MTN-Qhubeka’s Songezo Jim and Louis Meintjes impressed on stage nine of La Vuelta a España.
Jim got away with the day’s 14-rider breakaway, while Meintjes finished 10th on the stage.
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Starting in Torrevieja, the peloton cruised along the Costa Blanca and Jim joined the break that managed to build up a lead of more than five minutes before the major teams began to apply pressure.
The stage was a tough one with riders summiting the Cumbre del Sol, with an average gradient of 11 per cent, twice on the route.
“It was quite a good feeling to represent the team out front,” said Jim.
“When the break went, Jaco Venter closed the gap and I jumped across to the move. It was good for us, but unfortunately we were caught.
“I gave my best and I’ll surely try again to get into another break. Who knows, the next time we might stay away.”
In the peloton Meintjes stayed with the GC contenders as they slowly reeled in the leaders.
He eventually finished 34 seconds behind stage winner and new overall leader Tom Dumoulin, to move up into 12th spot in the general classification.
Meintjes said it had been another stressful day after he was involved in a crash just 30km into the stage.
“Luckily I didn’t hurt myself and the team did a fantastic job once again looking after me all day. My legs didn’t feel as good as in the previous days, but I’m happy placing 10th and moving up in the GC.”
