The Demacon Ladies cycling team continued to show their depth when Carla Oberholzer clinched their 10th title of the year in the Kremetart road race at the weekend.
It means the team have recorded 10 wins from 10 starts in one-day races this year, an outcome which team captain Lynette Burger said had exceeded their expectations.
“We knew we had a strong team, but this record is great for a number of reasons,” she said.
Demacon Ladies member Carla Oberholzer races for the line in the Berge en Dale road race earlier this year, one of the 10 wins the team have racked up this season. Picture: Mariola Biela
“Not only does the success help to keep our sponsors happy, it also maintains the pressure on us to do well, having set a high standard.”
She said their backers had played a critical role this year. Besides title sponsor Demacon, the team have HEAD Bikes SA as their technical sponsor.
The company distributes the world-renowned HEAD bicycle in South Africa and Burger said this had contributed to their success.
“Carla has been on her bike for a couple of months and she loves it,” said Burger. “The rest of the team received their bikes at the end of April and we are very happy.”
In addition, the team have concluded a deal with Positive Sports Solutions to be supplied with Gipiemme wheels this year. The SA company is the sole distributor of the highly-rated Italian brand in southern Africa.
Besides their sponsorship support, Burger said the team dynamic, with everyone working towards a common goal, had been the key to their success.
“We are not greedy and it does not matter who we race for on the day as each and every one puts her heart and soul into it.
“In addition, our manager, David Pieterse, and our mechanic, Stefan Oberholzer, both sacrifice a lot.
Their wins have come from Oberholzer (SA Nationals, Ride for Sight, Berge en Dale, Vulintaba Extreme, Kremetart), Kim le Court (Cape Town Cycle Tour, Emperors Palace Classic, Tour Durban, 100 Cycle Challenge) and Burger (Fast One).
