Dylan Girdlestone says it feels great to have ended off his year on a high with a win at the Double Century in Swellendam today.
Girdlestone formed part of the Active Bodies team, which also consisted of Nico Bell, Matt Beers, Willie Smit, Clint Hendricks, David Maree, Kent Main, Chris Jooste, Steven van Heerden, Morne Van Niekerk, Jayde Julius and Alex Worsdale.
The 12-man team broke the course record in the 202km team time-trial.
“It feels great to end the year off on a high. Not always nice being the nail, but I was today, but still happy to have won and broken the record.”
The Active Bodies team won their third consecutive Double Century title in Swellendam today. Photo: Tobias Ginsberg/Volume Photography
He said they had a bit of bad luck in the first 50km when they lost Julius and when Beers picked up two punctures on the first leg.
“We also did not catch Alfa Bodyworks on the first leg, which made the second leg harder as we wanted to catch and pass them to give a mental blow to them, which we did manage to do on the second leg.
“This, in turn, made the third leg easier as we only had to maintain our lead. All of our riders were extremely strong on the day and I’m proud to be a part of the team.
“We only lost three riders, finishing with nine riders.”
Girdlestone said their strategy was to get the lead early on and maintain it thereafter.
“We successfully managed to do this.”
He felt that his team had the strongest riders in South Africa and that it was a route which suited strong men.
“We tackled the climbs steady and pushed hard on the descents and sat tightly in the crosswinds.
“The highlight was blasting our way past Alfa Bodyworks in the second leg and having a laugh with good fellows on the road.”
Girdlestone felt the win was a weight off his shoulders and it gave him motivation to kick off the new season after a well deserved break.
“Now there’s SA national champs and all of the local tours on the calendar, as well as a potential successful international programme with Officeguru.”
