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)
