We pitched up at the Harties challenge with half a team that was represented by Werner Moolman, Gwyn Pine and me. It was a rather small field when we lined up in the start pins for the start with no other recognised teams present. There were a couple of familiar individual riders though.
At 6h40 the gun sounded and we were off. I was sitting on the front of the bunch at an easy pace until a Cycle lab rider rolled through and I was just sitting second wheel or staying near the front. Going through Magaliesburg on the R24 Werner went to the front and made the pace hard, we hit some traffic there that interfered with our race a bit. Luckily we were close to the front when we hit the hill going passed Magalies. I rolled to the front and just kept going, nobody was sitting my wheel, I was in a solo break!
We turned left heading to the R563, looking over my shoulder I could see two riders crossing the gap and I was happy to see the red booties on one of those two riders, it was Werner! When they caught me the three of us started rolling through, working nicely together. The third rider with us in the break was Carl Lotter from North Cliff cycles.
The route took us on the R512 near Hartebeespoort dam and then to the R560 heading back to the Bekker School where we started. We worked together until about 20km from the finish when Werner told me just to hang back and not roll through. When he got a chance he told me to attack on the next kick and about 3km later I did, riding solo again. Werner’s plan was to get a gap on Carl and bridge to me so that we can roll to the finish. I looked back every now and again but they were still together every time I looked. Eventually I started taking strain, got in a zone and just put my head down and pedalled. Later I learned that it was in this time when I did not look back when Werner got a gap on Carl, but I did not notice it.
Carl caught Werner and Werner decided to just sit his wheel as Carl was in a bit of a predicament. If he did not catch me, I would win the race. If he did, Werner would attack and that is how it played out at the 10km mark. We got to a bit of a kick and my legs told me that is enough. As Werner attacked Carl and went passed me he told me to stay on Carl’s wheel and so I did.
For the last 10km Carl pulled me to the finish, Werner had the win in the bag. As we went around the last corner of the race and I could see the finish line I attacked Carl with the last bit of energy that was left in my legs. I was expecting him to be on my wheel, but when I looked back, he wasn’t, I had a 10 second gap and rolled over the finish line in 2nd place.
Lionel Scholtz and Gwyn rolled over the finish line ahead of the bunch in 4th and 5th place.
Well done to Myles Musschenbroek from the Mr Price junior team who won the Junior Category
It was a good day at the office for the Mr Price KZN.
Emile Fouche
30 September 2010
09 September 2010
Dome to Dome 2010 (or should it be Silverstar to Silverstar)
As the Margate cycle challenge was cancelled we decided to do the Dome to Dome Cycling challenge on the 5th of September, which for 2010 started at a different venue namely Silverstar Casino. The Mr Price team was represented by Werner Moolman, Iven Scharein, Gwyn Pine, Norvyn Pitout and me.
The first couple of 100 meters out of Silverstar Casino and turning right onto the N14 was a neutral zone. On the N14 the bunch stayed together and as I followed Norvyn to the front of the bunch we had to make a turn left and then right and then left again to end up in Drift Boulevard. I think this caused the main bunch to stretch a bit or even split as the front guys put the hammer down, luckily we were close to the front and could just follow wheels. From here a couple of attacks happened but nothing that got away from the bunch. Werner got into a break and we just stayed in the bunch following any wheel that would try to cross over. I was sitting second wheel in the bunch for a long time not rolling to the front when indicated to do so as it was not up to us to chase. We turned left into Muldersdrift road and then when we reached the T-junction we turned left into Kromdraai road.
There were a couple of attacks in the bunch every now and then as guys tried to cross over to the break but we covered them all. As we were heading for Sterkfontein Caves Road I found myself in a small group that had a gap on the bunch and decided to roll through as I thought that if I can get to Werner we can help to get a bigger time gap on the main bunch. We closed in on the break, but the bunch closed in on us as well so everything got together as we turned right into Sterkfontein Caves Road. I went to the front there working thinking we still had a gap on the bunch but when I realised everything was still together I decided to drop back to save some energy.
Another couple of attacks happened and Werner and Gwyn managed to get away with a small group. I lost the plot a bit and rolled too far to the back of the bunch to recover. I tried to at least stay close to Iven and Norvyn who was ahead of me in the bunch. Norvyn had a mechanical and had to drop from the bunch to fix it. We turned right onto the R563. I did not realise that the break was wheeled in until I saw Werner sitting up in front of the bunch and I knew he was looking for us. I rolled to the front, knowing that I was riding like a plonker and got some well deserved verbal abuse from Werner telling me we should stay near the front of the bunch as we cannot afford to lose it if a move goes. Werner’s words were hardly cold when a move happened and I found myself in a break with three other guys. Four teams were represented in that break, me for Mr Price, TCS, Cyclelab and a rider from Northcliff cycles. We all worked nicely together and managed to get a 1 minute 10 second gap on the main bunch. Werner mentioned later that Paul van den Heuvel (Cyclelab) said that that was the winning break. The MTN team realised it as well and they all went to the front of the bunch chasing as if they were possessed. We got time gaps from the race commissar and every time we got a new time gap we knew the gap was getting smaller and smaller. On 35 seconds the Northcliff Cycles rider decided it was time to drop back to the bunch, there were three of us left now. We tried pushing harder, I could feel I was starting to take strain (Definitely not the same form I had at the Engen DCC in Durban two weeks ago). We kept rolling through. Eventually I looked back and could see the yellow army in the bunch hunting us down. I still tried to stay in the break a bit but thought that we would be swallowed up by the bunch at anytime and decided to drop back when there was about a 10 second gap. When the bunch caught me Werner asked me if I was okay, a nod was all I could get out. There was a bit less than 20 km left.
