Border 1 000 victors finish in top gear
JONAS Schomburg was in top form, finishing first in yesterday morning’s Border 1 000 race from Stutterheim to East London, which ended at the top of the North East Expressway.
German triathlete Schomburg, who spends half the year in East London, training and competing in most of the local races, cruised over the finish line just ahead of the hard-chasing Jason Peach, after the two broke away from the rest of the field.
In the end however, Peach was awarded the win due to the fact that Schomburg could not be officially recognised as the winner as he did not have a Cycling South Africa licence.
“The race was really fun,” admitted a nonplussed Schomburg.
“I have been training hard for a triathlon in Cape Town, so I was feeling really fit coming into the race.
“I have come second in this race a few times, so to come in first this time was really nice.”
Schomburg and Peach made an early break in the race, before they were caught around the midway mark.
They then made another breakaway and stretched their lead, allowing them to finish comfortably ahead of the rest.
Cobus Snyman and Donovan O’Reilly were the next riders over the line, taking second and third place respectively.
“After 10kms, I tried to get away a few times before finally myself and Jason got away,” Schomburg said.
“But we were then caught by the chasing group before we broke again in the final 20kms and then on the highway I managed to get away from Jason.
“I enjoy taking part in all the races here; it’s fun, safe and is really good training for me,” he said.
On the women’s front, defending champion Cindy Schwulst dominated again, as the city’s top women’s triathlete claimed her fourth Border 1 000 title in a row.
In a strong performance, Schwulst managed to stick with the main chasing men’s pack for most of the race, before falling off near the end, but still claimed a strong win.
“I am happy to win the race again. I always enjoy doing this race, 80km is a nice distance and it is an intense ride,” Schwulst said.
“I was with a strong group and we were chasing Jonas and Jason.
“I was holding on at the back but they dropped me around the Python Park and I rode the rest on my own, so it was a hard ride.”
Lauren van Wyk finished second and Liesel Prentis third.
Schwulst was using the race as training to gear up for the new triathlon season.
“This is a really nice ride to get ready for the rest of the season. It is a good training ride and I really like it being in January,” Schwulst said.
The 36km ride from Macleantown and the 20km junior ride from the Python Park were also held on the day. However, due to those being fun rides, the top placings for those distances were unavailable.