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.