Tour Durban crowns new champs
Ryan Gibbons won the men's 105km race, while Cherise Stander the (RECM) came out on top in women's race.
WARM conditions greeted cyclists from around the country in the aQuellé Tour Durban cycle race on Sunday. Ryan Gibbons riding for Europcar brought the five-year Team Abantu reign at the race to an end with a thrilling victory in the men’s 105km race, while Cherise Stander (RECM) came out on top of a see-saw end-sprint that saw nine riders challenge for the women’s race laurels.
Racing in clear and calm conditions the cagey elite men’s peleton made few serious attempts to break away, and the one splinter group that adventured away 25 kilomteres from the line was quickly brought back by the assertive Europcar team.
That set all the major teams up for the lead-out over the two tricky right-hand corners into the finish outside the Moses Mabhida stadium.
Defending champions Team Abantu looked well placed to send Rynhardt Butler to the line to defend his 2014 title, but when the call was made by captain Nolan Hoffman for the sprinter to assert himself, he wasn’t able to respond quickly enough and the Europcar train took charge at the final turn, sending an elated Gibbons to the line just ahead of Westvaal’s Tyler Day with triple champion Hoffman in third.
The women’s race lived up to it’s billing as a clash of the champions, and culminated in a nine-rider breakaway that held all the way into the home straight, where RECM star Cherise Stander powered down the left of the finish lane to edge out 2013 champion Lynette Burger Pieterse (Activate/Demacon) and the defending champion Lise Olivier (Time Freight eTeam).
The women’s King of the Mountain hotspot went to An-li Kachelhofer (Activate/Demacon) and while Charlene du Preez (Clover) took the Sprint Hotspot.
Meanwhile the 55km cyclocross event was the source of huge interest as established MTB star Darren Lill won the event, gambling hugely by racing on his road bike.
The women’s title fell to the classy Candice Neethling (BMC-SA), racing away from the evergreen veteran and defending champion Nathalie Bergstrom.
The days racing concluded with the Kids Race which was well supported by dozens of eager youngsters supported by their parents for the 1km non-competitive outing.
