Carla Oberholzer said good teamwork helped her solo to victory in the elite women’s SA National Road Championships 121km road race in Oudtshoorn today.
Oberholzer, who rides for Team Demacon, said after a “frustratingly slow start” that her teammate Heidi Dalton had made decisive moves which helped her get away from the bunch.
“Just after the climbs at the back of the course Heidi made a big move into the gutter,” Oberholzer told In the Bunch today. “That’s where we got rid of most of the girls. There were only about 10 of us left.
“We all worked well together around the course until the next climb, where Heidi did exactly the same thing and we got rid of more girls.”
Carla Oberholzer pictured here atop the podium after she won the SA National Road Champs road race today. Maroesjka Mathee in second and Lynette Burger in third. Photo: Supplied
Oberholzer said she then put in “a big attack” on the following sharp turn.
“As we turned the next left corner with a tailwind I attacked,” she said. “Yzette [Oelofse] and Elmari [de Wet] managed to follow me.
“The three of us worked well together until the next climb, where I attacked and Yzette held Elmari off. I then stayed ahead until the end.”
The wind was always a challenge for her but her teammates made it easier for her on the day, she said.
“Luckily I had two awesome teammates who could ride and adjust with the wind very well. They really helped me out a lot. We had to deal with quite a lot of head- and side-winds for most of the race.
“Thankfully the heat was not as harsh as it could have been,” she said. “That was nice. I don’t normally like the heat.
“The fact that it was a bit cooler, I feel, may have played to my favour,” she added.
The win was important for her and her team, Oberholzer said.
“It’s always a great race to win. I now get to ride with the championship jersey for the rest of the year.
“It was also great to keep the jersey in Demacon for another year; that was a bonus,” said Oberholzer referring to Dalton’s victory in the SA Champs last year.
