Women’s Day Celebrations at the Glacier Storms River Traverse

Women’s Day provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate women’s mountain biking at the Glacier Storms River Traverse on Friday, 9 August. A third of the starters, on the opening day of the event, were women and fittingly the sun came out too. Under clear skies the riders set out into the beautiful forests of the Tsitsikamma.

Nicola Freitas and Megan Scribante were the first women, on analogue bikes, to complete the 64-kilometre-long Stage 1 course. “It was really nice to see so many women here,” Freitas smiled. “We were passed by a few of the ebike teams and a couple of solo ebike racing women, and every one of them shouted their encouragement or congratulations as they went by. The men were friendly too, but there’s a real sense of comradery among the women on the trails.”

“I know Suné [van Wyk] and the whole Dryland team work really hard to get more women to their events,” Freitas continued. “You can really feel the difference here at the Glacier Storms River Traverse – where there are so many women riding as well as staying in the race village supporting. The inclusivity goes a long way and to be encouraged by so many women is very special; it helps more women take part, feel more confident in themselves, and enjoy the amazing experience of riding a stage race.”

“Glacier by Sanlam and the Tsitsikamma Village Inn have made the race village very welcoming and then having Liezel van der Westhuizen as our master of ceremonies for the weekend is a lovely additional touch,” she noted. “Having started racing mountain bikes in a mixed category team myself it’s really nice to see so many mixed teams here. I think ebikes level the playing fields so much and allows so many women to ride with their husbands or partners, when they might otherwise be too intimidated too. The ebike friendly ethos of the Glacier Storms River Traverse certainly helps in that, and it’s great to see people being actively encouraged to take on a stage race!”

“Most stage races are quite serious and can be intimidating. But that’s not the vibe here at all. Everyone is really friendly and welcoming, the riding isn’t technical, and it’s very possible for anyone with a decent level of fitness to ride it,” Freitas concluded.

Stage 1 was the longest of the 2024 race. Saturday’s Stage 2 will be 50 kilometres long and feature 730 metres of climbing. Unlike the opening day, which headed out of the Storms River Village in an Easterly direction, Stage 2 heads West into the foothills of the Tsitsikamma mountains before traversing more scenic pine plantations en route to the coast for a cliff-top ride back towards the race village.

To follow the action as it unfolds on Stage 2 like the Storms River Traverse Facebook page, or follow @stormsrivertraverse on Instagram.

2024 Glacier Storms River Traverse Results

Women’s Teams | Stage 1:

1. #Sheovita: Nicola Freitas & Megan Scribante (2:42:28)
2. Swans Agrofors: Yolande & Chantel de Villiers (2:58:37)
3. Skud Skud Daai Bene: Iliska Verwey & Tanja Schutte (3:13:04)

Men’s Teams Stage 1

1. MTB Goats: Paul Serrao & Eckhard Visser (2:50:41)
2. Not Here To Find Spiders: Roelof Schutte & Janos Kaszas (3:00:14)
3. Double Trouble: Jacques Steenkamp & Marais Pienaar (3:12:54)

Mixed Teams | Stage 1:

1. Potties: Cobus Potgieter & Midee Buizer (2:51:11)
2. Chemchamp Africa: Biance Bekker & Daniel Tenner (3:04:12)
3. Invicta Mixed: Gerhard Luther Hattingh & Elizma Kock (3:05:23)

Solo Women | Stage 1:

1. Liezel van Niekerk (3:17:24)
2. Brigitte Aubery (4:13:08)
3. Tanya Hill (4:30:18)

Solo Men | Stage 1:

1. Hardus Jansen van Rensburg (2:39:25)
2. JN Smit (2:40:53)
3. Allan Lamont (2:42:09)

For the full results from the 2024 Glacier Storms River Traverse, click here.