13th place for Patrice at SAs
A few cyclists from eMalahleni qualified for the South African Road Championships in Nelspruit. For Patrice Gautier (45) 13 is his new lucky number.
Patrice came in 13th place overall.
The action took place from February 3 to 8. The cyclists from eMalahleni who qualified were Jaco Roos, Susan Dannier, Patrice and Andre van der Bruyn.
On Friday, February 6 a tough time trial took place as the cyclists pushed themselves to the limit.
On Sunday, February 8, after a day of rest, was the road race and this is where cyclists would push for 180km.
Patrice was part of the lead bunch, but shortly into the race his chain broke on his bicycle between the spokes and cluster.
“I then dropped out and I was unable to close the gap on the lead bunch,” said Patrice.
The cyclists from eMalahleni were competing against top cyclist like Daryl Impey and Louis Meintjies.
Jacques Janse van Rensburg of MTN-Qhubeka was the winner of the South African Road Championships.
Daryl finished in second place and his teammate Reinardt Janse van Rensburg finished third.
Louis, who was involved in an accident earlier in the race, finished in seventh place.
“I am happy with the way the whole event unfolded and understood the challenges that the riders face but I believe that the challenges were good and the event was a success. I think the event was a success,” said Mike Bradley, General Manager of Cycling South Africa.
“There were no serious issues and the riders had some challenging courses as well as conditions to deal with throughout the week, so I think the whole event went off well,” said Mike.
