Fruitful SA Champs as Team Bonitas secures three medals

[Matt]

For the first time since it was established in 2009, Team Bonitas left the South African Road Race championships with a medal. Not just one, but three, following some very respectable performances by the team in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga at the 2012 edition of the national showpiece over the past four days.

 

In its first year as an International Cycling Union (UCI) Continental Team, Bonitas has shifted its focus to be on both local success and international growth. The team will compete in Europe for a total for three months this year and a strong showing at the South African championships shows the team is on track.

 

In Sunday’s 160km Elite men’s road race, Team Bonitas allrounder, Johann Rabie secured the bronze medal behind Robbie Hunter and Reinhardt Janse van Rensburg. It was a fiercely contested event by a field that contained a lot of depth and saw Team Bonitas riders Hanco Kachelhoffer and Jason Bakke spend over 130km of the race in a six-rider breakaway.

 

A selection of five riders remained with 12km to go and it was Rabie’s attack with 2km remaining that trimmed it down to just three, shedding two rapid sprinters, Arran Brown and Nolan Hoffman, in the process. On the day though, Hunter’s experience and Janse van Renburg’s speed were just too much for Rabie, who did well to claim his third medal of the championships.

 

Rabie also secured the bronze medal in the 43km individual time trail last Thursday, a good indication of his peak form for the championships. He then helped Team Bonitas to the gold medal in Friday’s 48km team time trail. It was an emphatic victory by almost two-and-half minutes by the Team Bonitas sextet, which included Rabie, Bakke, Kachelhoffer, Ian McLeod, Tyler Day and Darren Lill.

 

“In all, a good national champs for us,” said Team Bonitas owner, Malcolm Lange. “We knew the competition would be strong and the racing closer to international level than what most local 100km races offer.

 

“Rabie was super strong and motivated, you can see he’s raring to race abroad. Some of the others were strong too – Darren Lill was fifth in the individual time trial and sixth in the road race; Jason Bakke and Hanco Kachelhoffer were riding strong in the long break… It’s this kind of riding we need for our international schedule. To earn three medals at SA champs is another very positive milestone for Team Bonitas,” concluded Lange.

 

Before the team heads to Europe, they’ll be heading to Cape Town this week to defend their Cape Argus Pick n Pay title.

 

 

Johann Rabie attacks the breakaway group in the final two kilometres of the Elite men's road race, trimming it from five to three riders. He claimed the bronze medal for Team Bonitas.

Photo credit: www.cyclenation.co.za

 

 

Defending road champion, Darren Lill, finished sixth in the road race and fifth in the individual time trial.

Photo credit: www.cyclenation.co.za

 

Jason Bakke rode strongly in the six-man break for most of the 160km road race. He was eventually caught with 19km remaining.

Photo credit: www.cyclenation.co.za

 

 

Hanco Kachelhoffer was one of six riders in the main breakaway of the road race.

Photo credit: www.cyclenation.co.za

 

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