Clint Hendricks will go all out to win his second Double Century title in Swellendam on Saturday – but not to claim the honours for him and his team.
This year, victory in the 202km race would be for the youngsters that they were hoping to motivate, Hendricks said this week.
The RoadCover sprinter will again ride for the Active Bodies team, put together by Abbas Harris.
Others in the squad are Willie Smit, Bradley Potgieter, Ryan Harris, Jayde Julius, Chris Jooste, James Fourie, Andrew Hill, Mitchel Eliot, Kent Main, Pieter Seyffert and JP Burger.
RoadCover’s Clint Hendricks will line up for Active Bodies at this year’s Double Century. Photo: Full Stop Communications
Hendricks sealed his first Double Century victory last year after he and his team lost out by one second the previous year.
“There’s a greater cause behind us riding this event,” he said. “We’ll be meeting up with school kids and young riders, so they’ll be able to see what we’re doing.
“It will be good if we can get a message across to them; to kind of inspire them.”
The idea is to show the youngsters one can succeed, whatever circumstances you come from.
With so much depth and experience in the 12-man team, Hendricks believes they should give their competitors a run for their money.
Alfa Bodyworks will field a strong contingent, but the 26-year-old champion said he and his teammates would line up with the sole purpose of winning.
“Second is not something we want. It’s win or nothing, basically.”
Among the other teams to watch are Bluff Meat Supply, who have won the race “three or four times”, and Giant.
“I think it’s going to be a lekker race,” Hendricks said.
Smit, Potgieter and Main were also in the winning team last year, and Hendricks said their combined experience would be crucial.
In the Double Century, he said, experience trumped talent.
“You can be as good as you want, but if you don’t know how to pace yourself or ride as a unit it won’t work. It’s not about the individual.”
Hendricks also plans to use Saturday’s race to prepare for 2018. Unimpressed by his results this year – which include wins in the Tour Durban, Midvaal 100 Challenge and the National Classic Cycle Race – he hopes to raise the bar next season.
A fifth place in the Tour of Eritrea in April served as a major confidence booster for Hendricks, who said, if nothing else, this year had allowed him to discover “new abilities and depth to myself”.
“This year has been okay; it could have been worse.
“I’m trying to set my own standards in terms of personal goals. Next year I’m hoping to go farther and higher,” said the 2016 Cape Town Cycle Tour winner, who has also set his sights on the national jersey.
