A learning day for ProTouch in Portugal

On Friday, July 16 ProTouch Continental Cycling – South Africa, based in Honeydew competed in the first stage of the 44th Troféu Joaquim Agostinho in Portugal.

The number-one placed team in Africa included riders Kent Main, Rohan du Plooy, Gustav Basson, Calvin Beneke, Tiano da Silva, Callum Ormiston, Mitchell Eliot and Andries Nigrini.

The first stage was fast, nervous and as stressful for the riders as the short 85km race, which meant that the race was not going to be an easy one and the team’s job was to keep Main in the front and out of danger, allowing him to spend less energy fighting for wheels.

Beneke, Du Plooy and Da Silva did a top job and spent plenty of time towards the front of the bunch, looking after their team leader.

Basson had a good day in the front of the race attacking early and staying clear until the final 5km, and achieved two second places and one third place in the intermediate points classification.

Kent pushed and worked hard to finish in tenth place up the steep finishing climb of stage 1.

Stage 2 proved to be a learning day for the home team as they started in tenth place GC, and second in the Intermediate Sprint Competition.

The 166km stage provided a number of opportunities to seize this jersey and move up on GC, but it was not meant to be.

The race was on full throttle from the gun and Main, Ormiston and Da Silva were well placed in the first 1/3 of the peloton.

Da Silva did a good job protecting the leader, and even after a small crash he soldiered on to finish the race in good spirits.

An early puncture for Du Plooy and Basson 12km into the race did not help matters for the back group as the seven-man breakaway and the chasing peloton were not to be seen again.

Main suffered a puncture at the top of the climb on the second loop, and Ormiston swapped wheels, while he waited for the team car to crest the climb.