Amashova cycling ends in style
Hoffman, who hails from Franschhoek crossed the finish line in just 02:25:16 after setting off with a field of just under 12 000 riders from the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 06h45 am.
The first woman to complete the gruelling 106 km race was Kim Le Court from Velo Life Time Freight in a time of 02:58:00.
Hoffman, who has now won the Tsogo Sun Amashova three years in a row, said that he was very proud of his team’s efforts.
“I am happy to have pulled off the win again and it shows that doing our homework worked in our favour. We also kept our cool along the route and it came down to the last 500m where we had to act fast and of course my instinct kicked into use all I had to sprint to the finish” he added.
Hoffman said he is confident after this victory ahead of his next big event in Amsterdam.
''I'm happy to have gotten the contract to go back to Amsterdam, for me it's a great honour to be part of the best cyclists in the world, and obviously from this week having won the race today, has just given me more confidence to put on a great show in Amsterdam'', he added.
Hoffman’s past wins include:
U/23 SA Road Champion 2007
2007 1st Lost City Classic, 1st Telkom Satellite & 1st OFM Classic
2008 1st Dome 2 Dome Classic, 1st Stage 9 Tour of Korea
2009 1st Stage 1 Tour of Korea, 3rd Argus Cycle Tour
2012/2013 Amashova Durban Cycle Classic
2014 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Momentum Cycle Tour
Then in the Ladies Elite Category, Kim Le Court, from Mauritius took first place and was very excited since it was her first big win.
“I found this race very challenging and am very grateful to my team for providing me the assistance on the route,” she said.
In its 28th year the Tsogo Sun Amashova Durban Classic is not only the oldest classic cycle race in South Africa but also one of the premier cycling events in KwaZulu-Natal.
Race organiser, Right On the Night, prides itself on the fact that this is regarded as one of the safest events on the South African cycling calendar.
Annie Batchelder, who heads up Right On the Night, said that this year’s Amashova introduced a number of important firsts.
Top of this list was the addition of Tsogo Sun as the event’s title sponsor.
New features introduced this year included corporate challenges, a hosting village at the finish line at Suncoast and a timed criterium lap race which unfortunately didn’t take place yesterday (October 11) due to inclement weather.
The 1km and 5km mini shova presented by Spur for children was also re-introduced this year with hundreds of entrants.
Batchelder thanked all who had contributed towards making the event a huge success that it was.
The final results are as follows:
Men’s Elite:
1. Nolan Hoffman (02:25:16)
2. Meron Teshome Hagos (02:25:16)
3. Ryan Gibbons (02:25:17)
4. Herman Fouche (02:25:17)
5. Calvin Beneke (02:25:17)
Junior Men (U16):
1. Ruben Pearson (02:47:35)
2. Ryan Harris (03:06:46)
3. Emri Vorster (03:06:46)
Junior U23 Men:
1. Meron Teshome Hagos (02:25:16)
2. Ryan Gibbons (02:25:17)
3. Calvin Beneke (02:25:17)
Vets Men 30 – 39:
1. Franco Ferreira (02:42:05)
2. Shaun Mackenzie (02:43:00)
3. Quintin Myburgh (02:44:08)
Vets Men 40– 49:
1. Stefano Madies (02:42:11)
2. Johann Naude (02:42:12)
3. Buzz Neveling (02:42:17)
Vets Men 50-59:
1. Paul Kraus (02:44:01)
2. Jorge Faria (02:44:01)
3. Jackie Van Eeden (02:44:01)
Ladies Elite:
1. Kim Le Court (Velo Life Time Freight) (02:58:00)
2. Lise Olivier (Velo Life Time Freight) (02:59:50)
3. Juanita Venter (03:03:12)
4. Charlene Roux (03:06:10)
5. Greer Wynn (03:06:11)
Tandem:
1. Casper Kruger and Andre Van Bavel (02:48:08)
2. Darrell Seed and David Duke (02:48:09)
3. Mike Rook and Darren Park (03:05:24)
Tandem mixed:
1. 1.Jana Schoeman and Grant Shepherd (02:48:09)
2. 2.Heather Watson and AC Swanepoel (02:48:11)
3. 3.David Pieterse and Lynette Burger (02:57:16)
(Photo: Supplied)
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