Schoeman Takes Beachfront Lodges Series 7

Race Report : Alex Cooper

Anriette Schoeman and Robyn de Groot started the 7th leg of the Beachfront Lodges Series with the Elite men. The race was on a 87km route with 11 very steep climbs. The race started at Heron Road going over the Chelsea climb to Cows Corner, down the Three Sister Climbs up the notorious Wall to Van Stadens Mouth and back to Cows Corner over the Three Sisters.

The first riders was left behind against the 4km Chelsea Climb with Schoeman, De Groot (Nashua Telecoms) and Lindi Erasmus ( Club Cyclelab) staying with the leading bunch as the NMMU team and Action Cycles Friendly City was trying to get riders their riders away.

The fist mayor break came 29km into the race up The Wall. When Conrad Viljoen and Mark Murry managed to get away. The focus of the riders now turnrd to surviving the next 6 huge climbs within the following 12km. The leading bunch with Schoeman and De Groot stayed together till the turning point at Van Stadens River Mouth. On the way back up the 4km Van Stadens Climb the bunch war pulled apart as Raynard Ticcink, Welcome Stokwe trying to close the 35sec time gap on Viljoen and Murry. Not giving up the chase paid off when Viljoen and Murry were caught by Stokwe and Tissink. It was now clear that the outcome of the race would be determined by the sprint to the finish. Vijoen out sprinted Tissink to take 1st place with Murry 3rd.

With 12 km to go De Groot paid the price for the previous days hard race when she was left behind by the 5 rider chancing group with Schoeman still hanging on to finish as the first lady in De Groot 2nd and Lindi Erasmus 3rd.