Nolan Hoffman again demonstrated his sprinting prowess to win the opening stage of the Takealot Tour of Good Hope cycle race for the second year in a row.
South Africa’s premier road tour got under way in inclement weather near Paarl in the Cape Winelands, but it still produced a fast pace as the riders attacked the short 58.5km first stage.
Riding for Team Enza after securing a sponsorship with Enza Construction, Hoffman edged his rivals in the final sprint, finishing in 1:18:18.
Renowned sprinter Nolan Hoffman celebrates his win on the opening stage of 58.5km in the Takealot Tour of Good Hope road cycle race near Paarl in the Cape Winelands today. Photo: Henk Neuhoff Photography
He was followed by Ryan Harris (TEG Procycling) and Graeme Ockhuis (All4Security).
Hoffman praised his team for closing the gap on Cycle Power’s Orion Craig, who broke away about halfway through the stage, and said they could not have asked for a better result for their new sponsor.
“With about 3km to go, Gustav Basson from TEG Procycling attacked and my teammate Steven van Heerden had to chase really hard to bring him back,” said Hoffman, who will defend his Cape Town Cycle Tour title on Sunday.
“We caught him just before the last kilometre and I then got on the wheel of a TEG rider and was able to time it perfectly in the end.”
Earlier, Hoffman said they had taken the breakaway by Craig seriously, describing him as a dangerous competitor.
Defending champion Ariane Luthi crosses the line to win the opening stage of 58.5km in the women’s category of the Takealot Tour of Good Hope road cycle race near Paarl in the Cape Winelands today. Photo: Full Stop Communications
“We know that he is a strong guy and we couldn’t let him get too far up the road.
“It was well within the last 10km that we managed to close him down and ultimately I must pay tribute to my teammates for the stage win.”
He added that securing a sponsor had motivated the team to produce something special.
“It’s incredible to start like this and shows that we have done the hard work. To deliver [a stage win] for the boys when they take the responsibility is an awesome feeling.”
In the women’s race, defending champion Ariane Luthi sent out a signal to her rivals by winning the opening stage in 1:40:06, ahead of Liezel Jordaan and Catherine Colyn.
