Du Toit triumphs at Addo cycle race
Arno du Toit flew the Team DSV flag high in winning the Herald Continental Cycle Tour Mountain Bike Challenge at Addo Polo Club on Sunday morning.
Du Toit, racing in the absence of fellow DSV rider and defending champion Gert Heyns, finished in a time of two hours, 50 minutes and 29 seconds, as the first elite man home.
He crossed the line ahead of Imbuko Giant rider Marco Joubert (2.50:30) and Nicol Carstens (2.55:33) in third.
In the women’s race, Yolandi de Villiers made it two wins in a row as she claimed another Herald Continental Cycle Tour Mountain Bike title, coming home in 3.04:02, almost four minutes ahead of Sabine Spitz in second with a time of 3.07:40, and Anriette Schoeman in third place in 3.19:32.
Du Toit said the win was the perfect result for him in what was his debut Herald Continental Cycle Tour event.
“I have raced in the area so I knew what to expect, and my partner Gert Heyns also helped me prepare mentally, so that helped quite a bit.
“I also knew the Imbuko Giant guys had me outnumbered. They had three teammates here, and it was clear from the start they were riding for him, being a local boy. He knew the trails and he had me under pressure on the single tracks also, so hats off to him on a good ride,” Du Toit said.
He said his competitors made it hard for him at the beginning, with a few attacks, but he managed to keep it steady through the Zuurberg Pass.
“Halfway down the single track Marco and I broke away. We had a nice big gap.
“When Nicol and the other Giant riders backed off, I didn’t need to race that hard. He kept following my wheel. But if they had pushed harder from the back it would have meant me riding harder at the front. So I could keep it steady, and I knew I had a good sprint,” said Du Toit. He said he knew he had to try and cover every move made by his opponents.
“With three riders on a flat route towards the end, if one rider had a gap, they could have forced me to do the work by myself, which happened. But I was in the front by then, so I just had to cover all their moves and try to stay as fresh as possible to the end.”
Meanwhile, De Villiers said the route was quite flat, with the climbs happening mainly in the first third of the race.
“The guys in front made a bit of a gap and I was happy to go with them. Shortly after, we lost Sabine. From there I just kept a steady pace, and happy to take the win,” she said. “It’s a fantastic single track. The first section is open road, and then you climb Zuurberg Pass, and from there it's lots of single track over bridges, sharp turns, loose rocky climbs.”
Leading results
80km Extreme
Male: Arno du Toit 2.50:29, Marco Joubert 2.50:30, Nicol Carstens 2.55:33
Female: Yolande de Villiers 3.04:02, Sabine Spitz 3.07:40, Anriette Schoeman 3.19:32
60km Adventure
Male: Ryno Gerber 2.06:09, Brad Gouveris 2.06:11, Ceejay Bosman 2.06:14
Female: Ashleigh Mayhead 2.26:36, Michelle Scowby 2.33:11, Beth Marais 2.37:49.