In 2019, Bets Koegelenberg, then defending national time trial and road race cycling champion in her age group, broke her pelvis in a fall while training for 2020 nationals.

She underwent surgery and rehabilitation and on Saturday regained both titles she won in 2019.

The Lowveld boasts with not one, but two, double South African road cycling champions, Koegelenberg and Shirley Emmerick.

Callum Ormiston, another Lowvelder, was third in the time trail and won the u/23 national road race championship.

The South African National Road and Time Trial (TT) Championships were held in and around Graskop from last Thursday to Sunday.

Koegelenberg (63) won the master women (60+) time trial last Thursday.

She has been living in Mbombela since 2013.

“While on training ride on November 24, 2019 for 2020 SA champs, I hit a pothole on the Sudwala Road and broke my pelvis in two places. Dr Adam Schoeman, the best and my hero, operated on me, and during 2020 lockdown I started riding slowly on a power trainer and later on Zwift virtual training.

“Two weeks ago I competed in my first road race since my accident and won the Mpumalanga road and TT women masters here in Mbombela and also rode the Jock Cycle Race of 112km the next day,” she told Lowvelder.

She completed the 15-kilometre time trial in 26 minutes and 37 seconds, just 26 seconds faster than second-placed Lynette Fischer.

An unusual tactic, dictated by the road conditions, gave her the edge over Fischer.

“The start time draw perhaps favoured me as it is was better to chase than to be chased. The time trial is called the ‘race of truth’ and as it is only you and your bike; you and you alone get yourself to the finish line,” she said.

“My coach and I decided not to use my TT bike because of the terrain. We went and rode the course. Lynette used a TT bike and my decision not to use mine worked for me.

“I started the race well, knowing that what I would lose on the first half of the ride without a TT bike. I could make up in the second half from about 8km where some serious climbing started with the incline up to a maximum of 9% gradient.

“As I regard myself a better climber than a descender and believed that I definitely would make up some time on the last half, I rode the first half to plan and as I was coming down on a long stretch I saw Lynette climbing. I took a marker where she was and timed myself to that marker, and realised I am not to far off the same time as she was.

“From then on I kept her in my sight and the longer the climbs the closer I came to her, until I knew there was about 45 seconds between us which was enough to give me the win, 26 seconds in the end.”

With the national master women time trial championship title in her saddlebag, Koegelenberg tackled the master women road race on Saturday.

She raced to first place in the 44km race in 01:40;06.75, adding a second national title to her 2022 SA champs haul.

“Although I was the only one in the masters’ road category, l am still very proud of my achievement.

“I started with the women 40-49 and men 70+ age groups, and went all the way with the front group over the God’s Window climb, in front of a number of men in the 70+ age group as well some 40-49 women.

“They were doing three laps of God’s Widow loop and I was doing two laps. I wish I had some competition in my age group,” said Koegelenberg.

Emmerick (56) competed in the master women (55-59) category in the time trials. She came home in 28;21 to claim the national title.

On Saturday she competed in the 65-kilometre road race for master women (55-59). She took the gold medal in 03:00;57.31.

“This was a first for me (winning the nationals). It was such a privilege to be able to compete in a huge event like the SA champs. The supporters were amazing.

“I live in Graskop, which made it even more special for me,” said Emmerick.

Ormiston clocked 47;26 for third place in the 30-kilometre TT on Friday. On Sunday, in the 169km road race, he was in a class of his own. He won the national title in 04:32;03.93. The second-placed u/23 rider, Travis Stedman, only came home three minutes, 11 seconds later.

In the men’s elite SA National Road Race Championship, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, edged out Lowveld road cycling legend Willie Smit by 64/100ths of a second to win.

Janse van Rensburg clocked 04:31;51.07 for the 169-kilometre race.

Johannes Jonker, another local cyclist, finished third in the master men (70-74) race. He covered the 65-kilometres in 02:27;11.09.