Team South Africa have plenty of confidence going into the 168.3km Commonwealth Games road-race in Gold Coast tomorrow, said Nolan Hoffman.
“The confidence among the guys is pretty high,” Hoffman said. “Brendon Davids is in really good condition and he showed in his time-trial [on Wednesday] that he is really strong, despite having a mechanical.
“Clint Hendricks is also looking very good at the moment. He is quite motivated.
“Our team is looking strong and we are hoping to have a really good race.”
Nolan Hoffman (left) posing alongside his Team South African teammates ahead of the Commonwealth Games road-race in Gold Coast tomorrow. Bosseau Boshoff
There would be no outright leader on the road, Hoffman said. “All the guys have ridden in teams before so there is a mutual respect between us to help each other out [throughout the race].
“We will work for the strongest guy on the day, but Clint and Brendon will probably call the shots.”
Hoffman said the route would be “tough”. “There are steep climbs and the descents are quite tricky, so positioning will be key.
“I do not think it [the race] will come down to a bunch sprint like a lot of people predict, so we are going to have to play it very clever.
“We will have to look after the protected riders and make sure they are at the front. It will be a very tough and technical course.”
The team – Hoffman and Hendricks from BCX, Nicholas Dlamini from DiData, Davids from Bennelong Swiss-Wellness and Bradley Potgieter from Cycle Lab/KTM South Africa and now Vander Group – come from different team backgrounds.
“The goal for the race is clear,” Hoffman said. “That is to win a medal for our country.
“We want to ride the best race that we can possibly do together as a team.”
Read what Dlamini had to say ahead of the race here.
