KZN Lassen Series Race 11 - 13 November 2011 - by Andrew Reeves

On the morning of 13th November a bunch of about 60 dedicated roadies lined up for the final race in the 2011 Lassen clothing road race series.The weather was perfect, a little overcast with no rain, comfortable tempratures and only a slight wind. The race was held on the NMR circuit, a 5km flat criterium type circuit. This was a nice change from the hilly Vans circuit where all the previous races in the series had taken place.


Just after 7am the racing got underway, and the bunch was straight into it, as there were points and cash hotspots up for grabs at the end of nearly every one of the planned 20 laps. The attacks were going off the front all the time but with a lot of fresh legs in the bunch they kept being reeled in. The cash hotspot sprints caused major accelerations and the bunch began to split up. A few breaks got small gaps but with the wrong combination of riders they were chased down.


At the halfway mark Deno van Heerden (Fego) attacked and Sean Merredew (Mr Price) followed him, Brett Berrimman (Cycle Lab) then jumped across to them with myself on his wheel. With riders from 3 main teams represented the bunch did not chase seriously and the break was allowed to move clear.


This proved to be the winning break and once the riders settled into a working rythmn a steady gap of about 1min was held over the bunch. Some riders did try to cross over to the break but since Mr Price had 2 riders in the break they wouldn't allow riders to get away and neutralised their attacks. Myles van Musschenbroek did manage to get into the break and then we had 5 riders in the break.


The finish of lap 19 was a cash sprint and Sean asked if I was going for it, I did and got the sprint. Myles then came steaming past me and I jumped onto his wheel and we were away. That last lap was a blur of flatout pacing as we worked hard to stay ahead of the 3 riders behind.


At the finish Myles opened up the sprint and kicked really hard but I just managed to squeak past him and win by a tires width. Sean came 3rd with Deno and Brett finishing off the top 5 places.

All the riders agreed it was a good race on a nice fast circuit and the race was enjoyed by all.


The Mr Price Vets team would like to say a BIG thank you to all the organisers, marshals and officials who worked so hard to make this race series a success. Of course a huge thanks goes to Lassens sportswear and Crusader Logistics for their generous sponsorship of the races.






Andrew Reeves

OFM Classic – 6 November 2011 - by Emile Fouche

On the morning of the 6th of November 2011 we lined up for the start of the 2011 version of the MTN OFM Classic. Our team was represented by Andrew Reeves, Werner Venter, Bryan Cusack and me. The other teams we knew we had to keep an eye on were Cylce Nation, Fego and a very well represented MTN Club 100 Team.

Five minutes behind the Pro’s and Elites our start gun sounded and the VA batch rolled down Nelson Mandela Avenue towards the right hand turn into Markgraaf Street. The attacks started early with us trying to cover as much as we can. The route took us through a bit of a Tour de Suburbs through Pellisier, Fichardt Park and Universitas before we turned right onto the N1 North. Amashova winner, Jeremy Maartins, was ahead in a solo break and we knew we would have to work to get him back. As Jeremy was a MTN rider we had help from Cycle Nation and Fego. An acceleration from the bunch eventually reigned him in but it was not long before another attempt went and we missed it again.

A strong break represented by Cycle Nation, MTN and Fego went of the front and we knew our work for the next lot of kilometres were going to be cut out for us. A couple of the names of the riders in the break were Craig Harvey, Julius Cobbett (both Cycle Nation), Rowan Tyler (Fego) and Jeremy Maatens (MTN). It was up to me, Werner and Bryan to lead the chase. The MTN team were doing a good job at blocking riders from rolling through. The route turned back onto N1 South and Sunning Hill and then left on Andries Pretorius. We were working our butts off. Every now and then some individual riders would make suicidal attempts trying to bridge the gap instead of helping us with the chase. I couldn’t help myself having a word or two with one of these particular riders. It was only once we turned left onto Rudolph Greyling road where the chase got momentum and we also received a lot of help from some individuals and our PE allies, Donovan O’Reilly and Awie Jacobs. On the N8 towards Lesotho we gained a lot of distance on the break and just when we were about to turn left on De la Rey road, Andrew attacked the bunch, crossing over to the break which now split. The break was reigned in but the bunch made a fatal error not continuing with its momentum as Julius and Jeremy was still ahead and gaining distance on the bunch again.

Yet again the chase was on. As we neared the first kick I could feel I was starting to get in trouble. Team mate Bryan Cusack was setting the pace on the hills and probably knowingly getting me dropped. I managed to stay in touch over the hill in Albrecht Street but when we reached the Lucas Steyn climb I just could not keep contact and had to watch the bunch go.

Meanwhile in the bunch Werner and Bryan were working like demons. The break was caught and it was going to end in a sprint finish.

The sprint was on! Unlucky for us Andrew suffered some mechanical issues with his chain as it started skipping and he could not risk standing. James Louter (MTN) won the sprint followed by Craig Harvey (Cycle Nation), Julius Cobbett (Cycle Nation), Dylan Joseph (Fego) and our team mate Andrew Reeves (Mr Price), finishing off the prize money positions. Bryan and Werner finished in the bunch with Bryan getting a top ten position.

This year’s OFM was a challenging route and hopefully the organisers keep it this way for a few years to come. Afterwards we went to prize giving to enjoy the live Afrikaans music and beer drinking vibe.

Well done to the MTN OFM Classic organisers for hosting a great event.

UCI WORLD CYCLING TOUR - Msunduzi Road Challenge - 30 October 2011 - by Mike Viljoen

As the name suggests, this was a very a hugely important race, especially for those wanting to qualify for the world masters champs next year in August. In essence - this was racing at its highest quality – an SA champs type event ! What we were blissfully unaware of was the quality of the course and field.


The day started out slightly overcast but humid as we warmed up for what was going to be a long day in the saddle. The who’s who of cycling arrived and by the time we lined up to start , the sun was out in full force - a sign of things to come . We all knew that the course was hilly but little did we know how hilly. The suspects to keep an eye on: Mtn club 100, Cyclenation, Team Computer Smith, Fego and various other classy individuals .


