Lesotho Sky Day 3 – Malealea Loop

The third day of Lesotho Sky 2018 was a short and fast-paced day. It suited the XCO riders the best, while old diesel engines huffed and puffed to keep up with the frenetic pace. The route followed existing trails around Roma, but also included some brand-new trails that Darol Howes found exclusively for this year’s race.

The leading group of riders stayed together until the final 3km. The biggest challenge for riders was navigation. Due to the fast-paced nature of the route, riders found it tricky to navigate all the sudden changes in direction. French UCI team Allard Basile and Remy Bourdon of Team Rebloch Power grabbed an opportunity when the South African team made a wrong turn at a crucial stage of the race. They laid down the hammer and took their second win of the week. They are now at the top of the overall standings, but only by one second. Tumelo Makae and Phetetso Monese of Alliance Insurance again took the 3rd place overall, just 30 seconds after Reinhard Zellhuber and Andrew Hill of team Garrun-Tib Insurance.

With three days of riding left, it will be exciting to see how the race unfolds for the UCI teams.

Result summary 

UCI Teams:

1st: Team Rebloch Power – Allard Basile and Remy Bourdon – 1:42:59

2nd: Team Garrun-Tib Insurance – Reinhard Zellhuber and Andrew Hill – 1:42:50

3rd: Team Alliance Insurance – Tumelo Makae and Phetetso Monese – 1:43:20

4th: Team Standard Lesotho Bank – Malefetsane Lesofe and Katleho Manasi – 2:06:34