Hoffman wins Engen Cycle Challenge
Stamina was tested at the Engen Cycle Challenge which took place in Durban.
TEAM Abantu’s Nolan Hoffman sprinted clear of the bunch to win the Engen Cycle Challenge in Durban on a cool and calm Sunday morning, 8 September.
The elite riders set out from the Cyril Geoghegan Cycle Track with the Moses Mabhida arch as a dramatic backdrop on a perfect morning for cycling. On a fast and fairly flat route the cool conditions were welcomed as riders headed northwards towards the Umgeni River and on to Zimbali before turning back to the Cycle Track.
With much of the elite race taking place in the morning shade on Durban’s M4, riders could afford to push themselves to the limit. An early break came from Dylon Girdlestone (Team Westvaal-BMC) and Viehann du Plessis (Team ASG) around the 15km mark.
“Their break did start to worry me at one stage,” said eventual winner Hoffman, “they were over a minute in front of the bunch, but my team worked well to get us back in contention.”
The route, a reasonably straightforward out and back affair, was without any major climbs. Instead, riders were faced with fast stretches of road and rolling hills as they flew along Durban’s north coast. On some stretches, as Girldestone and Du Plessis looked to extend the gap between them and the chasing bunch, riders were reaching speeds in excess of 75km/h.
The two rode together, barring a slight misstep from Girdlestone when he zipped straight through a traffic circle instead of turning around it, for about 50km when the bunch eventually reeled them in at the 65km mark.
“The conditions were favourable and it was really fast out there,” said Hoffman. “As a sprinter I love that. Dylon is a really strong rider, but once we caught them I knew I was in with a chance.”
Faced with a fast finish the bunch bolted back towards the Cycle Track with riders jockeying for position in the front. A tight right turn followed by a tight left onto the home stretch allowed for an exciting finish, with Hoffman eventually taking the honours in two hours flat.
“The finish is almost all downhill so the last few kilometres were really quick,” said Hoffman, “and with corners going into the last kilometre it can also be tricky. But I was in a good position going into the turns and was able to hit the final sprint perfectly. Tyler Day went with about 300m to go and that was just my carrot to chase.”
With the sun beating down and the temperature starting to rise in Durban, the bulk of the 1300 field was able to enjoy a smooth ride to end off at the Engen Cycling village which provided cyclists, supporters and family a host of activities including an Engen Safe Cycling demonstration, food stalls, complimentary massages and a number of amazing spot prizes.
The ECC series now travels to Pretoria where the next leg of the event will take place at Tyger Valley College on 6 October 2013.
RESULTS:
Individual results – Elite men
1 – Nolan Hoffman (Team Abantu)
2 – Christoff van Heerden (Team Bonitas)
3 – Clint Hendricks (Team Bonitas)
Individual results – Women
1 – Lynette Burger (Toyota Momentum)
2 – Linda van den Biggerlaar (Bestmed ASG) and winner vet category
3 – Heidi Delton (Toyota Momentum) and winner junior category
Veteran
1 – Deno van Heerden
2 – Michael Viljoen
3 – Gary Doyle
Leading teams after round 1
1 – Team Bonitas – 15 Points
2 – WWC Africa MTN Qhubeka Feeder Team – 20 points