The first couple of km took us winding through the streets of Pietermaritzburg at a rather moderate pace and then onto the first climb of the day at 7km. This was the first of many tempo climbs of the day. This was where the first move of the day went clear with Sean Merridew(Mr Price) riding casually off the front half way up the climb. Seans move was soon covered by Julius Cobbet of Cycle nation. I suppose with 90% of the race still ahead of us everybody thought that it would not stick and let it go. It was now left to the individuals, Fego and Mtn to do the chasing. The pace however remained at a moderate tempo and the break managed a maximum of 4min!


No major moves really stuck after that with the course taking its toll on the bunch. With no effort from the chase, the course managed to slowly cut the group down. Slowly but surely the hills left groups scattered all over the road. The next major move came at about the 50km mark on the climb towards Dalton where the Computer smith boys made a telling move half way up the climb. At that stage the wind had reared its ugly head and was blowing us all over the place. The group was split in two with myself and Emile and Andrew not making the move. Unfortunately for Werner, he punctured and had to wait an hour and a half for assistance .This was perhaps the biggest let down of the event. If team vehicles are not allowed then maybe a better system of back up is needed?


The top of the climb was no time to rest as we worked hard with our bunch at between 55 and 60km /h in hectic cross winds to try and regroup. Unfortunately the wind and the previous hill mixed with the talent in the move, we were unable to bridge and settled into an uncomfortably hard pace in the cross winds to manage the damage. Again the course had its way, throwing second hand chip and spray, heavy cross winds and blazing heat. This took its toll and the group number shrunk all the time. At this stage it was only me and Emile left. Going up Brunys hill to the highest point of the race the bunch shattered and a small group of chasers made their way to the final climb of the day before dropping into Pietermaritzburg to contest the sprint for the final positions. I managed to make it into the final group but was in no shape to contest the sprint. The final climb saw Mtn take control, launching attack after attack to try and get there rider - Jeremy Martens away. This along with a lack of water and the still blazing sun made the final few km into Pietermaritzburg extremely tough. Luckily the end was in sight and after the criterium style finish and a speed bump interrupted sprint it was over.


The race in the 30 to 34 cat was won by Julius Cobbett, with Jaco Ferreira in 2nd and Hannes Botha in 3rd. Well done to Sean for keeping the Mr Price name high and finishing 4th in the category.

Amashova - 16 October 2011 - by Emile Fouche

We lined up for a 6h05 start in a very, very wet Pietmaritzburg on Sunday morning the 16th of October. Originally the race register showed that there were 123 entries for the VA category (Age 30-39), but on the day there were only about 75 on the start line. The rain probably indicated to the rest that they should stay in bed. Riding for the Mr Price KZN 30+ team on the day was Sean Merredew, Andrew Reeves, Werner Venter, Mike Viljoen and me. There were quite a couple of other well represented teams namely Fego, MTN Club 100, Brothers Sport and the Bring it On Puza Thursday team.


Everyone expects the bunch to split up going up Fox Hill, with a break going off in the sunrise (or rain storm in this case) and the remains trying to catch it until they reach the finish line. This year it was different, it seemed half of the bunch did bring their climbing legs and got over Fox Hill. The pace was high going up Fox, but not as high as last year when only about 15 guys went over the top. Maybe it was because of the fact that Jaco Ferreira or Jacques Fullard were not in the bunch driving it. Sean tried hard, but no one else showed interest.


Heading towards Umlaas road an attack would go off every now and then, but all of it got pulled back. After Camperdown Spar there was another attack from an MTN rider heading towards Cator ridge. I went to the front to chase but ended up opening a gap behind me. I was closing in on the MTN rider, and the bunch was closing in on me so it was pretty much mission accomplished. Once the bunch got back together another MTN rider, Jeremy Martins (Ex DCM Chrome) attacked with Werner on his wheel and that was the first real break of the day. On Harrisson Flats it was sad to see Bring it On rider, Darrell Seed sticking his hand in the air, indicating a puncture (He also mentioned something about Vark Steaks). The break was still away going up Inchanga and the commissaire told us that the VB bunch were right behind us with a 1 minute 30 seconds gap.

At the top of the climb we noticed that Jeremy had punctured and we caught Werner going up Alverstone. All was back together again and stayed like that until we reached the M13. The second break for the day happened just before we reached Hillcrest with Deno van Heerden (Fego), Andrew, a MTN rider and another two riders. We were happy with this break as we had confidence in Andrew to be able to finish it off. Unfortunately MTN did not have confidence in their rider and they chased the break down. The break was reigned in on 45th cutting from where Jeremy Martins sneaked away. Once we got onto the N3 Andrew asked me to try and help pace, even though I felt stuffed. I went to the front, rotating with Mat Goetsch (Fego), Werner, Mike and some other guys. Jeremy brought his time trialling legs though and stayed away to take the win in the VA-batch. For MTN that wasn’t enough and they also took 2nd and 3rd, with Deno in 4th and Sean wrapping up the final podium in 5th.


It was a wet miserable 2 hours and 37 minutes in the saddle, but a great race with the whole Mr Price team finishing in the main bunch.

Engen Dynamic Cycle Challenge, October 2 2011 - by Werner Venter

Sunday morning October 2 saw the Mr Price Vets team line up outside Moses Mabhida stadium for the start of the 2nd running of the Engen Dynamic Cycle Challenge. Our team was represented by Andrew Reeves, Emile Fouche, Mike Viljoen, Gwyn Pine and myself. We finally got the opportunity to race in our own age category (VA 30-39) and not just hang on for dear life in the Cat 1 Elite bunch. The race organizers decided to group the VA’s with the VB’s (40-49).

