Riders To Go All Out For The Win At MTN Zoo Lake

Press Release : Advendurance Media

Any rider who dreams of winning the MTN Zoo Lake Criterium tomorrow, should be able to make quick decisions while cycling at a high speed and, even more importantly, he should be willing to put his body on the line.

That was exactly what Hanco Kachelhoffer (Medscheme) did last year and it paid off handsomely because he was the winner of the MTN Zoo Lake Criterium (90km).

Kachelhoffer is quite confident that he will be able to pull off a repetition of last year’s victory.

“The most important thing for me in a Criterium Race, is that a rider cannot afford to sit at the back. Last year I tried to be one of the five front riders throughout the race. Every time that some riders managed to get away in a break I made sure that I stayed with them and I contributed to making the break work. You have to, because you never know which breakaway is going to work.”

When asked what he meant by ‘out-thinking’ his rivals, Kachelhoffer explained that he meant that a rider had to use the course to his own advantage.

“During each lap we had to go over a slight drag.  When I managed to get away with Nolan Hoffman (Neotel) and Christoff van Heerden (MTN-Energade) I realized that I would have to make a plan, because in a one-on-one sprint for the line, there was no way that I could beat either one of them.

“So during each lap when we got to the small climb, I made the pace as hard as I could to ensure that both of them spent more pennies than they would have liked to.  It worked, because in the final lap they did not have the legs to outsprint me.”

Listening to Kachelhoffer, it seems as if the Medscheme team is well-balanced and able to win the MTN Zoo Lake Criterium, regardless of what happens.

“The reason why we have won seven of the past races that we have competed in, was that each one of us knew exactly what was expected of him. Naturally I should like to get away in a break and try to win, but if that does not happen, I’ll work together with the rest of the team in doing our utmost to ensure that either Malcolm Lange or Arran Brown gets into a favorable position to win the sprint for the line.

“You know that between them they have won six races in the past few weeks.”

Kachelhoffer reckons that Johann Rabie (Neotel) will be the one rider who will have to be watched very carefully.

“Johann is not scared of attacking and then going all out. During the Dome2Dome we managed to catch him only 150 meters before the finish.”

Hoffman and Van Heerden are the two other riders who definitely have a chance to win if the Criterium should finish in a sprint for the line.

The event is very spectator friendly and crowds are in for a treat with all the top teams in SA battling it out for the prestigious win at the MTN Zoo Lake Criterium.