Arran Brown (MTN Qhubeka) and Anriette Schoeman (Mecer), two of South Africa’s most prolific sprinters stormed to victory in the final of the Engen Dynamic Cycle Challenge road racing series in Durban on Sunday. The race of 97km was held at the Moses Mabhida stadium in hot and windy conditions.
The Elite men’s race finished with a big bunch sprint and after numerous attacks by team Bonitas and Tasol GT to break up the bunch, proved unsuccessful. Brown, South Africa top sprinter at the moment finished ahead of danger man Tyler Day (Bonitas) and David Maree (Tasol-GT).
An elated Brown said after the race: “This is a fantastic race, so well organised by Engen and by limiting teams to six riders each making it possible for the smaller professional teams to be competitive. This is definitely the way to go. What Engen are doing for cycling is not only revolutionary but also exciting.”
The women’s race was always going to be a contest between the locals and the visiting professionals and it was the visitors that got this one when three women broke away after 30 km of racing. Port Elizabeth favourite Anriette Schoeman, team mate Cashandra Slingerland and Charlotte van der Merwe (MTN Qhubeka) then worked together until Schoeman rode away from her breakaway companions and time trialled to a solo victory, while Charlotte van der Merwe out sprinted Slingerland for 2nd place.
In the hotly contested team competition over the three race series the visiting WCCA-UCI (World Cycling Centre Africa) came into the race with a small lead over the top local professional outfits and rode very well together to win this inaugural competition. Most of the riders are from Eritrea and Ethiopia and based in Potchefstroom where the world governing body of cycling (UCI) does wonderful work developing Africa’s top Cycling talents.
More than 1500 riders lined up at the start of the final Durban leg and along with the entries received at the two previous races in Wellington and Port Elizabeth, an amount of approximately R150 000 was raised for the Red Cross Children’s Hospital Trust Burns Unit in Cape Town.
The Engen Dynamic Cycle Challenge series forms part of the Brand’s bigger involvement in cycling which includes much needed safe cycling campaigns staged in major centres around the country.
Engen Group Sponsorship Manager, Brad Bergh commented: “The Engen Dynamic Cycle Challenge Series has been a great success since its launch a few years back with continued growth in support from the region’s cycling enthusiasts. The added competitive dimension for the pro teams this year has demonstrated that the Brand has developed a winning formula for the entire field and we look to further grow our association within the sport in the coming years. Well done to all who participated, we thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you again next year.”
