The Soutpansberg was well represented at the fourth annual Westvaal Isuzu Three Towers mountain bike stage race which took place at Mankele Cycle Park in Mpumalanga from 5 to 7 October.

Four two-men teams from Makhado (Louis Trichardt) took part in this gruelling event, where cyclists could either compete in the Stage Race with distances of 75km (day 1), 78km (day 2) and 55km (day 3) or the Challenge Race with distances of 55km (day 1), 55km (day 2) and 55km (day 3). All riders rode the same course on the final day, with 200 teams taking part over the three-day period.

The only local cyclists to compete in the stage race were Stanley Thompson and team mate Marius Smit. Smit was, however, unable to ride the final 55km stage on day three, with Thompson completing the event alone just for fun.

The three other local teams all competed in the challenge race. Not only did they compete, they also did exceptionally well, with CP van Wyk and team mate PJ Luus (Witrivier) finishing third overall in a combined time of 06:26:45. Christiaan Roos and Shaun Constable rode the three-day course in a combined time of 07:37:55 to finish eighth overall, with Ayerton du Randt and Hardus Joubert finishing 14th overall in a time of 08:34:46.