With typically hot Lowveld conditions greeting riders on the second day of the 2015 Pennypinchers South African Road, Time Trial and Para-cycling Championships the para-cycling programme came to an end with the various road races and it was the veterans who took to the time trail course on Wednesday afternoon.
Day two of the 2015 Pennypinchers South African Road, Time Trial and Para-cycling Championships started with the para-cycling road races and it was Pieter du Preez who managed to claim the national title in the men’s H1,H2 Hand cycling race. // Photo: craigdutton.com
The morning’s programme was jam packed with para-cycling events as the tandem races took to the road early and it was Alwyn de Kock and Heinrich Wagner claiming the spoils and the national title in their race.
Current World Champion in the H1 hand cycling categories Pieter du Preez was feeling a little bit under the weather going into his race but he was able to get out on the course and even at eight o’clock in the morning it was hot out on the course.
“I was a little worried when I came into the event and had quite a fever last night but I was pretty chuffed to get the win,” Du Preez says. “I did struggle a bit in the beginning of the race but I managed to get into a bit of a rhythm even when it got pretty hot out on the course!”
The course for the road race was something that he mentioned was going to be a struggle because of the heat but with some clouds to provide some respite he felt that the conditions were not as tough as they could have been.
“It was a bit overcast but the road temperature was close to 50 degrees and with us being so close to the ground it was quite hot on the ground but without any wind it meant that the conditions were favourable for me.”
The afternoon session saw the veteran age groups head out onto the time trial course in what can be described as sticky conditions but the racing was exciting even though the field of riders was relatively small.
Regular veteran rider Paul Furbank produced another stand-out performance in the Veteran Men’s 60-64 Time Trial to claim the national title on day two of the 2015 Pennypinchers South African Road, Time Trial and Para-cycling Championships. // Photo: craigdutton.com.
Paul Furbank returned to the national championships and managed to hold off the rest of the field in the men’s 60-64 age category to claim the national champion’s jersey despite battling through the final lap of his race.
“It started off really well for me and I was going all-out from the get go but then it got quite tough towards the end but I always seem to go out hard so it wasn’t the first and it certainly won’t be the last time I ride like that!
“I was always going to try and take it a little bit easier on the downhills but they didn’t seem to be as long as I would have liked so I couldn’t get too much recovery time!” he mentions with a chuckle.
Having started the race hard he was confident that he would be in a good position if he could maintain his speed but the course proved to be a little bit more difficult than he had initially expected.
“The course was pretty technical which was a little deceptive and I thought that I would be fine but I seemed to miscue it a little which made me pretty tired towards the end! “
It is always great being able to win the national championships and I really did enjoy the course because of the technical aspect and I am sure that the road race course will be just as entertaining when I return on Saturday to take part in that,” a satisfied Furbank adds.
Cycling fans can follow the results as the racing unfolds with live timing here.
Spectators on the course can also follow the live timing on their mobile devices, using the Mobi results link here.
If you cannot get to the event in Mbombela, watch the racing live on streamit360.tv from 6-8 February.
For more information, visit http://www.cyclingsa.com/2015-sa-road-champs.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS – 2015 PENNYPINCHERS South African Road, Time Trial and Para-cycling Championships – DAY TWO
Morning Session
Para-cycling Road Race Men H1, H2
1. Pieter du Preez 02:00.48
Women H1, H2
1. Justine Asher 01:43.09
Para Tandem Men and Women
1. Alwyn de Kock/Heinrich Wagner 01:25.29
Men T1, T2 Tricycles
1. Goldy Fuchs 49.34 2.
2. Gerhard Viljoen 51.42 3.
3. Gerald Rex 01:01.32
Women T1, T2 Tricycles
1. Toni Mould 01:20.05
Men H3-5 Handcycles
1. Andries Scheepers 01:49.53
2. Simon Makgobela 02:02.45
3. Nic Whiteing 02:15.22
4. Barend Coetzee 02:19.0 5.
5. Patrick Rasedimo 02:25.06
Men C3-5 Bicycles
1. Craig Ridgard 01:13.38
2. Juan Odendaal 01:20.48
3. Dylan da Silva 01:25.00
4. Dane Wilson 01:25.20
5. Werner van Onselen 01:32.48
Women C3-5
1. Vicky Dene-Ze Scheepers 01:25.24
Afternoon Session
Time Trial Tandem Men
1. Lionel Scholtz/Johann Naude 29.52
2. Daniel Moller/Gerhard Germishuis 46.12
3. Petrus Laubscher/Ivan Kruger 49.10
Vet Men’s 60-64
1. Paul Furbank 36.13
2. Pierre van Hell 39.31
3. Michael Lombard 40.52
Vet Men’s 65-69
1. Roger Rennie 42.37
2. John Passmore 45.54
Vet Men’s 70-74
1. Maurice Connor 18.58
2. Jan van den Berg 21.19
3. Martin Ayuso 23.17
4. Louis Paquet 28.20
Vet Women’s 50-54
1. Elizabeth Janse van Rensburg 20.14
2. Petronella Bailey 21.12
3. Riana Minnaar 23.17
Vet Women’s 55-5 9.
1. Lynette Fischer 21.41
2. Bets Koegelenberg 22.42
Vet Women’s 60-64
1. Ilna Lemmer 21.38
2. Esra Bosch 24.23