At the start of the hill that indicated we were near the finish my legs decided they had enough and I just could not push hard enough to stay with the front guys anymore. There were small groups of riders on their way to the finish now. I went passed some of the MTN guys that chased our break down, after the race I found out they all popped at the bottom of the hill as well, the chase was expensive for them. I caught up with Iven and we cycled to the finish with a small group of other riders.
Meanwhile both Gwyn and Werner were still in the front of the race. Gwyn had some bad luck and was sent in the wrong direction by one of the marshals. Werner was in contention for the sprint now. Unfortunately the sprinters left Werner behind and he finished in 5th position, 1 second behind the winner.
The Results for the VA bunch were as follows:
1. Richard Burnham 2:19:15
2. Willem Bezuidenhout 2:19:15
3. Rowan Tyler (Fego Cafe) 2:19:15
4. Craig Harvey (Bulk Pack Meat) 2:19:16
5. Werner Moolman (Mr Price) 2:19:16
Emile Fouche
The first couple of 100 meters out of Silverstar Casino and turning right onto the N14 was a neutral zone. On the N14 the bunch stayed together and as I followed Norvyn to the front of the bunch we had to make a turn left and then right and then left again to end up in Drift Boulevard. I think this caused the main bunch to stretch a bit or even split as the front guys put the hammer down, luckily we were close to the front and could just follow wheels. From here a couple of attacks happened but nothing that got away from the bunch. Werner got into a break and we just stayed in the bunch following any wheel that would try to cross over. I was sitting second wheel in the bunch for a long time not rolling to the front when indicated to do so as it was not up to us to chase. We turned left into Muldersdrift road and then when we reached the T-junction we turned left into Kromdraai road.
There were a couple of attacks in the bunch every now and then as guys tried to cross over to the break but we covered them all. As we were heading for Sterkfontein Caves Road I found myself in a small group that had a gap on the bunch and decided to roll through as I thought that if I can get to Werner we can help to get a bigger time gap on the main bunch. We closed in on the break, but the bunch closed in on us as well so everything got together as we turned right into Sterkfontein Caves Road. I went to the front there working thinking we still had a gap on the bunch but when I realised everything was still together I decided to drop back to save some energy.
Another couple of attacks happened and Werner and Gwyn managed to get away with a small group. I lost the plot a bit and rolled too far to the back of the bunch to recover. I tried to at least stay close to Iven and Norvyn who was ahead of me in the bunch. Norvyn had a mechanical and had to drop from the bunch to fix it. We turned right onto the R563. I did not realise that the break was wheeled in until I saw Werner sitting up in front of the bunch and I knew he was looking for us. I rolled to the front, knowing that I was riding like a plonker and got some well deserved verbal abuse from Werner telling me we should stay near the front of the bunch as we cannot afford to lose it if a move goes. Werner’s words were hardly cold when a move happened and I found myself in a break with three other guys. Four teams were represented in that break, me for Mr Price, TCS, Cyclelab and a rider from Northcliff cycles. We all worked nicely together and managed to get a 1 minute 10 second gap on the main bunch. Werner mentioned later that Paul van den Heuvel (Cyclelab) said that that was the winning break. The MTN team realised it as well and they all went to the front of the bunch chasing as if they were possessed. We got time gaps from the race commissar and every time we got a new time gap we knew the gap was getting smaller and smaller. On 35 seconds the Northcliff Cycles rider decided it was time to drop back to the bunch, there were three of us left now. We tried pushing harder, I could feel I was starting to take strain (Definitely not the same form I had at the Engen DCC in Durban two weeks ago). We kept rolling through. Eventually I looked back and could see the yellow army in the bunch hunting us down. I still tried to stay in the break a bit but thought that we would be swallowed up by the bunch at anytime and decided to drop back when there was about a 10 second gap. When the bunch caught me Werner asked me if I was okay, a nod was all I could get out. There was a bit less than 20 km left.
At the start of the hill that indicated we were near the finish my legs decided they had enough and I just could not push hard enough to stay with the front guys anymore. There were small groups of riders on their way to the finish now. I went passed some of the MTN guys that chased our break down, after the race I found out they all popped at the bottom of the hill as well, the chase was expensive for them. I caught up with Iven and we cycled to the finish with a small group of other riders.
Meanwhile both Gwyn and Werner were still in the front of the race. Gwyn had some bad luck and was sent in the wrong direction by one of the marshals. Werner was in contention for the sprint now. Unfortunately the sprinters left Werner behind and he finished in 5th position, 1 second behind the winner.
The Results for the VA bunch were as follows:
1. Richard Burnham 2:19:15
2. Willem Bezuidenhout 2:19:15
3. Rowan Tyler (Fego Cafe) 2:19:15
4. Craig Harvey (Bulk Pack Meat) 2:19:16
5. Werner Moolman (Mr Price) 2:19:16
Emile Fouche
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