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.