For us in Anderson the Rollercoaster would be about getting some team points back, also to go for the win if possible. We needed to redeem our league campaign after not such a good race at Bouckaert Soenen the previous week. Living in Kalk Bay it's one of my local races and I know every inch of these roads. Last year it wasn't a league race and I had got into the winning break on Ou Kaaps round 1, finishing top 10 - a good achievement for an old git like me. This year I wanted to do well again. I'd been riding support for JP and John since race no.1 and it would be nice to place well for a change. John, recovering from 2 weeks of flu, still has pink but only by the skin of his teeth. Not a train-smash though, as JP Jacobs is within reach of the GC lead. As a team we're not bothered which of us wins, as long as we do - we'll all get behind whoever has the leaders jersey. The race starts fast with a few guys going off the front to try and get up Ou Kaaps clear of the attacking action in the bunch. My old teammate Nev Cragg, riding for Aurecon this season, attacks down the little false flat into Tokai Forest. I jump immediately to follow him at 60km/h, making a gap of 50 metres or so in a few seconds. I can't go with on this occasion though. I sit on his wheel and wait for the bunch to catch. Tough call - as much as Nev and I like working together in the break - this time tactically it isn't the right thing to do. The Anderson gameplan is to smash the whole climb right from the base of the mountain to try and thin things down from the start. We hit the rise past the US consulate at 35km/h, right on to Ou Kaaps proper at 30, keep it around 23 all the way to the hairpin - this is going to be a fast ascent - it's hurting, but looking at my HR I know I'll be fine all the way up. I sit near the front and try to keep out the wind. As we hit the top right-hander I know we're shedding a lot of guys. John is looking back to assess the damage. I can't ride looking backwards Andy Schleck style. I just know by my own level of hurt that there is some degree of carnage in our wake. Seconds later on the last steeps before the false flat, Robby Rodrigues attacks. Immediately John shouts for me to follow. Robby is obviously coming into form after winning the previous week. He is going to go for GC at this point. We've anticipated this and my job is to go with him. I jump immediately - the bunch has slowed for a moment and I still have enough to respond - Pete Calitz from Cyclelab and I latch on to Robby's wheel and our trio ploughs over the top alone - bang I hit LAP at the Silvermine turnoff - an 8.45 ascent from the military base turn-off - 30 seconds faster than anything in training. (Pete's ride data later gets him the ou kaaps kom on strava.com) At this point we have probably 1-200 metres on the bunch. My instinct in this situation is to drive hard down the climb. I love a little gravity-assist, and I regularly motorpace cars into the valley at 70+. But we've discussed it and my job is not to work. Pete takes the same line. Robby is quite close to the GC and Pete has his teammate Tim Osrin in mind for the leaders jersey, maybe Neil, I don't know, but he isn't going to contribute. As we head down it feels like we were cruising - not even 60 - I'm sure the bunch will be on us by that little kicker after the old age home. We reach it and they are still way off. Down into Sun Valley, the gap seems to be growing. On to Black Hill, Pete and I are still sucking wheel, can't see the chase. At this point Pete is like, 'should we go' - whispering to me conspiratorially - haha. I want to but I'm forcing myself to stick to the plan. Top of the hill and Robby has smashed it with us hanging on behind, I look back and there is just empty space. I think ok, maybe Pete has a point. If I don't help I'm going to have to hang here like a parasite for probably 50 or 60k's before we get caught. That's just not in my nature. Might as well try to make this work. Who knows, maybe I can take the win. Now I have gotten away with Robby in the past and I know a little about how he rides. Whenever he goes he is in it for the long haul. He doesn't have deep sections or a 100k bike. He just put's his head down, high cadence and motors away. I also know last Rollercoaster the bunch caught him alone at Peddlars less than 800m from the finish. He's not planning to let that happen this year. So I reckon the three of us have a good chance. It's still 70 odd k's to the finish, but with Robby's engine, Pete going uphill like a motherf&cker and me driving on the flats and descents we can make it. So I come through for the first time top of Black Hill and we smash it down past my old neighborhood to the main road. I first rode this hill at about 9 years old on my bmx, before they had a chance to tar it. Right on to main road, we have a slight headwind, only about 15km/h, and the three of us co-operating well now, into Simonstown at 45km/h, up the hill to Boulders at 30, we're starting