Ballito’s Madison Bateson defends junior national road racing title
The promising cyclist powered to gold in her favoured event in Oudtshoorn.
Ballito’s Madison Bateson successfully defended her South African Youth Road Cycling Championship title after a commanding performance in the Western Cape last week.
The event, hosted by Eden Cycling in Oudtshoorn from October 6-9, featured criterium races, individual time trials (ITT) and road races across all youth categories.
Bateson (15), who won both the criterium and road race titles at the same venue last year, faced stiffer competition and a more demanding course this time around. Despite finishing fourth in the criterium and third in the ITT, her victory in the 80km road race was enough to secure a second consecutive national title.
“The course was a lot more challenging than last year, but I felt like it suited me. There was a lot more climbing and an extra 40km,” said Bateson.
“It means a lot to retain my title after a tough year and to claim my last youth jersey before moving up to juniors next year.”
The championship began on Tuesday with a 20-minute-plus-one-lap criterium, where Bateson was boxed in during the final sprint, narrowly missing the podium in fourth place.
On Wednesday, she tackled the 20km ITT – a discipline she had not specifically trained for – using only clip-on bars on her road bike. Despite the disadvantage, she powered through to finish third.
Thursday’s 80km road race proved decisive. A breakaway of five riders formed after the first 20km, but as the pace intensified, only three remained in contention for gold.
“The first 20km were very negative, so another girl and I told the group to start rolling,” said Bateson.
“That is when riders started dropping off and we were left with five.”
With just 1km to go, a rival launched an early sprint. Bateson bided her time before making her move.
“The sprint started from 1km out and with about 100m left to the finish, I managed to get around and win,” she said.
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here, or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here, or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.
