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!