Bakwena Super Classic

Race Report : Alex Cooper

With the big favourites at the Continental Games in Namibia the Bakwena Super Classis was the ideal opportunity for one of the under dogs to win a big race and this was exactly what happened when Altie Clark from Nashua snatched the victory from the favoured MTN team with two good Sprinters.

The flat and fast route attracted a big field and about forty ladies started in the ladies category.  Altie Clark from Nashua made their intentions clear and attacked right from the gun but it was clear the majority of the field wasn’t interested in working.  An-Li Pretorius followed with a good attack and soon got away with Lylanie Louwrens from MTN, the two worked together well to build up a gap and it was clear the bunch didn’t have the fire power to reel them in; it was then that five riders rode across the gap to form the winning move on the day.

Chrissie Viljoen, Lylanie Louwrens, Magdalene Nicholson (all MTN), Altie Clark, An-Li Pretorius, Sanet Small (All Nashua) and Ilse Bole (Team Computer Smith) formed a seven strong break and worked together to build up a gap of over 5 minutes.  After the turnaround point the strong sprinter Ilse Bole (who finished 2nd in 2008)  started to sit on and Altie Clark put in an attack to get rid of her, the six riders that were left rode together up to about 20km to go where An-Li Pretorius started putting in one attack after another. 

It was clear MTN wanted to protect their two sprinters, Chrissie and Magdalene and didn’t want to go in a small move to the finish into the headwind.  Nobody was allowed to get away and the last fifteen kilometres was a real game of cat and mouse.  With about four hundred meters to go Altie Clark attacked the small group into the headwind and the few moments of hesitation by the MTN riders was enough for her to escape to the line as the 2009 Bakwena Super Classic Champion, it was a one two for Team Nashua when Sanet Smal came in second ahead of Chrissie Viljoen in third place.