We started at a very relaxed pace rolling along the beach road. As we turned onto the M4, Emile put in an effort and got away from the bunch (pretty much the same way he did so successfully last year!). No one in the bunch was interested in chasing him so his lead grew with the kilometers rolling by. The main breakup of the bunch happened as we started the climb of the M19. A select group of around 20 rides rode away leaving the rest of the bunch chasing back. Gwyn, Mike and I could always see the leading group and we put in huge efforts to close the now 40 second gap. Through Pinetown the gap kept coming down, with Martin Atterbury (Marty’s Cycles) now also contributing to the chase. We caught the leading bunch as we started the decent of the M7. From here the race was hard and fast, with various attacks being put in, but all quickly reeled back. Emile was caught by the bunch near the N2 intersection and he rolled to the back of the bunch to recover from his solo effort. The section through the Bluff was particularly hard and it was here that the break of the day got away. The break contained Andrew Reeves (Mr Price), Mark Davel and Brett Berriman (both Cyclelab), Deno van Heerden (Fego) and Stefano Madies( Dimension Data). As most of the teams in both the VA and VB categories were represented in the break, the bunch allowed the break to get away.


In the end Andrew Reeves marginally beat Brett Berriman on the line with Deno van Heerden in 3rd place in the VA race. Mark Davel won the VB race with Stefano in 2nd and Werner Moolman (Cycle Lab) in 3rd.


It was a fantastic race and thanks must go to the organizers and Cycling KZN for staging such a great event with full road closure. As a tweet read from one of the Elite riders “All classics in KZN have full road closure, we need more races like these”. I cannot agree more!

Stihl & Cycle Lab Midmar Notts road race - 25 September 2011 - by Andrew Reeves

The Mr Price Vets team that lined up for the start of the Midmar Notts 80km race comprised of Bryan Cusack, Emile Fouchè, Gwyn Pine, Andrew Reeves, Werner Venter and Mike Viljoen. Team strongman Sean Merredew was away at a mountain bike race.


The start was a calm affair with a relaxed rollout. The weather was cool with a steady headwind on the way out. The first attack came after a couple of kilometres from Martin Atterbury, he was soon joined by Robert du Preez and Nic Smith. The 3 got a decent gap but the headwind was hurting them and Nic came back to the bunch at the bottom of Happy Hill.


Werner Moolman and Andrew Hill then turned up the pace on Happy Hill and the 2 Marty's riders were caught by the top.


The headwind was slowing the bunch and not many riders were prepared to commit to pacing on the front. A few individual attacks went off the front, 2 attempts from Emile, but nothing was staying away.


Just after Nottingham road we hit the 3 climbs and Bryan rode hard on the first climb to soften up the bunch. Some attacks went off the front on the second rise, and Mike was in one of them.


The bunch was not happy though and all moves were pulled back before the turn around.


As we took the turn around we saw the leading Tandem, having started 10mins ahead of us, was now only about a minute ahead. Gwyn started getting excited and, together with Werner Moolman, decided to hunt the Tandem down.


And so the speed went from 30km/h on the way out to 60km/h on the run back. The downhills and tailwind were making the speeds high and the carrot of the Tandem was keeping it fast. The tandem of Andrew and Leon held the charging bunch at bay until after Nottingham road but were then caught.


This now meant that attacks would start, after a few attempts, one from Werner Venter, a good move of 2 Cycle lab riders went clear. This meant Fego and Mr Price had to chase, although Fego only commited one rider to the chase. The one Cyclelab rider dropped from his teammate who now had a 30sec gap on the bunch.


The Mr Price team put in some strong pulls and brought back the Cyclelab rider Brett Berriman, but as he was caught with 3km to go Fego's Deno van Heerden countered hard and I hesitated to see who would chase.


The bunch was now tired however and that hesitation would cost us the race as we had a case of Deja Vú from the last Midmar race when Mike Adey rode away in a nearly identical way to win solo.


Deno had about 5 seconds on us at the line, I hit the corner first but Brett Berriman surged past me to take 2nd, giving team Mr Price a 3rd with a charging Mark Davel taking 4th.

All in all it was a good race and tactical lesson learned.


PS: If you want to sprint against Bryan, be ready for some elbows and knees...

Mpati Cycle Challenge - 10 September 2011 - by Werner Venter

On September 10, 2011 we lined up outside the Dundee primary school for 80km of the Mpati Cycle Challenge. The Mr. Price Vets team was represented by myself, Emile Fouché and Gwyn Pine.

The racing started with a short neutral zone to get us through the town of Dundee. As soon as the racing proper started, attacks started left, right and center. At about 10km into the race Emile and myself got away and open a gap of about 20 seconds to the chasing group. Werner Moolman (Cyclelab Durban) knew that the two main contender in the group- AC Swanepoel and Victor Grobler (Team Intelibus) was not going to make the racing, but rather sit wheel to the end and then attack, so he made the pace hard, unfortunately in so doing he closed the gap to us, dragging the group back to us. Werner Moolman then straight away put in another attack to which AC Swanepoel and Victor responded. Emile and myself knew we couldn’t let them go, so we worked hard to cross over. We crossed over at around 30km done and from there on the 5 of us rode away from the chasing group.


The out and back route was more demanding than we expected and the headwind all the way back to the finish didn’t make the ride any easier.


With around 3km to go I put in an attack to try and break the breakaway up, but didn’t really succeed. Emile then went, also with no success. Victor and AC then went, with Werner Moolman chasing.


In the end Victor took the win overall with Werner Moolman 2nd and AC Swanepoel 3rd. I crossed the line in 4th overall and 1st in the Vets 30-39, closely followed by Emile. My first podium and my first win-great feeling I must admit.


It was a fantastic race and a good day at the office for the Mr. Price Vets team.

Dome to Dome – 4 September 2011 - By Emile Fouche

After the Margate South coast challenge has been canned for the second year in a row, we decided to head to Johannesburg to do the Dome to Dome which took part on the 4th of September. The team members going up were Werner Venter, Mike Viljoen, Andrew Reeves, Gwyn Pine and me. Gwyn , being the Ballie between the 30 plus year old laaities raced in the 40+ category. We weren’t allowed to race with the licensed VA category as we were registered as a Top club team.

