Nolan Hoffman was relieved to have pulled off a win at the Cape Town Cycle Tour yesterday in what he described as “the biggest event on the cycling calendar”.
Hoffman, who rides for Malcolm Lange’s Team BCX, said the 109km race was one of their major goals at the start of the season.
This was Hoffman’s third Cape Town Cycle Tour victory after wins in 2013 and 2014.
“This [victory] has been three years in the making, since I joined Lange Sports – first for Telkom and now BCX.
“To finally pull the win off is an incredible feeling,” he said. “One can never get tired of winning the Cycle Tour. This victory is just as sweet as the first two.
“I’m happy and relieved the team managed to pull through on the day.”
Hoffman gave a lot of credit to his team for his victory, but he said it was a race where they had “gambled the most”.
“We gambled with Steven van Heerden when he joined the breakaway of five guys.
“The break at one stage established a four-minute lead and I thought it may have been over [for me] from there.
“We called the bluff to not make it a priority to chase our own teammate back for the sprint. Team DiData missed out on the break so the responsibility was more on them to bring back the breakaway group.
“We had confidence in Steven; we gambled with that. DiData then took up the chase, which enabled us to sit back and watch the show from behind to save as much energy as possible.”
Hoffman said BCX remained in the “backseat” on Suikerbossie and Chapman’s Peak, before the team shot into gear with about 15km to go.
“That’s when we took control; the guys were fresh enough to maintain a good tempo. I had Clint [Hendricks] and Steven taking me into the last 500 metres.
“They did a perfect lead-out. I cannot find flaw with anyone on the team; they did a super job on the day. It worked out perfectly in the end.”
In the final sprint, Hoffman beat Stellenbosch UCI Mountain Bike World Cup champion Sam Gaze and the in-form Reynard Butler to the line.
“To be quite honest, we owned them [the other riders],” Hoffman said.
“Our lead-out was perfect. Clint took me through with about 200 metres to go and I hit the front before the other sprinters.
“The closest they came was to my back wheel. I was never boxed in and I never once had to fight with anyone. I had a clear run to the finish.
“I was able to give it my all and my legs felt good on the day. I managed to create daylight between me and the other riders. In sprinting that is a healthy margin.
“We are chuffed with how everything played out.”
Hoffman will now shift his focus to the Commonwealth Games next month where he will represent South Africa on both the track and the road.