Cycling buddies take on Maluti Double-90 race
Jannie deserves a special mention for showing the youngsters that there is still plenty of life in the old dog and admirably led his team to the end in five and half hours.
THE Maluti Double-90, which is a men, women and mixed team time trial with a distance of 180 km, took place in Clarens, Free State on Saturday, 13 and Sunday, 14 April.
Entries were limited to 120 teams and Jannie Els, the road captain for Amanzimtoti Cycle Club, managed to put a team of 12 together, calling themselves ‘Build It Buddies’.
Teams started with 30-second intervals and had up to nine hours to complete the event. Build It Buddies covered the first 103 kilometres in under three hours with an average of 34 kilometres. Soon after the 103 kilometre mark, riders spilt with the top seven setting the pace to the finish covering the most difficult part of the course.
Jannie deserves a special mention for showing the youngsters that there is still plenty of life in the old dog and admirably led his team to the end in five and half hours.
When asked what he thought about his team’s effort and the time trial, Jannie said: “Given both the distance and the undulating terrain, this is not a race for novice cyclists. The last 40 kilometres included some steep and tough hills, so I made sure we put in enough training. Because we had enough miles in our legs, the guys loved it. The team time trial format puts a different spin on things, and it gives us amateur cyclists the unique experience of racing as a team. With the time of the sixth rider across the finish line taken as the official team time, it does make race-day strategy a key factor.”
Build It Buddies came 38th overall out of 114 teams.
Team members who completed the time trial in 5:32:45, averaging 32.46 kilometres per hour were:
Jannie Els, Wayne Tarr, Dylan Chapman, Dillon Holm, Willie Tesnaar, Gerrit van der Westhuizen.
Having competed in the Iron Man the previous week, Wesley Littleton finished in a commendable time of 5:54:53, averaging a speed of 30.43 kilometres per hour.
The rest of the team who completed the time trial in 6:01:35, averaging 29.87 kilometres per hour were:
Gregg Felgate, Gavin Harvey, Ron Waldburger, Pierre le Roux, Marius Janse van Rensburg.
Not to be put off by the previous week’s muddy and mountainous event in Clarens, Neil and Rene Tupper, Nicky Tischendorf and John Coulson drove to Midlands to try out their Route Six Two Trails which was another two-day stage race consisting of a 60 kilometre and 50 kilometre distance. Day one was called Mount to Mount as they were taken up the beautiful but tough Mount West and Mount Gilboa. The single track through the abundance of forestry was like no other. Day two took them through some long and challenging bush tracks which lead them to the mesmerising Zulu Falls. The Falls was a watering point so the riders could soak up the view before they were taken around Craigie Burn Dam and climb back to the finish.
Amanzimtoti Cycling Club arranges rides every Sunday afternoon for those who are true beginners to the sport and help them around the track the club has built at Hutchison Park. Sunday, 14 April the group thought they were ready to venture further afield and so Tony Rahme, the mountain bike captain of the club, organised a ride out in Baynesfield. They were greeted by crisp, cool air but it soon warmed up as the novices showed how much they have improved. The group of 15 split up into two and met later for an enjoyable braai afterwards. It may have been the first time for some, but judging from the comments that were heard, this won’t be their last.
Both road and mountain bike members ride during the week and weekends, in and around Toti. It is so much safer to ride in a group. On Thursdays, from 4.30pm to 6pm and Sundays from 3.30pm to 4.30pm, Mambas have booked the track at the Sports Centre for the cyclists to ride it, and now that the club has its own club house, refreshments are served afterwards. Anyone is welcome to ride the track to improve their skills. For more information about the cycling club, visit their website www.amanzimtoticycle.co.za or contact the club’s chairman, Barry Walker on 083-459-8253.
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