We lined up in the start pins with the Pro/Elite/u23 bunch. You know, it is that category where the paid riders and those with the prospect of being a paid rider start (Those who can train while the not so lucky sit at work). At 6h15 the shout was given by the commentator to start the race and there we went. The Dome to Dome, which should now be called “Back to School”, is not an easy event and it turned out to be a hard morning of sucking wheel. It was a new route this year, starting at the top of Sterkfontein heading out past Tarlton, up past Maropeng, a lap of the Cradle and back to the top of Sterkfontein. The race started off on a drag from Protea Rif School and then a bit of a breather until you turned right onto Robert Broom Drive. We encountered a climb and unfortunately we lost Werner there as he had a bad day. We got onto the R24 and then turned right onto the T7 where the bunch was going at a high pace over a drag that made me almost spit my back teeth out. This is where Mike decided he had enough and only Andrew and I were left. Unlike me Andrew can handle himself at the front of the bunch with the Pro teams. A break of ten riders strong formed where most of the Pro-teams were represented and the bunch went into cruising mode, which was still at a speed of between 45 and 50 kilometres an hour at stages.

There was a long drag before we reached the actual climb towards the finish line and the pace of the bunch was high, too high for me and I popped off. Going up the climb, I could maintain a good pace and saw Andrew just a couple metres ahead of me. Andrew crossed the line as the 5th (No chip) Vet with me in 6th with a time of 2h15:07. The race was won by Reinardt Janse van Rensburg from MTN Qhubeka in a time of 2h11:33.

After the race we made the decision that we would be withdrawing from the Top Club team status, as we want to be able the race. An established Sub Vet racing format was destroyed to help get the country’s top and Pro cyclists used to racing in bigger bunches. Maybe a good idea at a time, but Top Club failed. We want 30+ racing back and we want to be able to compete against riders in the same situation as us, working for a life and cycling as a hobby (Although we don’t always want to admit it).


Bring back Sub Vet racing! We are not the only team that feels this way!

Toti 69er by Sean Merredew - 3 July 2011

The morning started dark and cold. Luckily the cops were late, so we got to defrost a bit before shooting up the hill from the start.
With us having a full team back from all types of recovery, we were definitely the dominant team, reflecting in our numerous attacks in the first half. Although we kept trying to get a few guys away, with the head wind and the numerous lone riders, the groups didn’t get far before being brought back. The back of the 50 strong group was the place to be until the road took its toll and a few riders went down, reminding us that we needed to up front out of trouble but in the wind.

A good move went away just before the hill of the day at Scottburgh, with Andrew Reeves, Sean Merredew, Deno van Heerden (Fego) and Dave Imrie (Fego).


It seemed like the move of the day but once 2 riders came across on the hill, it all fell apart as riders were not putting the same effort in and the group came back together.


By the turn around the group hadn’t changed too much and there were still the usual contenders and a few new faces.


From the turn the racing was showing to be harder and faster with attacks going right away, again with our numbers we were able to ensure that only the moves that we allowed would stay away .


Approximately 25km to go, a move went off that included 2 Mr price riders, a Fego and a Martys rider. With everyone represented in the break, the group was hesitating and the break got further until they were out of sight.


There were numerous good attacks attempting to get off the main group but all got pulled back quickly.


The move of Andrew, Stephan, Rowan and Aston was now more than a minute up the road and was sure to stay away with only 10km left.


The surprise of the day was when Rowan from Fego was dropped from the break, with only 7km left, causing the group to panic and start the racing again.


Up front Aston was trying hard not to get worked over by the two Mr price riders but that was not happening.


What was explained is that Andrew led Stephan out for the win, leaving Aston for third.


The group was larger than hoped for, making the final few corners much more exciting and dangerous, luckily we were able to secure 4th as well, ending off a great race were the team really worked well together and achieved the results with numbers.


The cold weather was still hanging around making the Mr Price tent a popular place with the club ensuring there were plenty of drinks and snacks as usual.






Results:


Overall:


1. Stephan van Eck (Mr Price Junior)
2. Andrew Reeves (Mr Price 30+)
3. Aston Davies (Marty’s Cycles)
4. Sean Merredew (Mr Price 30+)


30+ Category:


1. Andrew Reeves (Mr Price)
2. Sean Merredew (Mr Price)
3. Deno van Heerden (Fego)

Midvaal Tour Stage 5 by Emile Fouche - 19 June 2011

After three days and four stages of freezing cold mornings, hard racing and suffering we lined up for the 5th and final stage of the Mid Vaal Vets Tour. Andrew Reeves and Sean Merredew were the highest placed Mr Price team members on the overall GC, with Andrew being 1 minute and 26 seconds behind the yellow jersey rider, Julius Cobbett, from Cycle Nation. There were only five riders left who was in actual contention for the tour win, that being Julius Cobbett (Cycle Nation 7:00:15), Jimmy le Roux (7:00:27), Craig Harvey (7:00:56), Andrew (Mr Price 7:01:40) and Sean (Mr Price 07:02:31). The next best rider on GC was almost 10 minutes behind which would be an impossible task to get to the yellow jersey. Mr Price was on the back-foot, but we sure as hell were going to fight for it!

The race started with an easy cruise with a lot of chitchat as if nobody was actually in the mood to race hard. After probably almost 10km of this, Andrew decided that was enough of the snail speed ride and went to the front upping the pace. Gwyn Pine (Mr Price) took over from him and the racing was on. It was a flat course and the bunch pretty much stayed together with Mr Price and Cycle Nation controlling the front of the race. We were heading for the Hotspot at 30km and you could feel the vibe in the group change for those important points. Sean pulled off next to the road and I assumed it was a mechanical or puncture (Only later we found out it was a mechanical of a different sort). The sprint for the line was on and Julius took it with Andrew in second. Jorge Faria (Cycle Nation) attacked just after the Hotspot as we turned right on the R42. I rode across to him and we rolled through to create the first break of the day. At some stage we were a minute up the road, but the bunch reigned us in near the 50km mark and the KOM was just ahead. I was glad to see Sean is back in the bunch. Sean gave Andrew a great lead out for the KOM, but Julius was greedy (Like another Julius I’ve read about) and outsprinted Andrew for the Polka Dot points. The bunch stayed together until we turned right onto Karee Road. Sean came up next to me and told me we need to start attacking to try and split the bunch up. Andrew put in an attack, got caught and then Sean attacked. When Sean got caught Andrew attacked again with Craig Harvey (Cycle Nation) on his wheel but for some reason Craig was not keen to roll through. As they got caught I found some energy and launched an attack. My companion from the earlier break, Jorge Faria, followed with Pieter Swemmer (Cyclelab) on his wheel. The three of us rolled through and opened a gap. I was feeling pretty good, but I wasn’t sure this break was supposed to work. In the last 4km I decided to slow the break down and stopped rolling through. If we got caught, Andrew and Sean would be there to finish the race off. If we did not get caught, I was hoping to have the fresher legs in the trio.


