South African road cycling champion Carla Oberholzer aims to win the Bestmed Jock Classic title to add to her Jock Tour victory of last year when she competes in Nelspruit on Saturday.
“It’s one of those bucket-list wins that I’d like to add to my list,” she said today.
The Demacon rider, who was second in the one-day, three-stage event two years ago, said the team would try to race positively.
“I haven’t had the greatest season of training. It’s my first winter in Clarens, so I’m really struggling with the cold. Time to train outside has been limited.
“Nevertheless, I haven’t taken off completely, so I’m hoping for some form.”
She added that the team, which also includes Lynette Burger and Kim le Court, would ride hard and decide which one would go for the win. Their aim was to “ride clever” over the distance.
It would be important to eat and drink enough, optimise recovery between stages, communicate and restrategise whenever necessary throughout the three stages, which range from 48km to 62km.
“Maintaining momentum can be difficult but it can also be more mental than physical. You have to be prepared to suffer from scratch with every stage start,” she told In The Bunch.
“Some riders like to cool down and warm up again. I’ll see how I feel after and before each stage and then decide how I’ll approach it.”
Oberholzer, 31, said she enjoyed races of this nature and had performed well over longer distances.
“Because [the Jock] is broken up into three stages it changes the dynamics. It becomes more like three short races, so we’ll see how it affects us. I enjoy hilly terrain so the profile also suits me rather well.”
Some riders were afraid of the Jock, so they either stayed away or entered for training purposes, or to approach it as a fun event, she said.
“The race has a long and prestigious history. People go ‘wow!’ when you say it’s something you have won. It deserves to be respected and the best way to do so is to race it.”