Exciting times for SA cycling
Brad Morgan
17 October 2007
South African cycling is on a high. The country is home to one of the most exciting professional teams in the world today, and to the biggest and most successful mass-participation events. Take a look at what is happening over the next month ... and look out for Lance Armstrong while you're at it.
PICK 'N PAY AMASHOVASHOVA
Coming up on Sunday, 21 October, is the Pick 'n Pay Amashovashova, raced between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, and covering 106 kilometres.
It was first contested in 1986 when it drew about 150 entries. Since that time it has become a popular stop on the local cycling calendar, with the field having grown to as big as 8 500 in 2004.
Hunter on board
The event has drawn some prominent names along the way, including Team Barloworld star Robbie Hunter, who finished second in the green jersey competition, for the spinters crown, at this year's Tour de
France.
The big news for this year's Amashovashova is that Hunter will be back and chasing a record, with the aim of raising money for charity.
He'll be teaming up with Andrew McLean - a presenter on the SuperCycling show on the Supersport Channel on television, the current South African champion in the 40 – 44 age category, and one of SA's best of cyclists all time - on a tandem, in an assault on the record books.
Ambitious time
The pair is aiming for an ambitious time of two hours and 15 minutes, which is considerably faster than the best time yet recorded on the route: two hours, 20 minutes and 44 seconds by 2005 winner Herman Fouche.
Joe van der Westhuizen and George de Gouveia won the tandem race in 2005 in the fastest time for the category so far, clocking 2:28:29. So, for the high profile duo of Hunter and McLean to achieve the goal they have set, they will have to obliterate the current record.
To do that, they will
need to average over 47 km/h. That means that the race will be, in essence, a time trial.
Motivation
Their motivation will come from the money they can win for charity. If they achieve the target they have set, they can earn up R100 000 for various charities, including the Robbie Hunter Cycling Development Trust and the Road Safety Cycle Park at the eThembeni School for the Physically Disabled, which is on the race route.
Both men have experienced victories on tandems in the race before: McLean previously won the title in 2003 with Colin Germs, while Hunter won in 2004 with Olympic rowing medalist Donovan Cech.
"To break two hours and 15 minutes is a tall order, but we'll give it our best shot," said McLean. "It's by no means a flat route, so the conditions would need to be ideal for us to have a shot at getting near the mark."
Race4Change
The record attempt is part of the Race4Change initiative
created by Pick 'n Pay. It is a charity portal where athletes and ambassadors can challenge their friends and the public to sponsor them in races sponsored by Pick 'n Pay.
The list of ambassadors also includes South Africa's 1995 Rugby World Cup winning captain Francois Pienaar, former Bafana Bafana skipper Lucas Radebe, and former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich.
PICK 'N PAY 94.7 CYCLE CHALLENGE
On Sunday, 18 November, the Pick 'n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge takes place in Johannesburg and the race will be graced by some big names, including seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, as well as Hunter and other members of Team Barloworld, including this year's Tour de France King of the Mountains winner Mauricio Soler.
In the lead up to the race, Armstrong will be the main crawcard on 8 November at the annual gala "Nite of the Stars" banquet at the Coca-Cola Dome, where he will share his amazing life story, including insights
and memories of his career with fans.
The cycling legend was once given only a 30 percent chance of survival after he contracted testicular cancer, but he overcame the life-threatening disease and returned to cycling better than ever to become the most successful rider in the history of the Tour de France.
Today, the Texan is one of the most recognised and lost respected people in all sports.
'One of the greatest'
Ravi Naidoo, 94.7 Highveld Stereo's station manager, said: "Lance Armstrong is undoubtedly one of the greatest sportsman of our time, revered the world over for his success both on and off his bike.
"As organisers of the second largest, mass participation, timed cycling event in the world, the Pick 'n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge, we're delighted to be able to host Lance in South Africa, and just one week before the 11th Cycle Challenge takes place."
Last year, the race drew more than 28 000 participants and a bigger
entry is expected this year.
Hunter, Soler and company
Team Barloworld's Hunter and Soler, who dazzled the world with their performances in the Tour de France this year, while be joined by their teammates, Paolo Longo Borghini and James Perry.
The riders will be raising money for the race's charity, the Homeless Talk Crèche.
Chris Fisher, Head of Corporate Marketing at Barloworld SA, elaborated on the team's aims for the 94.7: "Team Barloworld have had a fantastic year. The team have decided, because of the long season, to ride this year's race, not as competitors but rather to give something back to cycling and the community."