Meanwhile, Gwyn and Werner had orders to chase the break down. We got caught with just over a kilometre left and the sprint was on. Unfortunately Sean got boxed in and had to start his sprint early. He overtook Julius, but Julius had another kick for the line. Julius won the stage and tour for Cycle Nation, with the Mr Price boys, Sean and Andrew rolling over the line in 2nd and 3rd.

The Mr Price team did not win the tour, but we never stopped fighting and came back home with two yellow jerseys, two stage wins, two second places, one third and plenty of Spar Vouchers for our team piggy bank!


Photos by www.cyclenation.co.za

Midvaal Tour Stage 4 by Gwyn Pine - 18 June 2011

The tour had gone well up to this point and after loosing the yellow jersey to Cycle Nations Julies Cobbet on the Mornings Stage we now had the TT on a flat route but with tired legs the chances of taking time back was good.
Andrew Reeves was our best placed rider on Gc and next was Sean Merredew, the times where a little slower on the day after the mornings stage of 90km ,Gwyn pine was the best placed rider in the TT also winning the stage for the Team, then Sean Merredew ,Andrew Reeves, Werner Venter, Emile Fouche.

Good Riding by the Team on The TT which is always a hard race against the clock, it was sad that Andrew Reeves saddle moved down on the TT making it not possible to pull back some time which was seconds at the end for a podium position.


Well done for the good effort Mr. Price Team we will be back

Editors Note: Gwyn was very modist in saying he won the TT. I would like to add that he not only won the TT in the 30-39 category (as a 40+ year old), but did the best time overall! Well Done Gwyn!

Photos by www.cyclenation.co.za

Midvaal Vets Tour Stage 3 by Werner Venter - 18 June 2011

Stage 3 of the 2011 Midvaal Tour started out as very cold and windy Saturday morning, June 18th. The 30+ race started at 9 am with our team mate Andrew Reeves in yellow after 2 stages with a slender lead of 6 seconds over Julius Cobbet (Cyclenation). The day’s stage saw us doing 3 laps of 30km each with hotspots at the start/finish of each lap with time bonuses awarded at each hotspot. We knew that we would have to get Andrew to the line to try and take the hotspots or prevent Cyclenation from claiming the hotspots.



From the gun we worked hard with Gwyn Pine, Emile Fouche, Mike Viljoen and myself(all Mr Price) pacing at the front. As we approached the first hotspot, all the main contenders kicked and opened a gap on the main peleton.Unfortunately for our team, only Sean Merredew and Andrew Reeves were in the break with Craig Harvey , Julius Cobbet(Cyclenation) and Jimmy le Roux.

Once the break went we were happy to sit up and not chase the break-in hindsight probably a bad decision as we left our two main contenders to fend for themselves-a decision that ultimately cost us the yellow jersey.


Up front the racing was very hard. Eventually Jimmy le Roux and Julius Cobbet broke away and rode to the finish where Jimmy won the stage. Sean and Andrew had to work very hard to chase the two riders down, but with no help from Craig Harvey, they spent themselves and with 1 km to go, Craig kicked and opened up a gap on Sean and Andrew to which they could not respond. Craig went on to take third place. Sean and Andrew came across the line in 4th and 5th place.

Gwyn, Emile and myself rolled in a few minutes back with the main peloton.


A very disappointing day for our team to loose the yellow jersey, but valuable lessons was learned.


Photos by www.cyclenation.co.za

Midvaal Tour Stage 2 - by Mike Viljoen 17 June 2011

Stage 2 - Friday 17 June - of the Midvaal Vets Tour was staged at the Midvaal race track. A crit stage of 1hr15 min plus one lap - enough to scare anybody into a coma – especially after the previous day’s excursion in the howling wind.
What was annoyingly becoming evident was the fact that:


1. The wind was going to pump - all day
2. It was dang cold!!!


So at 9am with the wind at a steady 50km/h at a comfy 5 degrees, we arrived to start our battle. We had already figured that our main competition for the day would be hard at us from the gun to try and wrestle the yellow jersey from the shoulders of our man, Andrew Reeves. Try as they did, we brought it back and made it a hard day of racing.


With two major teams going at each other, it opened the door to the few strong individuals to play off this. The result was a really exciting stage. From the gun the pace was hot so Gwyn Pine set off up the road on a solo attack. Left on his own he raced off to a sizable lead which remained unchallenged for a few laps. It soon became evident to the others that this man of legendary time trial skill was getting away and the screws were tightened. A few flat out laps followed and Gwyn was eventually pulled back into the bunch. As soon as the pack was together (groupo compacto for those that followed on twitter!), the counter attacks followed from a very active Cycle Nation.


Anthony Field-Buss (Cycle Nation) was the next to make a telling attack. The name of the game for us was to follow and sit, defend what we had and follow moves. Yours truly chased Anthony and we made a getaway. Unfortunately Anthony had ideas other than the logical “work together to get away” and attacked me a lap into our get away. Riding away at a furious pace i decided that fighting a 2 man battle was silly and slowly lost the wheel. After 3 or 4 laps i made my way back to the bunch led superbly by a snarling Emile, seeing that I was losing interest fast. After recovering we all hit the front and hunted Anthony down. It did not take us long to reel him in which again led to furious counter attacks.

Luckily for us we were all on point. Sean and Werner were the next to weather the attacks as they came one after another. Riding on this track was extremely difficult. Hitting a wall of frigid air after a long back straight broke many attempts at getaways. It did not however stop guys from trying.


The remaining 20 minutes was a furious affair with many flyers going off the front. The back straight became a hunting ground for attacks and counters and we were all kept busy chasing and chasing.


