Hoffman celebrates birthday with first Emperors title
RUIMSIG – Cyclist celebrated his 32nd birthday in style by winning the 98km feature race at the Emperors Palace classic.
Cyclist Nolan Hoffman celebrated his birthday in the best possible way on 23 April after winning the Emperors Palace Classic Road Cycle title for the first time, in Kempton Park.
The 32-year-old BCX sprinter said he had received the perfect present after several years of trying to nail down the title in the 98km feature race.
Hoffman came home in a time of 2:09:02 to see off Genasys Technologies’ Ryan Harris (2:09:02) in split seconds and Cycling Box’s Tyler Day (2:09:03), in the gallop to the line.
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The BCX star recently won the elimination and Madison titles at the SA National Track Championships earlier this month.
He added that the special occasion had given him extra motivation and he praised his team for their support in the fast-paced race.
“It was definitely one of my goals for the year because I have often raced here but the win has always eluded me. I think I have ended in almost every position except first, so this was the best birthday present for me,” Hoffman explained.
He also discussed the race, citing that it was really fast from the start and he knew it was unlikely that there would be any significant breaks out on the course.
“There was never a gap of more than 10 seconds – that’s how aggressive and fast it was,” he said.
“As a team, we had no real interest in trying to get up the road and our plan was to keep the group together and ride for the sprint finish. It was well executed by the boys. I’m proud of what they achieved and it was great to pay them back with the win,” Hoffman smiled.
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