09 May 2012 Van Wyk thrilled with victory at African Continental Championships, Mauritius
The 2012 African Continental Championships was held on the lovely island of Mauritius on the 5th of May. Team bizhub-FCF’s Junior Linda Van Wyk participated in the ...
My Diary ... Victoria Myburgh
The weekend on 28&29 August saw the Durban Track Grand Prix followed by the CSA
Interprovincial track event being held at the Cyril Goeghegan Track in Durban. There
was a massive field of riders for the mens racing, as well as a field of the usual
dangerous ladies riders. The weather looked good from the beginning of the weekend
and was sure to be conducive to fast racing.
This would be my first track event racing in the colours of Bizhub and I was keen
to carry over my track background into successes for my new team.
Unusually, the racing began with the shortened 5km Scratch race (international standard
for ladies is 20km but grand prix events focus on shortened events so that riders
can compete in a vareity of events through the day). Normally the grand prixs get
going with the sprint events, however I was glad to get going with something that
suited me as an endurance rider.
Joanne van der Westhuisen spent the weekend hellbent on making the racing exciting
and hard, and she and I spent the scratch race putting in hard attacks trying to
get away. After a few unsuccessful attacks, I finally managed to put in a solid
attack with 7laps to go. There was a pumping headwind down the back straight, but
in the flurry of racing one didn't notice it all that much. Maroesjka Matthee of
Intellibus put in the best part of the chase and caught me coming out of turn 4
in the last straight. I just didn't have the legs for the sprint ands had to settle
for 2nd with Jo in 3rd.
Following this we raced the keiren, and event characterised by a motorbike pacing
the field for the first 4laps (the event being raced on a 333m track in Durban).
The motorbike was ridden by Sean Edwards, who did a proper job of riding the bike
to international race standards, and pulled of the track at 50km an hour. The pace
was hot. And I was undergeared. The sprint was taken by the more heavily geared
Wenhold and Matthee, and I spun in, in 3rd place.
After a but of confusion at luch time where I consumed a chicken roll only seconds
before our points race, the commissaires kindly decided to postpone the race and
later on combine our 10km points race with that of the vets men, a prospect which
I relished as it meant proper, fast racing. I struggled to find my legs the first
few sprints (the points race is an event contested over a set distance, but the
winner is determined by the rider who gains the most points in the intermediary
sprints which are contested, in the case of this race, once a kilometer) however
by the second or third last sprint I had managed to ride off all but 1 man and we
rode in to the finish together. I finished in second on points among the men, and
was the highest placed lady for the event.
The final event of the day, the 1500m was held when it had begun to get rather cold
and windy. Nobody really wanted to be there anymore and so the pace was constant,
untill Joanne got a bee in the bonnet and put in a solid attack, which was sadly
closed down considering how hard she had worked during the day. The race was again
taken by Wenhold, followed by Matthee and me, very glad to be done for the day,
in 3rd.
Sundays racing was the return of the CSA interprovincial event. The ladies present
were the same as the previous day, and had been selected to represent their respective
provinces.
We started off with an elimination race, where a sprint on each lap sees the last
rider of the event eliminated. Here Joanne van der Westhuizen rode away to win the
race and put points on the board for Central Gauteng.
Following this was the inevitable 1500m, an event unique to South Africa, almost
like a keiren event without a motorbike. My legs were super flat and I was only
too glad when it was over. I spent the afternoon fuelling myslef up with caffeine
and by the time the scratch race came I was feeling sharp again.
Central Gauteng team (van der Westhuizen, Wenhold and I) did some pre-race planning.
Joanne attacked after 2laps and a lap or so later, after none of the other provinces
were interested in chasing Annerine and I rode across to Jo. Upon making contact
it was obvious that Annerine wasn't strong enough to stay in the break, and knowing
that central Gauteng was sure to win the event and take second and third; and to
prevent myself coming second best in a sprint against the 2fastest girls around,
I rode away to win the 7.5km scratch.
All in, it was a successful weekend of racing, with Central Gauteng winning the
inter-provincial. It all bodes well for the upcoming MTN madison day which I will
race in Johannesburg at Hector Norris park on 11September, and I hope to use that
as preparation for some good racing at the SA TRack Championships at Belvillie Velodrome,
Cape town on 2-4October.
Until then, see you on the road!
Joanne van der Westhuisen spent the weekend hellbent on making the racing exciting
and hard, and she and I spent the scratch race putting in hard attacks trying to
get away. After a few unsuccessful attacks, I finally managed to put in a solid
attack with 7laps to go. There was a pumping headwind down the back straight, but
in the flurry of racing one didn't notice it all that much. Maroesjka Matthee of
Intellibus put in the best part of the chase and caught me coming out of turn 4
in the last straight. I just didn't have the legs for the sprint ands had to settle
for 2nd with Jo in 3rd.
Following this we raced the keiren, and event characterised by a motorbike pacing
the field for the first 4laps (the event being raced on a 333m track in Durban).
The motorbike was ridden by Sean Edwards, who did a proper job of riding the bike
to international race standards, and pulled of the track at 50km an hour. The pace
was hot. And I was undergeared. The sprint was taken by the more heavily geared
Wenhold and Matthee, and I spun in, in 3rd place.
After a but of confusion at luch time where I consumed a chicken roll only seconds
before our points race, the commissaires kindly decided to postpone the race and
later on combine our 10km points race with that of the vets men, a prospect which
I relished as it meant proper, fast racing. I struggled to find my legs the first
few sprints (the points race is an event contested over a set distance, but the
winner is determined by the rider who gains the most points in the intermediary
sprints which are contested, in the case of this race, once a kilometer) however
by the second or third last sprint I had managed to ride off all but 1 man and we
rode in to the finish together. I finished in second on points among the men, and
was the highest placed lady for the event.
The final event of the day, the 1500m was held when it had begun to get rather cold
and windy. Nobody really wanted to be there anymore and so the pace was constant,
untill Joanne got a bee in the bonnet and put in a solid attack, which was sadly
closed down considering how hard she had worked during the day. The race was again
taken by Wenhold, followed by Matthee and me, very glad to be done for the day,
in 3rd.
Sundays racing was the return of the CSA interprovincial event. The ladies present
were the same as the previous day, and had been selected to represent their respective
provinces.
We started off with an elimination race, where a sprint on each lap sees the last
rider of the event eliminated. Here Joanne van der Westhuizen rode away to win the
race and put points on the board for Central Gauteng.
Following this was the inevitable 1500m, an event unique to South Africa, almost
like a keiren event without a motorbike. My legs were super flat and I was only
too glad when it was over. I spent the afternoon fuelling myslef up with caffeine
and by the time the scratch race came I was feeling sharp again.
Central Gauteng team (van der Westhuizen, Wenhold and I) did some pre-race planning.
Joanne attacked after 2laps and a lap or so later, after none of the other provinces
were interested in chasing Annerine and I rode across to Jo. Upon making contact
it was obvious that Annerine wasn't strong enough to stay in the break, and knowing
that central Gauteng was sure to win the event and take second and third; and to
prevent myself coming second best in a sprint against the 2fastest girls around,
I rode away to win the 7.5km scratch.
All in, it was a successful weekend of racing, with Central Gauteng winning the
inter-provincial. It all bodes well for the upcoming MTN madison day which I will
race in Johannesburg at Hector Norris park on 11September, and I hope to use that
as preparation for some good racing at the SA TRack Championships at Belvillie Velodrome,
Cape town on 2-4October.
Until then, see you on the road!
