Carla Oberholzer will look to continue her recent good form with an overall victory at the Tour of Good Hope when the five-stage race starts in Paarl tomorrow.
Oberholzer, who enjoyed victories in the national road champs road race, Ride for Sight and Berge en Dale, will however put her recent successes behind her as she takes on this new challenge.
“I am carrying some good form at the moment but I will never know how long it could last,” she told In the Bunch today.
“It is a bit of a tricky one to know how to maintain that over the course of the month and over this upcoming stage race.
“It is a whole new race and a new playing field, so I will have to take it as it comes.
“But I do draw some confidence from my previous successes, without being over-confident,” she added.
Demacon’s Carla Oberholzer will look to continue her recent good form with an overall victory at the Tour of Good when the five-stage race starts in Paarl tomorrow. Photo: Supplied
Oberholzer last competed in the Tour of Good Hope two years ago where she placed fourth overall behind Annika Langvad, Sharon Laws and Ariane Lüthi, who came first to third respectively.
“It was quite a hard race,” she said, “but what I took from that race is that every day is a new opportunity to fight your way back.
“It will be important to do the small things right on a daily basis and get good recoveries after each stage.”
The field this year, Oberholzer said, would be small but select. “But that will not make it any easier,” she said.
“There will not be any place to hide when the riding gets tough. I think there will be some good, hard racing in strong winds and heat.”
She is looking forward to the tour, Oberholzer said. “I will go out and give it my all – to at least finish on the podium – but if all goes well, I would like to take the victory.
“I enjoy tour racing so it is a race I have been looking forward to for a long time. It is good to be down in the Cape for a little bit.”
Oberholzer will be the only Team Demacon rider taking part, with the rest of her team joining her for the Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday.
Myles van Musschenbroek, who missed out by a mere second last year, banks on team support for the Tour of Good Hope next week. Read his preview here.
