A group of young mountain bikers made Ballito proud when they walked away winners of each of their respective categories at the South African national cross-country mountain biking champs held in Pietermaritzburg recently. We found out a little more about these young champs …
Joshua Johnson (13), Drive Train Academy
Josh, who is already well known in the mountain biking world, came first in the sub junior boys category. He started riding at the age of four on the dusty dirt roads of Zambia and moved back to his parent’s hometown of Ballito when he was seven. After competing in the Spur School Series, Josh realized his love of competing and he went on to win the series in 2018 and 2019. He has two KZN titles under his belt as well as the KZN road champ title for 2019 and 2020. He was also the SA Cup winner in 2019. In 2020 he joined Drive Train Academy under the professional training of Ty White with Shiptech Petroleum as his official sponsor. This year Josh was in the sub junior category which saw him racing against boys all older than him.
Sophie Bircher (9), Sugar Rats Club
Sophie, who placed first in the nipper girls category, is in Grade 3 at Umhlali Preparatory School. She started riding when she was seven years old and joined the Sugar Rats Club at the start of 2020. She soon started competing in the Seeff Lap Series, where her parents realised her natural ability for cycling. She competed in the KZN XCO series and came second in KZN champs at the age of eight. She was soon promoted into the Sugar Rats Racing team, where she has flourished. Being the youngest in the team, she has had to work extra hard to keep up with the group but has proven she is a force to be reckoned with.
Madison Bateson (11), Sugar Rats Club
Madison took first place in the Sprog Girls category. She started cycling at the age of six years old, following in the footsteps of her older sister Chloe (who recently competed in the UCI World Champs overseas). Madison has always loved the outdoors and single track and is never afraid to try anything new. She is also part of the Sugar Rats Racing Team.
Errin Mackridge (14), Drive Train Academy
Errin is an incredibly talented and passionate young cyclist and rides for the Drive Train Academy. She came first in the sub junior girls category at the SA champs. Errin has been riding from very young, but discovered her passion for the sport when she competed in the Spur Schools Series in 2017. Always supported by her family, Errin takes her racing career very seriously. This has been a big year for her, as she has managed to reach her goals of becoming both the KZN and SA champ in her age category. “I wouldn’t have been able to tick these goals off my list without the help of my friends, team mates, family and coach, Tyrone White. She hopes to become a professional cyclist and compete in both the Olympics and The World Cup Series.
Three other Ballito youngsters also did exceptional well, finishing on the podium at the SA champs. They are: Liam McIntosh (second, nipper boys) and Seth and Lila Aszalos (who placed third in the sub-junior boys and third in the sprog girls categories respectively).
Text: Leah Shone | Photograph: Karen Mackridge
