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Lynette Burger chases two world titles

20 August 2102

Current African road racing champion Lynette Burger is making no bones about her desire to win the 30-to-34-year age group women's titles at the UCI World Cycling Tour (UWCT) Final, which takes place in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa from 23 to 26 August.

The 31-year-old Boksburg-based racer, who has held national and continental titles in track and road racing, qualified strongly at last year's 111km road race at the Msunduzi Road Challenge (which has become the UWCT Final), but has been hampered by injuries from a series of serious crashes over the last 18 months.

However, after a solid build-up to the UWCT Final, the Toyota Cycle Lab rider feels she can claim double gold this coming weekend.

Goal

"My goal would be to win both the time trial and the road race," said Burger. "I've worked very hard and believe that with the training that I have done in the last three months that it would be possible.

"Anything can happen on the day, but I'm focused and ready for the challenge," she added.

For Burger, who will be racing in a very competitive age category, the prospect of winning a coveted UCI rainbow world champion jersey is a massive motivator.

"Everybody wants those stripes!" said Burger. "I have the RSA stripes and would love to add the UCI rainbow stripes to it.

'All about personal achievement'

"It is all about personal achievement. I might not be able to win the World Champs on an Elite level, but there is nothing wrong with winning your age category at the UWCT Final."

"For me, it's about the goal you set and reaching it. If it's an amateur race or pro race, it's the time and effort you put in throughout and it does not mean if you are an amateur that you put in less time," she said.

Burger added that holding the UWCT Final two months earlier in the year than last year's qualifying event, the Msunduzi Road Challenge, made it tougher to prepare for.

Training

"For the main event, it made it difficult because of winter," explained Burger. "I managed to change the times I trained to make it better and not too cold, and did specific training with my Power Tap and the help of my coach/fiancé David Pieterse.

"I've also got a Lifestyle and Nutritional coach that helps me keep my body in perfect shape and stay focused."

After racing the qualifying event, she has tried to replicate the route in her training in Gauteng. "I have studied the course, but staying in Joburg it's not possible to train on it. So I managed to find a very similar route for both the time trial and the road race here where I stay that helped me with preparation."

African title

Burger won the road race at the All African Games in Maputo last year, making it the third time that she won the continental title.

She was introduced to road cycling after a friend got her to try a spinning class. From that start, she went on to enter her first road race.

"My first race was somewhere in the West Rand, where I did it on a MTB and got third in the ladies," she recalled. "I was hooked straight away, got my first road bike, which led to many victories!"

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS

SAinfo reporter