*The story first appeared in the print edition of Vaalweekblad. Get our paper on Fridays for all the latest news.
DALESIDE – On a day where wind was a major factor, Jordan Boshoff, completely ‘blew’ away the rest of the field in the 70km race at the Spring Fast One.
The August/September winds associated with early spring and that heralds the changing of the seasons, blew ferociously during the race on September 14 organised by Spectrum Sports Timing and hosted by Café du Cirque, kicking up dust and making things difficult for riders heading into the headwind.
That same wind also provided some much-needed assistance in the form of a tailwind, as riders headed back to the finish at Café du Cirque in the final stages of the race.
After initially breaking free from the bunch together in the first 20km of the race, Boshoff and Jan Withaar, managed to stretch their lead even further.
Boshoff finally made the decisive move in the latter stages of the race and finished in an impressive time of 02:28:31, spurred on by a strong tailwind, heading back to Café du Cirque.
He managed an average speed of 28.5km/h for the distance, which is quite impressive considering the elevation gain of the 70km race.
Withaar came in second in a time of 02:36:20 (averaging 27.1km/h), while Siyabonga Ntsele took third place in a time of 02:42:54 (averaging 26.0km/h).
The ladies 70km race was won by Caitlin Mee in a time of 03:05:11 (averaging 22.9km/h) with assistance from her father Steve Mee, who rode with her throughout the day.
Anja Heenop finished second overall in a time of 03:24:17 (averaging 20.7km/h), also winning the sub-veteran category.
Engela Helena Conradie finished third overall in a time of 03:34:36 (averaging 19.7km/h).
The 40km race was won by junior rider Travis RademanLudeke in a time of 01:11:39 and Nika Nortje in a time of 01:22:44.
The full results are available here.
