Team Valencia teen on top at provincial champs
This season Damon Halderman (18) of Valencia truly showed why he deserved 2014's sportsman of the year award when he added yet another title to his record this weekend.
He won the criterium category at the Bestmed Mpumalanga Road Championships and received his award after the event at a prestigious ceremony in Badplaas.
Damon has also won the Dups Mafutseni Cycle Classic, Youth Tour (two of the four categories) and has come first in all the events at the provincial championships. In this weekend’s event he placed first in the u/23 men in the time-trial results in 00:31:14, first in the road race over 84 kilometres in 01:49:30 and obtained a fourth place in the hill-climb category in 00:16:42. Damon is also part of the team to represent Mpumalanga during the South African road, time-trial and paracycling championships held in Mbombela early February.
Dalene van der Leek of Sasol Women’s racing team also gave a stellar performance claiming three gold medals in the elite ladies in the time trial, road race and hill climb.
She came fourth in the elite ladies in the TRACN4 last year and she won the MTN Panorama with teammate, Yolandi du Toit as well as the Lowveld Quest with Vanessa Bell.
This 30-year-old also came second in the Rainbow Challenge and second in the Clover Challenge. She qualified for the South African Championships for the first time last year and was the category winner for sub-veteran ladies.
It was with pride that she was awarded 2014’s sportswoman of the year.
