Hoffman has a point to prove in Satellite Classic
The two defending champions in the Bestmed Satellite Classic bike race near Pretoria are ready to make a good start in the new cycling season.
Nolan Hoffman says he is always motivated to prove others wrong and that will be his goal when he defends his title in the Bestmed Satellite Classic cycling road race near Pretoria on Saturday.
The 110km feature event at Hartbeespoort Dam in North West Province will see cyclists from around the country testing their fitness on a challenging route which includes the infamous Hekpoort climb towards the end of the race.
Renowned as a sprinter, the 33-year-old BCX rider showed he could handle a race such as the Satellite Classic by surging first across the finish line last year.
“At this stage of my career I always have a lot of motivation for these sorts of races. I’m not necessarily the favourite on the bookies’ list, but I like to prove people wrong. That gives me motivation to do well again and this is a big race in our programme,” said the Cape Town Cycle Tour champion earlier this week.
According to Hoffman the Satellite Classic has a hard route and provides a very good indication of where cyclists are at this stage of the season. If a cyclist can get a good result in this race, it’s confirmation that he has done the hard work and are on track for this period of the road-racing season.
Hoffman recently won the Tour de Windhoek and although he said that was something of a surprise, he added he always liked to be in good shape at the start of October.
“I will be aiming to push hard in the Satellite to see where I am. A win would be good for the confidence and that is a key element for sprinters,” he said.
He felt an outfit such as ProTouch, including Reynard Butler, Jayde Julius and Gustav Basson, would provide serious competition and added that Officeguru, led by Dylan Girdlestone, could also feature prominently.
Carla Oberholzer, riding for Demacon Ladies Team, will also be defending her title and said she was quite nervous after a cold winter in Clarens in the Free State.
“I haven’t been racing for a while but this is an important event for us because it is a good indicator of your form,” said the SA road champion.
She felt that the 4km Hekpoort climb would always be a major factor in the final outcome of the Satellite Classic.
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