The bell rung for the final lap and all hell broke loose. The back straight was again the scene for deadly moves which we gamely covered. Unfortunately we were so attentive to Cycle Nation that we left the door wide open for Jimmy le Roux who attacked into the wind off the final s- bends. He was able to open a sizable gap and held that through to the end. Coming into the last corner we managed a small lead out for Sean and Andrew.


Sean managed to annihilate the field running close to the pit lane for a second with Anthony Field-Buss in third.

The result was that we kept the yellow and brought Sean up higher in the points standing. It was a tough, but exciting day at the track. A well fought team effort.


Photos by www.cyclenation.co.za

Midvaal Tour Stage 1 by Andrew Reeves - 16 June 2011

The first day of the Vets tour arrived and it was a cold but not freezing morning. We had 120km stage on the Thursday along a flat route with a few rolling hills.

The start was at 9am and the wind was blowing hard already. Our 30+ bunch had 27 riders and there were teams from Cycle Nation, Cyclelab, Panda and a few others.


The start was steady until after 3km the Cycle Nation guys started attacking, this was a sign of things to come. I got away with 2 Cycle Nation riders at this point but the bunch was still fresh and pulled us back after a few kms in the lead.


At the 1st KOM sprint at 15kms Jimmy le Roux attacked early and got away alone to take the points, Anthony Field-Buss from Cycle nation sprinted for second spot and I came 3rd, when we looked back we were away so we kept going until we caught Jimmy. The 3 of us were working well together for about 10kms but then I flatted. I received a wheel from a following car and jumped into the bunch as they passed.


Now Mr Price had to chase because we had nobody in the break. Sean spoke to the team and they hit the front and started a hard chase.


In the gutter winds this made things very hard and the bunch started to splinter.


After a 20km chase with Gwyn and Sean pulling hard on the front most of the way, we managed to bring the 2 escapees back.


After we turned left there were some more attacks and I found myself in the break again, but after a few kms a flurry of attacks behind saw the group catch us, but now there was far less riders.


Coming into the last 20km there were 7 riders up front, 3 Cycle Nation, 1 Cyclelab rider, Sean and Myself from Mr Price and Jimmy. We worked well together until at 12km to go Julius Cobbett attacked and I went after him. I worked with him to get away but soon his teammate Craig Harvey rode across to us. I was now worried with the 2 on 1 scenario, and tried to sit on, but Craig would just sit up and let Julius ride away when I did so I rolled through but saved as much energy as I could.


Coming up to the line I was expecting Craig to attack but he never did, so it came to a sprint. Craig led it out and I got behind Julius, but I was surprised when Julius started his sprint early at 400m to go. I followed Julius and came over him with 100m to go to take the stage.


Sean out sprinted the rest of the break to get 4th on the stage.

Photos by www.cyclenation.co.za

Panorama Tour: Stage 4-Witrivier Time Trial - 2 May

We woke on Monday morning to a wet and miserable day. After 308km in the last 3 days, the last thing any of us felt like was the time trial in rain! We decided to end our ritual of rolling down the road on our bikes to the start and rather took the car.

Mr Price (Sean and myself) were first of out of our team. We started 30 seconds behind Isabel Moolman(Blommie) and Mark Davel and said that we want to catch them as soon as possible. We started of hard and caught them after 1.5km. From there we pretty much rode at a hard, constant pace over the undulating (more uphill than downhill) course. We finished our time trial with a time of 45:20 and total tour time of 10.39.31, which gave us 14th in the sub vet category.


Boksburg-by-the-sea (Andrew and Mike) finished the TT in 45:58 and a total time 10:20:30 in 11th place in the sub vet category.


Emile finished the TT with a time of 45.30 and total time of 09:57:22.


Although it was tough, we all had a fantastic time and vowed to be back next year for more punishment.


Thanks to the Julian Cox our team manager for all the arrangements!


Werner Venter

Panorama Tour 2011: Stage 2 - 30 April

After the tough first day, it was a shorter and faster stage on day two, with 80kms and 1192m of climbing. The route took us from White River to Brondal, along the revamped N4 and past the Airport, then back on a hilly run in to the finish at White River.

The route had a few steady climbs in the first 25kms and lots of fast flats and descents until the last 20kms, and then the tough last set of climbs would decide the stage results.

So with tired legs we set out from Casterbridge centre at 7am into a cool but clear morning. After the neutral zone the bunch accelerated into a fast but steady pace. The bunch stayed intact over the first few gradual climbs and was hitting speeds in excess of 70km/h while dodging potholes on the descents.

Once on the N4 a break of two riders rode clear and the bunch was not concerned with chasing them as they knew the last 20kms were very hard.


As we hit the last 20kms and a series of six sharp climbs, the pace shot up as attacks started off the front. The bunch started to break up under the pressure and soon teammates were looking around for each other. My teammate Michael and I were up with leaders until the last 10kms but dropped off the pace and ended up about 4.30 mins off the stage winners from Toyota CSA U/23 team.


It was a good stage and the rest of the team finished well a few minutes later.

From Left to Right: Mark Elferink, Emile Fouche, Iris Schreuder, Werner Venter

Andrew Reeves

MTN Panorama 2011 Stage 1

On the morning of the 28th of April we drove up north to the little town of White River for MTN Panorama Tour which took place from 29 April to the 2nd of May. The Panorama tour is a two man team event and we entered into the Sub-Vets category as three teams. The teams were Irish Mielies (Bryan Cusack and Emile Fouche), Boksburg by the Sea (Andrew Reeves and Mike Viljoen) and Mr Price (Sean Merredew and Werner Venter). During the drive up I received some concerning news via sms from my partner, Bryan, that he had some bug. But it did not bother me too much (Little did I know). We registered at Casterbridge and then went home to get some rest for the next day’s race.
When I got a wake-up call from Bryan at 5h00 on the Friday morning, I did not receive good news at all. Bryan was still as sick as an anorexic old dog and had to withdraw from the tour. After having a chat with Oom Hendrik Wagenaar, I was told I can ride, but would not be in contention for any prizes or official results. So a solo tour for me it was.


