PICTURE SPECIAL
P14-15
TEAM Coimbra Cycle Centre was too strong for the field as they powered to a one-two finish in The Herald Continental Cycle Tour Corporate Team Challenge at the weekend. Not even the grey Nelson Mandela Bay skies could dampen the riders’ spirits as the race got under way on Saturday morning with great anticipation.
Following a 23km road leg and a 15km mountain bike leg, Coimbra’s Ronald Scheffer and Steven Shirley were too good for the rest of the competitors as the pair crossed the finish line in a combined time of 1h 13 min 16sec.
They were followed closely by another Coimbra team, Donavon Shehab and Dean de Coning, who finished in 1:13.40, while third place went to Team Cyclo Pro’s Bruce Campbell and Richard Allen, a further two minutes behind in 1:15.13.
Tackling the first leg, Scheffer, 43, who finished his road leg in 37.56, said: “I had to get to the front towards the end because I knew Steven would be strong enough to get away in the mountain bike section.
“Riding into the wind going out, I just tried to stay with the front guys because you cannot really get away, so I had to make sure to be with the front group when I handed over to Steven.”
Shirley, 48, showed his class in the MTB section, finishing the leg in a blistering 35.20 to land his team the Corporate Challenge title.
“I had a good leg, thanks to Ronnie finishing with the top three guys. It was really tough riding into the westerly, and so we stuck in a bit of a bunch.
“When we got to the university, there were only two of us left going around the fence, I opened up a small lead and managed to limp home,” he said.
Shehab and De Coning completed the journey 24 seconds behind in 1:13.40.
Shehab, who completed the road leg in 38.04, echoed Scheffer’s sentiments, saying the wind made it tough for riders to open a lead in the beginning.
“When we turned we were with the wind, so a few of us decided to work coming back.
“When we got to Noordhoek, the guys really put down the hammer.
“At Pine Lodge about five of us managed to break away and finish ahead of the big bunch, which was great,” he said.
De Coning, finishing in 35.36, said the field was strong, with most of the riders making a push for the lead bunch.
“Racing in a field filled with seasoned and professional athletes like Steven is great, and I am honoured to come in second behind him,”
In the schools section, Grey High were top of the pile as the pair of Aidan Finlay, 15, and Ceejay Bosman, 16, were the first team home in a time of 1:14.05.
The Junior Cycle Tour saw more than 50 entrants for both the 2km Powerade Challenge and the 500m Powerade Toddler Dash as parents also joined in the race festivities.