Jayde Julius, second last year, secured victory with a strong performance at the 100 Cycle Challenge in Germiston, Gauteng, yesterday.
The 25-year-old said he and runner-up Steven van Heerden rode well together through the laps of the 130km course.
“With 2km to go I found myself on the front and Steven didn’t want to take over. I believed I was faster and I was confident in my sprint.
“With the wind playing in my favour, I started my sprint in front and kept myself completely to the gutter. So he needed to pass me into the wind but sat on my back wheel hoping there was a gap to go through, but the door was closed.”
ProTouch’s Jaydé Julius won the 100 Cycle Challenge in Germiston, Gauteng, today. Photo: Supplied
Julius said he was happy with his performance despite “all the drama”. He said they settled matters, which was what made the sport “so beautiful”.
“It’s adrenaline to the max, with high emotions, but we athletes respect one another’s views.”
The ProTouch rider added that it was amazing to win and he dedicated his victory to his team, saying they had worked hard training together over the last couple of weeks.
“The team rode very well together and I found myself riding away with 40km to go as they all had faith in me to finish it off.
“Every race is a goal and to win it is the cherry on top.”
Julius, who finished fourth in this year’s Cape Town Cycle Tour, added that they raced as a unit and supported each other throughout every race they started.
“If we win, we win as a team. That’s what happened today.
“Each one of our riders has their talents and it’s awesome to see one another progress as professionals and represent our country.”
He felt the standard of racing in South Africa was high and with events such as the UCI-classified 100 Cycle Challenge it was good for him to see the local field of riders reach the next level.
“It’s an awesome event and it allowed us to race with full road closures, which definitely made it appetising to compete.
“The route was great, although we would’ve liked more climbing. But with gusty winds on the day it made it hard enough as the race was split up in pieces.”
