18/10/2011
bizhub celebrates victory at Isuzu Three Towers Mankele
Yolandi Du Toit together with her new partner Leana De Jager had cause to celebrate on Sunday after having won all three stages together with overall victory in the Isuzu Three Towers Mankele stage race.
Although this was Leana's first stage race in the colours of bizhub, the two riders with similar climbing abilities proved to be a good match from the start. With endless climbs, which suited them well, the new pairing put time into their rivals on each of the three stages
The biggest competition came from Samantha Oosthuizen and Samantha Saanders. "The two Samantha’s put up a big fight" said Yolandi. "Stage two came down to a sprint finish between the two teams, so it certainly was no walk in the park".
Caitlin De Wet and Nicci Grobler from team DEVELOP rounded off the podium in third position. "I was stuffed after this Tour!" said Nicci following the third stage. "Unfortunately I came down ill after the Renosterveld stage race and I still don't think that I've recovered fully, but still I'm happy that DEVELOP is also on the podium.
On stage one the two Samantha's set a furious pace from the start, however their early pace took its toll on the two riders and on the climbs they slipped behind the bizhub pair. "Once we dropped them Leana and I just kept our rhythm all the way to the top. Looking back we couldn’t see them any longer. We worked together taking turns up front in order to gain as much time on them as possible.We managed to stay away until the end and crossed the finish line with a lead of over 5min to the two Sam's" said a smiling Yolandi after stage one.
On stage two the route began with a long endless climb reaching the top at around 21km into the race. On the climb the bizhub pairing opened a 4 min lead with the Samanatha's in second followed by Team DEVELOP.
I don't have too much experience yet on the single track, I'm more of a marathon rider" commented Leana after the stage. "We lost all the time we had gained on the climb on the single tracks. Both Samanatha’s are good single track and cross country riders so it wasn't long before they closed the gap down on us. When we reached the final section of single track with the two Sam’s still breathing down our necks I really had to ride out of my skin to hang onto Yolandi's wheel, I even crashed in the process, but we still made it out of the section with a narrow margin over the two Sam's.
Stage Three, the shortest of the three stages, saw the bizhup pairing slip away on the climbs to open up another 5 min gap on the chasing Sam's followed by Team DEVELOP. "It was great to see Leana's technical skills improve day by day and it was evident the last day as we stayed away even on the descents" said Yolandi after the the stage. "Luckily I'm on my way home for a well deserved rest whilst Leana starts the Cape Pioneer tomorrow morning!"
The organizers Mark and Jeff put together a spectacular event with amazing routes backed up by a solid infrastructure. The tents, hot showers and food provided were some of the best found anywhere. All in all it was another great tour for both bizhub and their sister outfit DEVELOP.
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