Final training for local cyclists before Cape Epic
Eight of the Lowveld's top amateur cyclists teamed up and are competing in a prestigious road cycle stage race in the Paarl/Franschhoek Valley, the Tour of Good Hope.
The race started on Monday 6 and finishes on Friday.
Marco Lambrechts, Bennie van der Merwe, Cobus van der Linde, Ben Coetzee, Albé Basson, Anton van Tonder, Darren Stoltz and captain of Team Nelspruit Galito’s, Gerhard Shaw, are riding an average of 120 kilometres per day in the scenic Western Cape Winelands.
The total route of 490 kilometres has a challenging vertical climb of 5 218 metres.
“Most of our team members rode together in the Trans Baviaans race last year, and we then decided that this event could be an opportunity to ride together again. We started with training in October last year, clocking up more than 12 hours per week in the last couple of weeks.
What makes this race interesting is that it’s a clover-leaf racing format. It has a central race-village hub, and the results are all about the time of the fourth team member, not of the first.
“Thus the focus of the race is built around team strategy and teamwork to become victors in the race,” Shaw commented.
According to the team spokesman, Albé Basson, the event is also being used as a final training camp by most of the professional Cape Epic riders.
Team Nelspruit Galito’s are competing in the amateur veteran’s class.
“A huge shout-out and thanks must however go to Andy Louw, Ben Coetzee, and Anton van Tonder, who ensured that team Nelspruit Galito’s is fully kitted for the race,” Shaw concluded.
Basson said that most of team Nelspruit Galito’s members will end their Western Cape visit by joining hundreds of Lowveld cyclists in the annual Cape Town Cycle Tour the following Sunday.
