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On a beautiful Sunday morning in October we drove to Potchefstroom to race the 3rd leg of the BSG/Engergade series. I was feeling ready for this race because the previous 2 races that went really well. I was hoping to have another good performance. The weather was perfect.
The swim was a bit tough, because there was lots of grass just below the water surface - but that also made it more fun. We started of with a bang and went full speed ahead. When we got to the grass patch in the water the pace slowed down a bit. At the 2nd last buoy, I was feeling very good and moved to the front of the pack and then I thought that this will be a good race. I had a good T1 and rushed out on the bike leg.
We were about a group of 8 in the front pack, but not all of us worked together - the rest just sat there and sucked wheel. This made us angry but there’s not much we can do. When Richard got a puncture, there we were one less to work. Then I thought……well If I’m doing a lot of work for the group - why don’t I do it for myself instead. I tried to go on a beak away but it only lasted for about 2km. My legs were broken in the end of the bike and I knew the running was going to be tough.
I had a very bad T2 and came last out of T2. So that also didn’t help my running case. But in the end I had a good run and finished 5th. I was a bit disappointed with the result but hey….that’s racing.
We will have a break this weekend, and after that we head to Midmar for the 4th round of racing.
Cheers
Rudolf
It was time for the 2nd leg of the BSG/Energade series. I was feeling good after last week’s performance and hoped that I can continue the form that I have now. It was the new venue for this series – Hartebeespoort Islands Estate.
The race was held the same time as the Rugby World Cup quarter final. A big screen was up for the spectators, but we missed it.
Wian and I did our warm up with a few jokes in between, but focussed on the race well before the start. The swim was in a canal so it was tightly compacted. We swam really hard trying to break up the group and succeeded in doing that.
On the bike it was Wian, Henri, Erhard, Abrahm, Jeff, Theo and I in the front pack. We all worked hard, but Wian was still feeling a bit ill so he stopped. The cycle route was hard with a lot of false flats and rolling hills. Entering T2 In the end it was only Abrahm, Erhard, Henri, Theo and Ieft in the group.
I had a really good T2 and came out in front. I was leading the race for a couple 100 metres when Erhard came flying past me with Abrahm close on his heels. I was in third place with Henri running next to me. We ran together for 2km then I made my move. I was feeling good so I managed to break away from him. In the end I finished in 3rd place.
I just want to thank all my sponsors for the support and I’ll see you next week at the 3rd leg of the series in Potch.
Until then
Cheers
Rudolf
It was time for the most popular series in SA – the BSG Energade series. This series consists of 7 sprint races throughout SA. The first race took place at Roodeplaat Dam just north of Pretoria.
It was a cold and wet race, which would make it very interesting. It was also my first race for my new team Teamfuturelife Protriteam. I was very excited to race for them and show them that the investment they made in me, was a good one. We received some awesome cool kit and we definitely stood out from the rest with our lime green suits and clothes, not to mention the green helmets
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| Interview - Wian and I |
Wian and I did our normal race warm up and then I was ready to start the race. The swim was fast and hard, but I felt good during the swim. With about 250m to go, I broke away from the main field and tried to catch the breakaway group. I gained on them but not enough to catch them.
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| Swim exit |
Since I had a small break on the main pack, I could have an easy transition and head out on the bike. Richard, Erhardt and I worked hard on the bike to catch the leaders. Once we caught them, we sat up a bit playing cat and mouse with the other athletes in the front pack that didn’t want to work - this left Abrahm free to fly off the front. The 3 of us worked hard to catch him but we didn’t, we only closed the gap a bit.
T2 was very fast and we headed out on the 5km run route - it was undulating with no flats, which made it really hard. I felt really good on the run building though it - going faster towards the end. I ended up coming 4th elite which was a good result for me. I was happy getting a good result with the big boys.
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| Podium |
So next week is the 2nd race of the series at Hartebeespoort Dam
Thanks to all my sponsors
Cheers
Rudolf
