Sonya Looney 4th at Joberg 2C

This year marked the 7th edition of South Africa's longest point to point stage race, the Joberg2c. Spanning the beautiful countryside from Johannesburg to the ocean front finish in Scottsburgh, riders experienced a challenging but rewarding course.

Joberg2c is a conglomeration of two shorter, yet ever popular events in South Africa, the Berg & Bush and the Sani2c. The respective promoters decided to mash them together, add 3 days, and create the Joberg2c. This 900km race crosses private land that is only open to the event by way of farmland and game reserves. The event also serves as a major fundraiser for local organizations and schools along the route.  Each day, the race finish would be lined with dozens of affectionate school children who benefited with new libraries, buildings, and resources.  The course boasted 9 days racing and participants from 31 countries.  This year was the most competitive mixed category the race has ever seen. 

Longtime friends and stage race veterans, Sonya Looney and Yuki Ikeda teamed up for the first time to take on the event.  "I was excited to race with Yuki and also go to South Africa for the first time! We have spent so much time together traveling around the world, I knew it was guaranteed to be fun.  However, racing mixed is the hardest format, particularly when you are the weaker rider.  I was at and beyond my limit every single day.  We learned a lot about racing tactics during the event as well and admittedly made some costly mistakes the first couple days of the race. The first 4 days were definitely more of a dirt road race format and the minutes we lost added up.  I'll have to write an article about all the things I learned about how to race the mixed category!  Still, we did not give up for a second and battled for the last podium spot each day taking 3rd in 3 of 8 timed stages.  The first stage was neutral and a great chance to meet other riders.”

Joberg2c was also a self-navigated course which added another element of challenge, especially for foreign riders.  "It's tough to be going full gas but also trying to keep an eye on your GPS without taking some wrong turns!" said Sonya.

Next up for Looney is a block of Enduro, XC, and stage racing in British Columbia for the summer.  "I hit it hard the first part of the year stage racing and training on 4 different continents.  I'm ready to be home for awhile and ride the best singletrack in the world!"