National road champion Carla Oberholzer’s goal for the Cape Town Cycle Tour is a win for her Demacon team when the race takes place on Sunday.
“We will see how everyone is feeling and how the race pans out on the day. Then we will decide how to approach it. It’s difficult to say now who we will be racing for, but the goal is for any of our riders to win.”
The Ride for Sight and Berge en Dale champion said winning the tour would be amazing, even though she did not see it as one of her main goals.
National road champion Carla Oberholzer, seen here during this year’s Bestmed Tour of Good Hope, is aiming for team success at the Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday. Photo: Robert Ward
“If I do manage to achieve it, it will be a big bonus. After the race I will take some time off, so it would be a nice way to cap off the first part of the season before I recover and regroup for the second part,” she said.
The Demacon rider, who has been carrying excellent form lately, did not think being the national champion changed the way she approached the race.
“Of course it’s an honour and privilege to wear the jersey and race in it, but my approach is still the same as it would’ve been if I had not been the national champion.”
Last year the 40th edition of the race was stopped after about 21km due to excessive winds on the course, and Oberholzer was banking on this not happening again.
“We really hope it will happen and that we all can race. The wind can also be a challenge, as it can be blustery around some parts of the route.”
A ladies-only start can also influence how Oberholzer and her team race on the day.
“If we do have our own start then team tactics play a much bigger role. I think it will be about who can hang on over the climbs and then still pack a decent sprint. If we race with the men, bunch positioning will be very important.
“Having a smaller start will make this a bit easier, but sometimes it can be a slow-go, which can be frustrating and become problematic,” said Oberholzer.
According to her, there were three main contenders to look out for on the day.
“Maroesjka Matthee packs a decent sprint, Anriette Schoeman you can never count out and Vera Adrian, who is also a good sprinter, has decent form at the moment.
“I think these will be the ones to look out for if it comes to a sprint finish.”
