Theuns van der Bank was pleasantly surprised to win the Paarl Cycle Tour in the Western Cape today, as he is not considered a sprinter.
Theuns van der Bank was pleasantly surprised to win the Paarl Cycle Tour in the Western Cape today, as he is not considered a sprinter. Photo: Raymond Cox
“We missed the entries and could not enter the whole team. Our sprinter could not race and we knew that this race usually ends in a bunch sprint,” he said.
Van der Bank was correct as the 97.8km race did end in a sprint, with him beating George Perrins and Bizaye Redae to the line.
“We were outnumbered from the start, with only two guys in the race. We knew the Mad Macs riders would try and give us a hard time.
“We waited until Lady Loch and then put the pressure on the rollers, which didn’t work. We tried getting away a few times after that with no luck due to the perfect weather conditions.
“I told my teammate David Garrett he must just make sure he is represented in all the moves so that I can sit and try and rest for the sprint.
“A UCI rider got away close to the end. Mad Macs had the numbers in the bunch and had to do the chasing. I just followed wheel in a messy sprint, and luckily my track skills helped me a lot. Everything just opened up for me with 300m to go and I could launch my sprint.”
He added that he had a comfortable ride throughout and was never under any real pressure.
“David did a great job looking after me,” said Van der Bank, who is part of the Hartlief Deli p/b Powerbar team.
The 34-year-old, who won his vets category in the road race and time-trial at the recent Western Cape Provincial Champs, added that the route was flat and fast, which was not really his strength.
“The fact that there was no wind also made it easy. Luckily I still have some speed left after Paarl 6 and Paarl Boxing Day.”
The Brackenfell local felt all in all the event was very well organised, with few obstacles.
“The only one was the traffic police vehicle that stood in the road with 500m to go. Luckily it was a double lane so the bunch just kept left.
“The best part of the event for me was the last 10km, when everyone wanted to be in the front. So it was a lot of argy-bargy, which always makes for an exciting finish.”