The route description for Stage One is White River – Kiepersol – Sabie – White River, over a distance of 115km and 2213m of climbing. Andrew, Mike and I were seeded in the A group and Werner and Sean just behind us in B. The neutral car led us from Casterbridge through a 3km neutral zone at 30km/h, on an uphill climb. If you did not manage to be near the front there you would have been in trouble already. Mike, Andrew and I were in the mix but Werner and Sean were missing. Only later we would find out Sean had some bad luck with a mechanical. The MTN Hotspot for Open Men, Women and mixed categories was at the 25km mark at the Da Gama Dam Climb. I managed it over the hill and Andrew and Mike were in a chase group which caught up to the front bunch just before Jacques Fullard and Jacques-Louis van Wyk launched an attack. In the excitement of the Blue Mountain Lodge climb I lost Mike and Andrew and ended up in a chase group which caught the main group somewhere on the Hazyview/Sabie road. From here it was pretty much a cruise to the gradual 15km Spitskop climb where I almost got dropped near the top but managed to ride myself back to the group. As we approached White River we were directed through the back roads of town to Casterbridge. I was sitting near the back of the group chatting to my coach (and Panorama partner in 2010), Werner Moolman when suddenly, around a corner, our bikes touched and I bought a plot of White River tar, about 1.5km from the finish. Could this day get any worse? (As I sit here, typing this, I’m still grinding my teeth from the agony of the roasties!)


After losing some time and getting helped onto my bike by the officials I went solo over the finish line finishing 14th on the GC overall and a would be 3rd for Sub-vets. But all that for an apple as my result didn’t count.


At the end of stage 1 Boksburg by the Sea was in 6th place and Mr Price in 14th in the Sub Veteran Category.


Overall and bad luck excluded it was a good day out on the bike and an Awesome ride.






Emile Fouche.

Lassen Series Race #4 - 17 April 2011

On a cold and cloudy morning we lined up for the 4th Lassen series race in Camperdown.


The pros from the Tasol GT team made an appearance as well as Burry Stander and Christoph Sauser fresh from their Cape Epic win.


This meant the race was going to be tough, and it was.

Burry and Christoph were on their 29er MTB's, this obviously gave them a big advantage as they could corner quickly in the wet corners and never had to swerve for any of the numerous potholes. Good thinking by team Specialized.

The bunch remained together on the 1st of the 7 laps, but the pace picked up on the climb on lap 2 and the bunch started to splinter into smaller groups.


Halfway through the race a break of 5 riders moved clear off the front group. Stander, Dean Edwards, Mat Goetsch, Mike Adey and Martin Hillerman were in the move. In the 2nd bunch was Sean Merredew and Andrew Reeves from Mr Price, and we had Christoph Sauser, Deno van Heerden and Jean Spies with us. Bryan Cusack was in a small group behind with Werner Venter and Mike Viljoen in a larger bunch further back.

There were no 30+ riders in the break but Mr Price still had to chase for the overall. In the final lap the break started playing around which slowed them and the second group caught them with about 2km to go.


Just after the groups merged there was a lull and I put in an attack.


The group was keen to chase however. and I was caught with 1km to go.


A huge acceleration by Stander and Sauser up the final climb saw the bunch break up.


At the line Burry outsprinted Jean Spies for the win and Sean came in 3rd overall and 1st vet.


This means Sean leads the series comfortably now.


Andrew Reeves

The 3rd Lassen Race - 27 March 2011:

The morning started with a minutes' silence in respect of the passing of Michael Ramsey, while the weather was looking like it could clear up.


The roads were wet and the racing hot with Martin Atterbury doing his usual 1st lap attack, ending in the grass on the S bend at Vans'.


The circuit was great as usual with the 'crowds' shouting at every pass, especially at the line.


There were a few new faces that we didn't know and had to worry about as well as Martys group growing every race, but we would learn that no1 was going to hurt us like stronger Stander did in series 1.


Our team was missing a few members with Bryan Cusack taking his sick leave again at the Lassen (I'm wondering if some1 doesn't like this circuit), Julian Cox being upgraded to Com for the day and Leon (bigblade)Grobler hurting the lighties and ladies.


After numerous unsuccessful attacks came back, we were fortunate to have Emile Fouche away (with Mad Moolman). This gave Werner Venter, Mikel Viljoen, Andrew Reeves and Sean Merredew a chance to properly rest and watch the others chase. The break was almost brought back quickly when Rowan Tyler did a strong pull after resting for a lap at the line but someone quickly reminded him that you can't get a lap of grace on a 7km circuit (Good Tactic).


Sadly Emile Fouche didn't have a good day and came back to the group which forced Mike Viljoen and Sean Merredew to seriously conserve energy at the back with Andrew Reeves joining us occasionally to discuss our finish strategy.


With a lap to go we realized we will be having a bunch sprint which we had prepared for, with Andrew Reeves and Sean Merredew being well placed upfront, We also had a cousin in the form of Rourke Croeser who races for Mr Price Cannondale willing to assist in the leadout which went off perfectly, with us getting the win overall and a 3rd in our cat too with the rest in the group, except Emile who after he gained such tv time down in the cape, opted to do another solo entrance into the finish.


A great day was had under the Mr Price tents while watching the other race of the morning, unfortunately they weren't as lucky and had rain throughout their race, was good to see our Mr Price team dominate that race too, ride of the day has to go to Ryan who was determined to get away.


Thanks to Mr & Mrs Price, officials, marshals and the province for another super race on a circuit that always produces good hard racing.


Sean Merredew

Cape Argus Cycle Tour 2011 – 13 March 2011

As we do every year, we have entered for the 2011 Cape Argus Cycle Tour when entries opened in September 2010, before all the changes to the licensed bunches took place and we started racing with the Pro’s and Elites in Category 1. Argus is usually not a budgeted team race and for our own cost, so only Werner Venter and I entered. When we received our first seedings we were happy that we both were seeded VA. The race was on. But then, we got the chance of a lifetime. Due to Andrew Reeves’ results in the Cat 1 races we have done so far this year, our team was seeded under the first twelve top club teams in the country and we received an invitation to race in the Invitational bunch with the Pro’s and more of the best top class cyclists this country and some others, has to offer. Usually the Argus was part of the Giro del Capo Tour and the invitational bunch would only leave after the Giro group, but this year it was different as there was no Giro del Capo Tour. We could not let the opportunity slip out of our hands to start and race in the first batch in the biggest timed race in the world.

