For Timo Cooper, claiming his first Summer Fast One title in Johannesburg yesterday provided a big mental boost as he looks ahead to the rest of the season.
Cooper, who recently joined the Darkhorse Wheels Pro Cycling team, said it felt great to win his first race of 2020.
“It’s always good to start the season on a high note.”
He said physically he felt well prepared for the race as he knew he had put in the necessary hard work during the off-season.
“Mentally I was a bit nervous going into the event. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get good results.”
Timo Cooper claimed his first Summer Fast One title in Johannesburg yesterday. Photo: Supplied
Being the first race of the season, Cooper said he was not sure who would be fast on the day.
“I was surprised to see the level out there. Everyone was strong and wanted to make the race hard.
“I rode my own race and stuck to the plan I set out before the start.”
Cooper said this race started fast, with a large group of riders together until about the 10km mark.
“I stayed at the front of the race as much as possible to stay out of trouble and set a pace I’m comfortable with.
“We then hit the first singletrack of the day that consisted of a slight uphill drag. I went to the front again and set a pace I could manage, but I was also hoping to make the group a bit smaller.
“At the top of the drag I was glad to see the group was a bit smaller, with about seven riders. I kept putting in small and hard efforts to split up the group and eventually rode away about 24km into the race once the real climbing started.
“From there, over the KOM, and tackling some amazing singletrack, I kept it steady to the finish line.”
Cooper said fortunately he did not encounter many challenges other than the pivot bolt on his bike coming loose a few times.
“I forgot to put lock tight on the pivot bolt – my mistake.
“Positives must definitely be the route. This event has one of the best routes out there, with amazing trails.
“The course was perfect for me: flat and fast in the beginning with some steep climbs in the middle. I really enjoyed it.”
