Race Report: Amashova Durban Classic

Our team was in Durban a couple of weeks ago for the Engen Dynamic Cycle Challenge.  I really enjoy the racing on the East Coast and was looking forward to another race in the area.

The race started in rainy conditions that only started clearing up a bit at the halfway mark.  With most of the professional ladies having raced in Europe these were familiar racing conditions.  We knew that it was going to be a hard day on the bike with all the National Team riders being back from the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.  At the start it was nice to see all the teams represented.  Team Nashua Toyota lined up with seven riders and they were definitely going to be the team to watch.  Both Team MTN Qhubeka and Team USN had four riders each on the start line.  These were the teams in the mix together with a couple of riders from Team FJR.  From the start of the race the pace was on.  Joanna Van De Winkel (Team Nashua Toyota) made the first move up the drag to Fox Hill.  I was expecting Ashleigh Moolman (Team Nashua Toyota) to go for the QOM having won a couple of QOM jerseys in Europe this past season but it was her teammate Anriette Schoeman who went for it.  We realized that they were saving her for a big move later on in the race.  At the top of the climb I managed to outsprint Anriette and Karien van Jaarsveld (Team USN) for the QOM.  Shortly after the QOM I attacked and was followed by Marissa van der Merwe (Team USN) and Joanna.  The three of us stayed away for about 10km after which we were caught by a thinned out bunch.  Cherise Taylor (Team USN) and Charlotte van der Merwe (Team MTN Qhubeka) had a minor crash.  Charlotte managed to get back into the bunch quickly.  We waited for Cherise for about 8km but she never made it over.  This wait was just enough for the cold to set in and I found it difficult to get my legs going again after that.  Team Nashua Toyota was using their younger riders to make the early attacks.  With Team USN out of the race at this point it was up to us to cover every move.  After several attacks by Team Nashua Toyota, Leadri du Toit (Team Nashua Toyota) and Charlotte van der Merwe got a gap on the bunch.  Soon a series of attacks and counterattacks by both Joanna and Ashleigh followed.  Leandri manage to take the second QOM from Charlotte.  Lynette Burger (Team Nashua Toyota) used her excellent descending skills to help her teammates Ashleigh and Joanne down the hill at a blistering pace.  I just managed to stay with them and the four of us got a gap on the rest of the bunch.  As soon as we hit the next hill Lynette dropped from the group and we caught the break with Leandri and Charlotte.  Ashleigh attacked up the hill and with my legs being temporarily out of order I could not respond immediately.  Joanna tried to counter and get across to her teammate but I managed to stay on her wheel.  We had a good gap on the rest of the field and I decided to keep going to ensure a podium finish for our team.  With a teammate out in front Joanna was just sitting on my wheel for the last 40km of the race.  When we got to the finishing stretch it was Joanna who made the first move with just less than 400m to go.  She kicked hard initially and I had to fight to get onto her wheel.  I was able to move up next to her but she just got the better of me on the finish line.

Racing at the East Coast is always a treat and this race yet again did not disappoint.

Race Report: Engen Dynamic Cycle Challenge

This weekend was yet another good one for the Team MTN Qhubeka Ladies making it three wins in a row for our team.

We headed to Durban for the Engen Dynamic Cycle Challenge.  As team we have been racing really well since returning from some European racing a few months ago and we were excited to continue our good performances of the past few weeks. 

This has been the first time that many of us had raced this race but we were quietly confident in our ability as a team to do well.  In my opinion this route is the best on the South African calendar with its perfect mix of longer climbs, power climbs, wide open flat roads and a bit of wind.  I think we all really enjoyed this race.

Our plan was to get a couple of our non-climbers up the road before the big climb that started at around the 10km mark.  We were then hoping to get at least one of our climbers over to the leading group on the climb. 

Early in the race we started to put pressure on the other riders by launching a few attacks.  An-Li Pretorius put in a good hard effort on the bottom of the climb with Cherise Taylor, Team USN, closely behind.  An-Li almost took a wrong turn and lost a bit of momentum as a result.  At that time Cherise had a little bit of a gap on the field.  I jumped across to her.  Knowing that I could probably not outsprint Cherise I sat on her wheel for about 1km before attacking her.  I did not expect to be able to get away but racing my strengths I was hoping to put her under some pressure up the climb at least.  When I looked back I actually had a good gap and I just kept going.  With almost 90km still left in the race I knew it was going to be a long day.  Knowing that I had four teammates behind me that could step up at any time if something were to go wrong gave me all the confidence I needed to put in a 120% effort up front. 

I finished the 97km race in a time of 2:51:32.  From what I hear my teammates raced the perfect race behind me with Jeaun-Mari Breytenbach taking the bunch sprint and finishing 2^nd in a time of 2:56:53, An-Li Pretorius 3^rd and Charlotte van der Merwe 5^th.  Cherise Taylor finished the race in 4^th place.

On days like this I really cannot go without my SRM powermeter.  Having a way of pacing your effort over 90km really makes the job at hand just that much easier.  With the help of our team coach, Dr Carol Austin, we have made significant improvements as a team and as individuals in such a short time.  It gives me great confidence knowing that I follow the best possible training program.  We get better and better with every race we do and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for us.

Watch our team grow:

October

Engen Dynamic Cycle Challenge – 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd

September

Rand Water Race for Victory – 1^st and 2^nd

MTN Zoo Lake Criterium – 1^st and 2^nd

D2D Cycle Race – 2^nd and 3^rd

August

Randfontein EPR Cycle Challenge – 3^rd

Clover Lowveld Cycle Tour – 1^st

July

Bio-Anabolic Jock Cycle Classique – 1^st and 2^nd