Ring, ring, it’s Ashleigh and Daryl
JOHANNESBURG: Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Daryl Impey underlined their worldclass pedigree by winning the women’s and men’s races of the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge in Johannesburg yesterday.
Moolman-Pasio wrapped up a stellar season with her fourth Cycle Challenge, while Impey claimed a maiden victory in the iconic road race.
“It was good to stay calm in a race, because that is not my strength,” Moolman-Pasio said.
“I like to get things going early on. I tried to stay patient. The international teams, Hi-Tec and Canyon, started attacking from early on and made it tough. They got away and I wasn’t in the break, so I had to cover all those attacks.”
Moolman-Pasio beat a quality field in the UCI 1.1 women’s race, launching her attack on the climb on Cedar Road.
She missed out on last year’s race after suffering a hip fracture but bounced back in 2017 becoming the highest-ranked South African road cyclist, climbing to a careerbest third place on the UCI world rankings in June.
She was followed by Norwegian champion Vita Heine in second place, with former German junior champion Christa Riffel rounding off the podium.
Impey, the first South African to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, followed a similar tactic to Moolman-Pasio, crossing the finish line first at Riversands Commercial Park.
“Finally, it’s like a monkey off my back, everyone talks about the big races in South Africa and I’ve won none of them, so it’s nice to get this one,” said Impey, who rides for Australian-based World Tour team Orica-Scott.
“It was a pretty hard finish; coming into Steyn City is always tough.
“I was very surprised to get this one. I started my season earlier, because of goals down under. I’ve come here in better shape.”
Calvin Beneke finished second behind Impey after winning a sprint finish against last year’s runner-up Eddie van Heerden.