Sanders excels at Mpumalanga Road Champs and the Mpumalanga Road Tour.

Samantha Sanders showed excellent form when she dominated the Mpumalanga Road Champs, earning the title of Mpumalanga Road Champion and Time Trial Champion. With only two days’ rest, she embarked on the gruelling 5 stage Mpumalanga Road Tour.

Last weekend, Badplaas was once again host to the Mpumalanga Provincial Road Champs. The weekend comprised an 84km road race on the Saturday morning and a 20km Time Trial in the afternoon. On Sunday there is a 4.9km hill climb and criterium which Sanders decided to skip for an extra day's rest prior to the tour.

Sanders blitzed the road race in a time of 2:38:49 and took the win comfortably with her nearest competition, Anriette Schoeman, finishing in a time of 2:47:29. “I basically just went with the men’s group which eventually split with an attack at the front. From there it was smooth sailing” – Sanders. Taking the bronze medal was local mountain biker, Emily Clarke.

That afternoon, Sanders powered her way to gold medal number 2 in the 20km TT in a time of 00:33:25. “The TT was pretty simple – go as hard as you can until the finish. I was super stoked with my performance on the weekend and it put me in good spirits for the MPU Tour". Coming 2^nd in the Time Trial was Clarke.

On Tuesday the 19^th of January the Grueling 6 day Mpumalanga Road tour began. The 6 days comprised a total of 752km riding an 11514 meters of climbing.

The Mpumalanga women’s team was represented by Samantha Sanders, Yolandi Du Toit, Anriette Schoeman, Dalene Van Der Leek, Ronel Human, and Emily Clarke.

Sanders served as a “domestique” and turned herself inside out each day to save team leader, Du Toit’s energy for the end of the stage.  

Stage 1 of the Mpumalanga Tour for the Elite began with a 97km stage starting in Badplaas and ending just outside Mbombela. Lisa Olivier took the stage win and Du Toit took 2^nd. Namibian National XCO and XCM Champion Michelle Voster finished 3^rd in a sprint with Sanders. Sanders surprised herself pleasantly with her 4^th overall despite working to shelter Du Toit and having the Road Champs in her legs. “After a strong 4^th place on day 1 I knew I had decent form. It was also clear that Yolandi was our GC rider and our tactics became hinged on getting her across the line 1^st” Anriette Schoeman rounded up the top 5.

Stage 2 was a 132km monster with 300m of climbing. It was a round route starting at Mbombela Stadium, making its way into Barberton and ending back just outside Mbombela. Sanders and Du Toit stayed with the break up boulders and finished in 3^rd and 4^th respectively. Olivier took another win with Voster in 2^nd .Racing in the front was extremely tight with only 30 seconds separating the top 4 on this gruelling stage.

Stage 3 from Hazyview to Blyda Canyon was a short 65km made purely for climbers with 2 major ascents up Koweins and Robert’s pass. The toughness of the stage and the toll of previous day’s 132km on riders’ legs showed in a split field with big time gaps and an average speed of only 23km/h. Olivier once again took the stage with Voster in 2^nd, Du Toit 3^rd, Irene Steyn and Vera Adrian both of Namibia came 4^th and 5^th respectively. Sanders took 6^th. “Anriette and I worked hard from Hazyview to the base of Koweins attacking contantly and Yolandi stuck with the split up the climb. The rest of the day was survival” 

 Stage 4 was a flat 78km with only 1 climb to Blyde resort from Graskop through Sabieha ending in White River. Through team work and tacticle riding, Dalene Van Der Leek won the stage in a solo break 1’32”ahead of Voster, Du Toit and Olivier in 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th respectively. Sanders riding solo finished solidly in 5^th only 30 seconds behind the chasing group. “Dalene attacked at about 18km and managed to get clear. Our team controlled the bunch to keep Dalene in the lead. The tactic worked well to give her the win and Yolandi a 3^rd”.

The final stage, 77km, concluded in Graskop from White river. Sanders showed her class and never die attitude and ended the tour on a high when she finished 2^nd in a sprint with Adrian. Schoeman, Voster, and Olivier rounded up the top 5 respectively. “Vera Adrian and I managed a two-man break which we built to 2 minutes. We worked well together but having more experience than me in the art of sprinting… I finished 2^nd. - Sanders

A crash in the middle of last year took Sanders out for the rest of the 2015 season. She has come back with a bang and is looking forward to the 2016 season.

“All in all it was a fantastic experience racing with the girls. As it turns out I just love racing my bike whether its tactical road racing or mountain biking. A massive congrats to Lise Olivier for winning overall and my teammate Yolandi for finishing 3rd. I was pleased to finish 4th overall and to take home the best MPU rider Jersey everyday. All Thanks to our manager and my Coach Bosseau and the people that make racing a reality for me; Valencia.” - Sanders