Absolute Systems/ Bulk Pack Meat cycling team participates in the last event on the Vets and Ladies
The Dome 2 Dome was the last in the Vets & Ladies SuperSeries.
The Absolute Systems/Bulk Pack Meat cycling team has dominated the series this year and the team has seen some great finishes.
Jock Green had an unassailable lead in the individual Men's category of the Dome 2 Dome. Fortunately, the team, were in a very strong position as Marco van Biljoen and Craig Harvey were unable to race, because of other commitments.
The race carried significant interest from a ladies cycling perspective. In two weeks time the S.A. Ladies team will be competing in the World Championships Road Race in Italy. The Dome 2 Dome was ideal preparation for the girls.
The early stages of the race saw plenty of aggressive riding from the Labuschagne brothers. This is always a problem for the rest of the guys because they are both riders who are capable of staying away in a race like this. Dimension Data were also riding very positively, with Martin Saunders putting in plenty of attacks.
The first real test came on the Kromdraai Road as it passes the Cradle Nature Reserve. Jock Green obliged by putting in a hard acceleration which split the bunch up completely. Only about 20 of the 60 starters made the cut at this point. The only lady to make this split was Anriette Schoeman.
The next attack came on the Hekpoort road heading up towards Maropeng. Once again, Jock Green attacked hard and split up the remaining bunch.
The lead group held a fast pace all the way down to the Tarlton Road, when the pace slowed briefly and the bunch came back together. Turning into the Tarlton road, there is a long drag, and once again Jock Green took the opportunity to attack, with Andrew Mclean and Donovan van Gelder staying with him. Various breakaways were attempted, with Martin Saunders and Gary Beneke also getting away for a significant period of time.
Heading back towards the Cradle of Humankind, the group came back together and the pace settled once again. Jock was waiting for his next opportunity, which he took on the short climb at the bottom of Sterkfontein Hill on Hendrik Potgieter. Unfortunately, a long descent after this hill brought things back together again, but this did not last for long, Jock attacked along with Andrew and this would be the telling move of the day, with about 20km left to go.
The bunch could only watch as Jock and Andrew disappeared. The pace settled down into a constant rhythm with everybody wanting to get to the finish in one piece. The last 10km saw riders that still had some strength left riding off the front of the bunch and soloing to the finish line.
Overall this was a great race, and a fitting finale to the SuperSeries. Anriette Schoeman rode superbly to finish with the front men (and take the win in the ladies category), and must be feeling very confident going into World Champs. The race was positive and aggressive, and plenty of fun. Andrew Mclean took a well- deserved win, with Jock Green second and Donovan van Gelder third.