Sunday 16 March began with an ominous mist hanging low in the Jonkershoek valley, setting the tone for what would be an epic day of racing at the first National Enduro Cup of the 2025 season.

5 stages lay in wait for the riders of the Full Enduro, 3 for the Lite Enduro and a bonus Power Stage (technical climb) for the E-Bike Enduro competitors. The trails were rough and rowdy from the hot summer days and countless tyres lapping them up in practice. Top dogs and rookies from around the country were in for a day of massive climbs and white-knuckle race runs!

The drizzle and mist made for slick conditions as the first tyres laid tracks down the mountain. Riders could choose to begin with either Red Phoenix (Stage 1), The Plumber (Stage 2), or DH (Stage 3) and the slippery rocks of The Plumber and Red Phoenix caught a few riders out before the sun broke through and turned the day to flat-out dusty ripping.

With 1400m of elevation gain for the riders of the Full Enduro, managing the heat, nutrition, and energy levels were all as much part of the game as carrying speed and getting on the pedals in the Stages. Jonkershoek served up a proper test of bike and body. Here is how the racing played out across the Stages.

 

Matt Lombardi had the pressure of being the local legend going into the race and entered into a tight tussle with the travelling Keira Duncan. Credit: Eric Palmer

Overall Stage Results – Full Enduro

Stage 1 – Red Phoenix

Men

  1. Keira Duncan – 03:06.5
  2. Matt Lombardi – 03:11.1
  3. Jason Boulle – 03:14.8

Women

  1. Frankie Du Toit – 03:34.0
  2. Eryn Marais – 03:52.8
  3. Lillian Bruwer – 05:18.2

 

Stage 2 – The Plumber

Men

  1. Keira Duncan – 03:01.3
  2. Matt Lombardi – 03:03.4
  3. Jason Boulle – 03:10.4

Women

  1. Frankie Du Toit – 03:43.1
  2. Eryn Marais – 04:05.9
  3. Lillian Bruwer – 08:34.0

 

Stage 3 – Neutralised due to timing system issues

 

Stage 4 – Iron Monkey

Men

  1. Keira Duncan – 03:39.8
  2. Matt Lombardi – 03:44.0
  3. Keagan Brand – 03:48.4

Women

  1. Frankie Du Toit – 04:09.7
  2. Eryn Marais 04:21.4
  3. Lillian Bruwer – 06:06.2

 

Stage 5 – Armageddon

Men

  1. Matt Lombardi – 06:11.8
  2. Keira Duncan – 06:13.0
  3. Jason Boulle – 06:18.9

Women

  1. Frankie Du Toit – 06:50.5
  2. Eryn Marais – 07:08.4
  3. Lillian Bruwer – 09:12.1

 

“A long and tough day out but it was made worth it for the (as always) insane Jonkershoek trails!” said Frankie du Toit. “We had a big field but never queued and never got held up which makes the day go by quickly. A well stocked water table and post race beers kept the vibes high and the body fuelled, haha. It’s always tough to gauge your effort over a long day and I felt like I got the balance right and kept my riding consistent so I was happy with my performance. We have some fast ladies coming up from the Youth and Junior age groups and I’m looking forward to many more battles with them!”

Frankie summed it up superbly. The stoke levels from the riders were high as everyone revelled in the experience of pushing themselves against the clock in the big mountains! Du Toit took a commanding win in the women’s field, as she is well known for, with a clean sweep of the stages but acknowledged the up and coming girls in the sub-elite categories might be giving her some trouble in the near future!

Making the trip from KZN for the opening Enduro National Cup, Keira Duncan won all but 1 stage (where he took a near 2nd) to claim victory in Jonkershoek. Keira has his sights set firmly on the world stage and this will be a great start to his 2025 season with many more opportunities to show what he’s capable of ahead. Here is what he had to say about the racing on Sunday.

“It was a big day racing in the Jonkershoek valley, and the valley certainly delivered an epic day out no doubt. I couldn’t be more pleased with a solid day on the bike for me, no major issues and overall the vibe was fired up. Chuffed to take the win ahead of some fast locals. There was an epic selection of stages that provided a solid challenge alongside the monstrous climbs. Cheers to all involved, the event was well organized. See you at round two in a couple weeks time for a showdown in the Karkloof.”

You can find the overall results below. The next National Cup will take place in Karkloof, KZN on 5-6 April. Follow @wc_enduro on Instagram for news on upcoming events. To check out some POV and video footage from the event, you can watch Jason Boulle’s VLOG here.

Overall Results – Full Enduro Men

  1. Keira Duncan (Elite) – 16:00.599
  2. Matt Lombardi (Elite) – 16:10.268
  3. Jason Boulle (Elite) – 16:34.006
  4. Keagan Brand (Elite) – 16:45.869
  5. Camryn Marais (Youth) – 17:02.330
  6. Michard Meets (Elite)  – 17:02.436
  7. Pieter Venter (Junior) – 17:02.869
  8. Luca Zietsman (Junior) – 17:04.241
  9. Marc Fourie (Elite) – 17:06.016
  10. Troy Cole (Youth) – 17:23.166

Men’s top 5 overall podium (FLTR); Camryn Marais, Matt Lombardi, Keira Duncan, Jason Boulle, Keagan Brand. Credit: Eric Palmer

Overall Results – Full Enduro Women

  1. Frankie du Toit (Elite) – 18:17.243
  2. Eryn Marais (Junior) – 19:28.424
  3. Lillian Bruwer (Youth) – 29:10.491
  4. Merina van Vollenhoven (Sub Vet) – 38:00.497
  5. Christelle Le Roux (Grand Master) – 39:02.760

Women’s top 5 overall podium (FLTR); Merina van Vollenhaven, Lillian Bruwer, Frankie du Toit, Eryn Marais, Christelle Le Roux (absent). Credit: Eric Palmer

Overall Results – Lite Enduro

Men

  1. Kai Jansen Van Vuuren
  2. Max vermaak
  3. Oliver Webb

Women

  1. Annemi Pfister
  2. Sune Henning
  3. Zania Steyn

Overall Results – E-Bike Enduro

Men

  1. Nic Rezelman
  2. Blake Frodsham
  3. Dane Clifton

Women

  1. Amy Burton
  2. Melissa James

Full provisional results can be found here.