Team Abantu’s Nolan Hoffman put in a spirited effort to finish second at yesterday’s Value Logistics Fast One Classic following winning three from three titles at the African Continental Track Championships in the days before.
Nolan Hoffman powering his way to victory in the men’s African Track Cycling Championships at the Sax Young Cycling Track in Pietermaritzburg. Photo: Craig Dutton/Gameplan Media
With an average speed of 45km/h for the 95km race all of the countries’ top professional cycling teams were racing positively trying to set up the win for their respective sprinters.
Team EuropecarSA’s Ryan Gibbons snatched the title ahead of Hoffman, while Team MTN-Qhubeka’s Clint Hendricks took third place.
The completely flat course of the Classic set the stage for a battle of the sprinters.
Approximately 25 riders broke clear from the 100+ peloton as a result of slight cross-winds.
The breakaway group contained all the teams’ head sprinters and strong domestiques ensuring they stayed clear to the finish.
Team Abantu committed Morne van Niekerk to the pace making along with the other teams’ domestiques while Hoffman kept Reynard Butler and HB Kruger as his final lead out men.
The final 15km saw EuropecarSA using their superior numbers and began putting in the attacks, which caused Hoffman to use Butler and Kruger sooner than expected.
In the final 2km all the top sprinters were jockeying for position.
With 500m to go Gibbons got the jump and managed to hold off Hoffman and Hendricks to the line.
“The race was pretty fast with all the teams committing to a sprint which was encouraging to see.
“It was a rough 24hr for me so maybe I was a bit tired but EuropecarSA rode a really impressive race the whole day so well done to them” said Hoffman.
