The Jock Cycle Classic

(18th July)



The event was held in Barberton, in the Lowveld. In the past it was 3 stages held on one day. The first stage was from Barberton to Nelspruit going over Hilltop, a 4.5km
climb just before Nelspruit. The second stage was from Nelspuit to Kaapmuiden going over Boulders (7km climb) and the last stage from Kaapmuiden back to Barberton on a very hilly course. Now the event is one long ‘stage’, passing through Nelspruit and Kaapmuiden, finishing back in Barberton.



The woman started with the Veteran Men (40-49) leaving Barberton just past 7am.

Because the Lowveld’s temperature is normally quite pleasant this time of year, I knew the day would warm up and decided to take a few layers of clothing off before the start. As we left the start line I realized that it was the worst decision I made for the day. For the first 20km my body was frozen.



It made me smile seeing the climb coming closer, not because of my climbing abilities but knowing it will help my body temperature increase. The group went hard on the climb splitting into pieces quickly. The pace was too high for me and I decided to rather ride up and ride at my own pace. It’s still a long way home and a lot can change in between. I caught up to a few riders on the climb, reaching the top I was back in the convoy of motor vehicles and road back up to the main bunch.



Going through Nelspruit we went over a few very steep hills, reducing the peloton even more.



Boulders was the 2nd major climb for the day. My legs weren’t feeling so good and I decided to ride as hard as my threshold ability would allow without going ‘into the red’. Going over Boulders there were 6 girls up in front, while I was chasing by myself.



Going down Boulders, four other Veteran Men caught up to me and we formed a small group . I still felt comfortable going past Kaapmuiden, with the front group just in sight.

We formed an echelon, each taking a decent turn upfront and managed to get ourselves back in the main group. We were now the first chasing group as 3 girls and a few Veteran Men got away over Boulders.



The finish line was on a slight uphill and I decided to make the first move going for a long sprint. It actually worked very well. The other riders in my group reacted too late and I managed to open a small gap on the rest taking 4th place. I am satisfied with my result. I didn’t feel at my best, but riding steady and saving strength wherever I could helped me to still finish strong at the end.



Results for the day



1st Ashley Moolman (Cycle Lab)

2nd Andriette Schoeman (Nashua)

3rd Jenny Stenerhag (Alpha Pharm)

4th Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)

5th Isabel Moolman (Cycle Lab)

6th An-Li Pretorius (Nashua)

7th Joanna van der Winkel (Cycle Lab)

8th Robyn de Groot (Nashua)

9th Lylanie Lauwrence

10th Lizanne Naude (Cycle lab)