Their partnership was broken by illness and they couldn’t defend their Masters’ title at the 2011 ABSA Cape Epic, but Cycle Lab Toyota’s Andrew McLean and Shan Wilson bounced back in a big way with a dominant performance at the 2011 Subaru Sani2C at the weekend.

With 2000 participants, Sani2C is the biggest mountain bike stage race in the world, the perfect platform for a reunion of two of the world’s leading 40-years-plus mountain bike racers. Not only did they achieve victory in the Veteran (40-49 year) category, but they also finished an impressive fifth overall in a strong field.

The pair was sixth overall on Stages 1 and 2 and then rounded off the event with an impressive third place on Stage 3. But the confirmation of McLean’s recovery from the debilitating iron deficiency that kept him from being a title contender at the 2011 Cape Epic, was possibly the biggest triumph.

“I went into Sani2C knowing I’d had a fairly good recovery, but wasn’t sure just how well. You only find these things out when you’re racing flat out. But our daily performances, which saw us mixing it up with many of the fastest mountain bike racers in the country, confirmed I’m recovering very well,” smiled McLean.

“Our goal was to win the Veteran category and after Day 1 we were leading that category, but we knew that the tough Day 2 would be the telling stage that would really shape the race. We decided to not try and match the pace of the top Elite teams climbing out of the Umkomaas Valley on Day 2 and to rather ride our own pace. But we didn’t really lose much time to them, which was very encouraging and it cemented our category lead.

“So on Day 3 we decided to try and move up the overall rankings from fifth, to fourth and found ourselves with the leading three Elite teams in the latter part of the race. It was good to get third place on the stage, but there was some luck involved as Kevin Evans and David George, who had broken clear on their own missed a turn, opening things up a bit.

“We didn’t manage to get enough time to move up to fourth overall, but it was good fun trying! The whole event is all about good will and giving back to the local community and even if you have a bad day on the bike, you feel good within.

“For me, the recovery will continue. I rode the Cape Epic and didn’t race it, which is quite important. Racing the Epic breaks you down while riding it builds you up. The cause of the iron deficiency is still unknown, but at least it’s turned around and the supplementation is working. To be able to race hard again with Shan, mentally the toughest guy I know, and race well at a fantastic event, is very satisfying.”