On Sunday morning we lined up in the start pins with all the big guns in SA Cycling present. The Mr Price KZN Vets team was represented by Bryan Cusack, Werner Venter and me. This was my third Argus and the first one where the trees were not bent at 90 degree angles next to the road. The previous two years the “Kaapse Doctor” showed us no mercy. Helen Zille gave us a good luck speech and soon afterwards they counted down for our 6h15 start.

From the word go the bunch was speeding along at a blistering pace. It was hard not to find yourself holding on near the back of the bunch most of the time, which is a dangerous place to be. Going up Edinburg drive tested the legs quite a bit. Bryan and I went over with the bunch, while Werner used the convoy to join the bunch again. We were all still there. We headed towards Muizenberg and then to the dreaded Boyes drive, another leg tester. Going down Boyes drive was fast and the dangerous “Neutral Zone” at the bottom of Boyes is definitely not a “Neutral Zone” for the front bunch and a split happened after which we had to chase hard. Bryan managed to make the cut with me but we lost Werner on the Boyes drive section. Towards Smitswinkel I heard my name, I knew it was Bryan but I did not exactly know why till later when I was looking for him in the bunch. Bryan punctured and up to that point he was riding as if he was a contender for the win.

I got over Smitswinkel with the bunch and managed to hang on through Misty Cliffs. When we reached Noordhoek I knew I had to be closer to the front as we were nearing Chapman’s peak, but I couldn’t get there. I was in a bad place. Going up Chapmans peak it was one long stretch of cyclists and the elastic shattered. Going down we got a few guys together but the guys who lasted for a chase with me were Neville Cragg, Jacques Maritz and Brandon Christians. I think Neville was wearing the RSA WEB kit and he was as strong as an ox taking long pulls on front. There was a bunch just ahead of us and we nearly caught them going up Suikerbossie, but we did not. We went passed Egon Campbell from Matlosana heading towards the finish at Greenpoint. The three guys in my group upped the pace but my legs were shot and I could not hang on. I went over the finish line on my own in a time of 2h38.21, 6min11sec behind Tyler Day (Bonitas) who won the race. Bryan finished in 2h55.52 and Werner in 2h59.00.

This year’s cycling tour also saw the closing of an era as a local cycling hero, Malcolm Lange (Finished 2nd) from team Bonitas retired.

Huge thanks to Corinne Du Sart and Michelle Mathews for giving up their morning to be our team managers and drive the backup vehicle during the race.

Emile Fouche

MIDMAR-NOTTS RYAN MAULIN - 27 February 2011

Sunday morning saw the complete Mr Price vets team make the trip to Midmar Dam for the increasingly popular Midmar-Notts race. It was our first race of the season as an entire team with every rider present, and everyone seemed to be in reasonable to good form.
There has been a lot of concern recently with regards to the safety of cyclists and this was foremost on the organizers minds. The route, being an alternative route to the main Johannesburg/Durban freeway can become quite congested. A brief discussion was held before the event and the cyclists were given strict safety instructions. A minutes silence was then held for recent cycling fatalities. After this the last few formalities were taken care of and then the all-clear was given for racing.

The tandems departed, and ten minutes later we were sent on our way. Immediately Andrew Reeves (Mr Price) went on the attack. He opened up a 200m gap to the bunch and was riding a nice tempo. The bunch was fairly non-responsive at this time, and we just rolled along at a reasonable pace. As we hit the start of the hills proper (adjacent to the coffee-shop) the pace went up. Andrew was pulled back into the group, and the pace stayed high.

We reached Happy Hill (not a place of happiness for everyone) and the pace went up again. The first major split happened quickly, with a large group of riders going out the back door. The pace stayed high all the way to Nottingham Road with few lulls. A few attacks followed and then one big push from Emile Fouche (Mr Price). With such a large group they were all pulled back quickly though.

As we turned out of Nottingham Road and hit the first of three hills before the turnaround the pace went up again. Emile Fouche (Mr Price) was at the front setting the pace. Another bunch of riders found the going too tough, and the group was whittled down further. The second hill was taken at a similar pace, but then the pace increased again on the final hill. Werner Venter (Mr Price) was pulling near the front and looked to be in good form. I rolled through towards the front with Werner to position myself for a front row seat on the turnaround. More riders saw the back door here, and then the rush for the turnaround was on.

The halfway point saw everybody turned around safely, but as is customary the group had surged at the turnaround and were now going full-tilt back to Midmar. The pace was extremely high and being driven from the front. The pace settled a bit after we passed Nottingham Road, and then just after Granny Mouse’s we had the first big attack of the day. Deno Van Heerden (Fego café) and Clint Olsen (Cyclelab PMB) tried to make a break for it, but after some good teamwork at the front they were soon pulled back.

Mike Viljoen went on a solo effort soon afterwards, but unfortunately the depth and strength of the group saw him caught as well. We were now within 5km of the finish line and everyone seemed to be preparing for the inevitable sprint. During this lull, about 3km out, a Cyclelab rider (Mike Adey) managed to slip off the front. Emile Fouche rolled up to me and asked me if it was our rider who was away. In the mass of red kit it was hard to tell, and only after reviewing helmets did we realize that it was a Cyclelab rider. The pace was still high and we were bearing down on him quickly. As it turned out it wasn’t quick enough.


Coming through for the sprint Mike Viljoen was lead-out man for Andrew Reeves who went on to take 1st place in the 30-39 cat, with Sean Merredew taking a deserved 3rd place in the 30-39 cat also.

This was the fourth weekend in a row on the podium for the team.


Afterwards it was back to the hospitality of Corinne and Kelvin at the Mr Price tent where everyone got stuck into post-race snacks before being treated to dinner with the Mr Price club members and their families.

A well organized event, in great weather, with 2 podium places, and lunch with friends and family afterwards …………..……. Good times !!






Bryan Cusack