South African Jason Oosthuizen claimed his first win in Morocco when he rode to victory in the GP Oued Eddahab in Tan-Tan last week.
The 20-year-old TEG Procycling rider completed the 134km one-day race – part of the Les Challenges de la Marche Verte series – in a time of 3:03:00.
Fellow countrymen Gustav Basson was fourth, eight seconds behind Oosthuizen, while Flavio Venceslau and Brandon Downes came 28th and 29th respectively.
South African Jason Oosthuizen won the GP Oued Eddahab in Tan-Tan, Morocco, last week. Photo: Supplied
“It’s always nice to win. It was a surprise, but I did attack a lot and race to win,” said Oosthuizen, who was runner-up in this year’s Cape Town Cycle Tour.
“I’m in good form, not the best, but good enough to race aggressively and contend.”
The Berge & Dale champion said about 60km into the race his team split up the field.
“We weren’t sure about how they race here, so we sat back and analysed first.
“Then we saw the wind was constant and the riders were getting tired so we made our move.
“We ended up with two guys out of four from our team in the break and had a few cards to play.”
Oosthuizen, who was second in this year’s Tour of Good Hope, proved strongest in the bunch sprint after numerous attacks and managed to cross the line first.
“Personally I enjoyed taking the win, while for the team it was good for the overall motivation as we head into our next races.”
The team is currently competing in the Challenge International du Sahara Marocain, which ends today.
Basson placed third in the opening stage, with Oosthuizen winning the second day.
“We’re always motivated to race to win, but we will just take it day by day and make sure we push hard.
“We’ve already achieved a lot, with me and Gustav winning a race,” said Oosthuizen, referring to Basson’s victory in the eighth edition of the Du Challenge International de la Marche Verte on June 20.
