent much time in the boat in recent months.
Women’s defending champ Abby Adie had a tough day out on the water and will be hoping for the predicted overnight rain and a full river tomorrow as she goes after her third win in as many races on the Umzimkulu River.
“I fell out right at the start so I was off the pace straight away and really had to work hard to catch the girls ahead of me,” said Adie. “Hopefully things will improve for tomorrow.”
The 38km day two of the Global Trader Drak Challenge takes place from Sinister Pools, near the Swartberg Road bridge and finishes at Hopewell Farm. More information can be found at www.drak.co.za
ENDS
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
DAY ONE OF THE GLOBAL TRADER DRAK CHALLENGE
Men
1.Hank McGregor 1:39.38
2.Len Jenkins 1:39.39
3.Brandon van der Walt (U23) 1:41.50
4.Ant Stott 1:42.51
5.Grant van der Walt (U23) 1:43.12
6.Greg Louw 1:45.04
7.Shaun Griffin 1:45.04
8.Jeffrey Smith 1:47.14
9.Jacques Theron 1:47.14
10.Ryan Louw 1:48.24
U23 Men
1. Brandon van der Walt 1:41.50
2. Grant van der Walt 1:43.12
3. Ben Biggs 1:49:27
U18 Men
1.Murray Starr 1:50:44
2.Emile Theunissen 1:50:49
3.Murray Haw 1:53:47
Women
1.Robyn Kime (U23) 1:52:16
2.Jen Hodson 1:59:27
3.Abbey Ulansky 1:59:30
4.Abby Adie (U23) 2:00:45
5.Debbie Germiquet 2:02:28
U23 Women
1.Robyn Kime 1:52:16
2.Abby Adie 2:00:45
3.Jordan Peek (U18) 2:02:57
U18 Women
1.Jordan Peek 2:02:57
2.Brittany Petersen 2:04:44
3.Bianca Haw (U16) 2:08:55
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