A brilliant third place for the young, upcoming cycling sensation, Danielle Strydom, in her first SA u. 23 category race at the SA Road Cycling Championships has proven that she has the talent and willpower to make it to the top.
The Potchefstroomer, who made the step-up from junior level to the challenging u. 23 category in less than a year, shone for Team Bestmed as she took bronze in a nailbiting finish. She beat her North West teammates, Nicolene Marais and Kristen Louw for the final podium position with a time of 4:01:04, just one second ahead of Marais.

‘My race started off pretty slowly but it was actually good for me as I had a lot of nerves. The butterflies felt like aeroplanes during the countdown for the starting gun to go off.

‘After the first big climb, I went out guns blazing, legs burning and lungs on fire. I think my lungs are still on the road there somewhere,’ she joked.

‘Being a mountain biker, I was still very uncertain but eager to bridge the gap in the race. To my surprise, I also had to ride alone for a while, which was a big learning curve. There is such a humongous gap between junior and u. 23 level,’ she explained.
It made things even more difficult when the wind started howling and took its toll on the riders.

‘I was relieved when the rest of my team joined up with me and we could ride together as a team; it made the ride much easier.’

With two kilometres to go, Strydom and her Bestmed teammates knew they were heading for a pulsating sprint finish.

‘With 300 metres to go, there was a sharp left turn followed by a downhill finish and I knew if I took the lead at the left turn, I would most likely take the third place. Just before the crescent of the hill I attacked and, from there on, I remember my legs screaming and I couldn’t hear the crowd under my heavy breathing. I was extremely happy when I crossed the finish line in third.’
According to Strydom, finishing on the podium was ’absolutely mind-blowing and unexpected’ – her hard work and dedication had paid off.

‘I don’t know what was better, the slush puppy afterwards or getting my medal. I think my parents’ faces and everyone telling me how proud they were, made it worthwhile.’