For R1 800, cyclists can join the Team Barloworld group during the race. They’ll be taking it easy (by their standards, at least), and riding to finish the event in four hours.
Signing sessions
Hunter will participate in a signing session at the 94.7 Cycle Challenge
Expo on Thursday, 15 November, while Hunter and the Team Barloworld cyclists will attend another signing session on Saturday, 17 November.
The Pick 'n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge enjoys full road closure, a fact of which the organisers are extremely proud, and which has earned the event the title of "Joburg's safest race".
The event, hosted in conjunction with the City of Joburg, will be screened live on SuperSport for the first time, with commentary by the iconic Tour de France commentators Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen.
TEAM BARLOWORLD
Team Barloworld's achievements during the 2007 Tour de France was one of the feel-good stories of cycling's biggest race.
The Professional Continental squad, up against teams from the higher-rated Pro Tour ranks, shocked the bigger outfits with an outstanding showing, and regularly challenged for stage wins, with Soler claiming the ninth stage and Hunter the eleventh.
Soler went on to an
inspiring victory in the King of the Mountains, raising his status to that of a national hero in his home country of Colombia, while Hunter thrilled with his never-say-die, gusty challenge in the sprints, which landed him second place, behind Tom Boonen, for the green jersey.
Strengthening
Now, the SA-sponsored team, after a fantastic season, is aiming even higher and has been active in strengthening its line-up.
A recent signing that has caught the eye is that of Australian sprinter Baden Cooke from the Unibet.com team. Cooke's career achievements include winning the green jersey in the Tour de France in 2003.
Barloworld's highly-respected team manager Claudio Corti is thrilled with the acquisition of the Aussie: "He's definitely a talented rider who has lots of experience. I'm convinced he can do well in the Spring classics."
'A professional reputation
Cooke, too, is excited about the move to
the South African team: "Team Barloworld has a professional reputation for the way it's managed and organized," he said. "I think I can begin a new part of my career in the red and white Barloworld jersey."
Apart from his Tour de France success in 2003, Cooke has also won the French classic GP Fourmies, a stage of the Tour of Switzerland, a stage at the Tour Down Under and a stage at the Tour of the Mediterranean, among others.
Local rider Darryl Impey has also signed on for the team, along with Kenya's Christopher Froome. The addition of the pair further boosts Barloworld's make-up with some home-grown talent.
New faces, new talent
"Cycling needs to find new faces and new talented riders and that's our strategy at Team Barloworld," explained team manager Corto.
"We're convinced that by including talented young riders in our already successful team, we can continue to achieve even more excellent results in 2008.
"African
cycling has huge potential and this has been shown in recent years, thanks to Team Barloworld riders Robert Hunter and the promising John-Lee Augustyn."
Impey joins Barloworld from the MTB Microsoft team. Aged 22, he showed off his potential in the Giro del Capo earlier this year, winning the prologue and taking a stage victory.
Kenya's Froome, who lives in South Africa, has enjoyed a good 2007, winning a stage in the Giro delle Regioni, a prestigious stage race in Italy, a stage at the Tour of Japan, and a silver medal at the 'B' World Championships in the time trial.
International additions
Three international additions have been made to Team Barloworld, with Moisés Dueñas Nevado, Patrick Calcagni, and Francesco Bellotti all putting pen to paper on deals.
Spain's Nevado joins from the Agritubel team. Like a number of others in the Barloworld ranks, he is an excellent climber. Among his achievements is victory in the Tour de
L'Avenir in 2006, and a stage win and the overall title in the Regio Tour in Germany this year. He finished 39th overall in the Tour de France.
Calcagni, the Swiss time trial champion in 2001, joins Barloworld from Team Liquigas. He is an excellent rouleur – a cyclist who can keep a consistently high tempo on flat and winding terrain – which makes him the ideal kind of rider to help Hunter as a lead-out man in sprint finishes.
Bellotti, from Italy, is yet to win a race, but has recorded a number of impressive placings, including second-place in the 2006 Tour de Langkawi, which was won by South Africa's David George. He is regarded as a strong team rider.
Continuing success
The new signings point to continuing success for Team Barloworld and its success means success for the sport of cycling in South Africa. As for the team's sponsors, they are, no doubt, thrilled that they backed the right horse.
The new season will see legions
of new Barloworld fans in South Africa, as well as around the world, eagerly following the exploits of one of the most exciting teams in the sport today.
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