Bianca Holtzkampf says placing second at the Paarl Cycle Tour, which took place at Fairview Wine and Cheese yesterday, came as a pleasant surprise to her.
Bianca Holtzkampf placed second at the Paarl Cycle Tour, which took place at Fairview Wine and Cheese yesterday. Photo: Supplied
“The result was unexpected given that the ladies were seeded in different bunches,” she said.
“I was disappointed to learn about this when the seedings were provided on Friday. Being placed in the third bunch, CL, put me at a slight disadvantage to the other ladies seeded above me as our group would not be of similar strength.
“Also, each bunch is different so it is impossible to say the outcome would have been the same had we all raced together.”
Ethiopia’s Trhas Tesfay, a UCI cyclist who rode in the A-bunch, won the event. “She is such a talent,” said the 41-year-old Holtzkampf.
“She was only two minutes slower than the men’s winning time. Racing against this young talent is an honour as an ageing athlete.”
Tesfay completed the 97.8km race in 2:21:43, with Holtzkampf finishing in 2:30:10.
“Last year we raced the Durbie Dash and her climbing accelerations (seated) puts the whole bunch under pressure, including the men.”
Regarding how the race unfolded, Holtzkampf said with 10km to go she could feel the nervous energy of the bunch gearing up for the fast finish.
“I made sure I was positioned towards the front on the left side to keep safe should anything happen.
“With about 5km to go there was a crash just behind our bunch and thanks to good instincts I managed to avoid it.
“I was off onto the side of the road on a gravel section and chased back to the front of the race, full of nervous energy that actually paid off well in the sprint at the end.
“The smaller bunch to the line made it possible for me to contest the sprint against the men and I was second over the line. What an amazing feeling that was.”
She said the circuit with rolling hills definitely took its toll on the riders.
“The route is very challenging with all the hills and the possibility of the Cape Doctor [south-easter] that plagues the lives of cyclists during this time of year.
“Being a power rider rather than a climber the hills suit my riding style and wind is your friend, which makes the race hard for everyone and only the powerful riders come out on top.”
Holtzkampf added that the wind stayed away and bunches tended to remain together, making positioning key.
“Fortunately the weather gods smiled down on Paarl, with only slight breezes as opposed to gusting head-winds in the second half.
“After a hard week of training I was uncertain how the legs would feel, but they felt good. This was not a race that I was targeting so the result was a bonus and a surprise.”