to pull a proper gap. Keeping a steady, hard pace, 26 average for the whole of smits. Now we have the wind at our backs and we have to smash it down the false flat to Red Hill. Pete knows I'm on home turf. Top of smits he tells me to take over and I wind it up to 65. I know I have the best chance of the three of us to make this section count, so it's long pulls for me with Robby and Pete taking over when the road kicks up. We turn left to Scarborough, down another false flat and 65 again. From the top of Smits to the top of Slangkop the average is 40km/h. As we crest to go into Kommetjie, I'm on the front again. It's a technical descent and I know all of it. I've done it a hundred times including less than 24 hours earlier. So there's no need for much braking and we barrel down at 60 through the rutted chicanes. At the bottom Pete is off but Robby takes over and drives hard so I follow. I come through and he goes back to fetch Pete. We can't leave him at this point - actually if you ask me we freaking need him to pull us over Ou Kaaps. I know John and JP will smash the bunch to pieces up there, regardless of us being up the road. At this point we have another headwind and our speed dips. I start to worry that we won't have the gap we need to go clear up the last big hill. But then as we mash past the township we can see some decent sized elite bunches ahead and I'm thinking, well we can't be going that slow. Left at the lights and down into Noordhoek, Robby drives hard on to Ou Kaaps at 40. We pull up to a big Elite bunch. My mate Chris de Wet from Circle Cycles is in there. I'm too poked to say hello as we hammer past. Up around the hairpin and some of these guys look a little surprised to see 3 ooms from SV cruise by. I'm on the front up towards the old age home. At this point I'm ready to pull off and check in. I shelter behind another Elite bunch for a few seconds. Robby isn't having it and attacks hard, flying up the road at 35km/h. Pete goes with and I try to follow, clawing my way back. Going past the Ou Wa Pad turnoff and Pete drops his chain. This is not good. He's the best climber and we need his help. I give him a shove as I come past and shout at him to shift up. It's no good - the chain is wedged and he has to dismount. Robby and I have to continue. We know we're already losing ground to the main bunch responding to my teammates attacks. A few minutes later and Pete is back. Actually he's a bit miffed and comes past us, like at 30km/h. Robby follows but I can't. One of the Elite bunches catches up and I drift backwards into it to try and recover. The guys have slowed and I can see them yo-yoing only 50m in front of us. I stay where I am knowing they're not going anywhere. Up the steep section before the summit and we're back together. The Elites gap us and begin their descent. I move to the front as we head past the point where the break began not quite 2 hours before. No need for brakes for a few minutes. We scream down the hill and rail the hairpin, down into Tokai and it's de ja vu as Pete is gone. We catch the Elites again. Go past Robby shouts. Pete really is gone at this point. I can just about do it, edging past the bunch, but the legs are taking major strain from the last climb done at 95% plus. No cramps but the sustained intensity is taking it's toll. Past the 3k's to go sign. I'm struggling and I know Robby still has some gas in the tank. He's going to win this one. But at the very least I'm not going to let the bunch catch me. Robby won't let me drop. He's reaching back and pulling me through with one hand whilst still pulling at 40+. I'm pushing hard to reach it. Yes, I'll take that slingshot thanks. 2k's to go and Robby knows he has to carry on alone. I'm trying to punch over the last rollers - still at nearly 30 - but it's not quick enough. Last year John caught him on the last rise. Not this year. He spins off into the distance. See you later. My cadence has dropped from 100+ right down to 70, I'm deep in reserve as I round the last corner on to the finish straight. The elite bunch sails past in the last 100m sprinting for 20th place or whatever. I glance nervously to make sure no SV's have latched on - nobody there. I cross the line and head for the mats. As I turn Pete comes over the line, looking like he is winning the SV bunch sprint. This is a surreal site. Pete is no sprinter, but as it turns out he's been picked up by a two man break containing my teammate JP and his, Neil Bradford. JP had gone at the bottom of Ou Kaaps averaging 24 for the climb. Only Neil could follow. In the time it's taken me to cross the mats the two of them have sprinted across behind me already, leaving Pete just behind them to make it clear of the bunch, led by Aurecon's sprinter Clive Seebrechts. Pete picks up the last bonus points by a margin of 5m or less. A very close thing. Final results: 1. Robby Rodrigues (Aurecon) 2. me (Anderson) 3. Neil Bradford (Cyclelab) 4. JP Jacobs (Anderson) 5. Pete Calitz (Cyclelab)
