Stoltz, Lombardi win XTERRA South Africa

The 2007 XTERRA South Africa Championship marked the return of the Caveman – Conrad Stoltz, who’s pre-ride crash in Lake Tahoe, Nevada last year left him unable to compete in the XTERRA USA and World Championships.  XTERRA President Janet Clark was in Grabouw to see his triumphant return first-hand…

No doubt...Conrad is fit, healthy and more than ready to rock and roll.  I've never seen him so relaxed and happy, and it’s clear that being home in the off-season has been good for him.  Stoltz was 5th or so out of the swim, but blazed on the bike and came into transition 9.5 minutes ahead of his closest competitor and just kept on increasing the gap.  It’s his fourth straight win at the XTERRA South Africa Championship.

Fellow countryman Dan Hugo, who is being pegged as the next Conrad, turned in a gem of a race himself to finish in second.  Hugo will join the XTERRA U.S. Pro Series in Temecula, Richmond and Alabama.

In the women’s race Michelle Lombardi (South Africa) continues to impress, and won her second straight SA title in convincing fashion with a six-minute margin of victory.

It was a gorgeous day in Grabouw, Western Cape, with sunny conditions and a bright blue sky.  Early in the morning when it was still dark and cold there were fires lit to keep everyone warm and people huddled around them.  The chill went away with the sun and the day ended up being a perfect 10.

At the awards dinner "The Road to Grabouw" - video highlights of this year's series XTERRA South Africa series was shown along with video highlights of the race.

Men’s Top 3

1. Conrad Stoltz (South Africa) 2:44:27
2. Dan Hugo (South Africa) 2:55:03
3. Kent Horner (South Africa) 2:56:53

Women’s Top 3

1. Michelle Lombardi (South Africa) 3:19:29
2. Hanlie Booyens (South Africa) 3:25:32
3. Ezter Erdyl (Hungary) 3:27:52 

For complete results visit http://www.xterrasa.com

Next stop on the XTERRA Global Tour:

May 20 - XTERRA West Championship (Temecula, CA)

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