Thursday, 15 September 2011 11:01
SA youth riders make presence felt on the Isle of Man
Three quality junior road cyclists Jayde Julius, James Fourie and Emile Jacobs together with mechanic Abongile Mazula were selected as part of a 72-person team representing South Africa at the 2011 Isle of Man Commonwealth Youth Games, that took place from 9 to 11 September. The riders were selected on experience and current form from their Belgian base.
Racing began with the Time Trial on Friday in strong winds and coupled with a wet road surface didn’t make for great racing conditions. The fastest time was posted by Australian Alex Morgan at 9:00 with James finishing 13th over the 7.5km circuit, which had a small hill to add some excitement. Jayde finished 23rd and Emile 38th.
Jayde made his presence felt in the road race the following day, attacking on lap 3 of 13 and forcing a break of 9 riders but it was difficult at the front at 10-minutes per 7km lap. Despite the breaks and counter attacks the group remained together until the sprint, where the track experience of the Australians got the better of everyone. James and Emile (in the chase group) were just not strong enough to bridge the gap and eventually sat up and rode to the finish as a group. They were almost lapped, reflecting the strength of the lead group.
Sunday’s criterium was an exciting affair on the 800m circuit that experienced a few crashes – Emile being a victim of one that ruled him out of the race. Again Jayde was in the breakaway and raced hard with the bunch of 9 riders – the same group as the day before. The format was 50-minutes plus 5 laps and at the 45-minute mark, an Australian broke away and stayed ahead while his teammates shielded the group with every attack – the chasing group was left to fight for the bronze and silver, which Jayde missed out on in the sprint by a mere quarter wheel. James was in the third group and was pulled off the course so as not to be a risk for the chasing group in the sprint toward the finish.
Two top-ten performances by Jayde and two top-twenty results by James was a credible finish for the boys, with Jayde’s racing mindset and ability reflecting great progress being based in Belgium. Well done to the boys for delivering their best and maintaining a professional attitude at all times.
Time Trial – Men
1 Alex Morgan (AUS) 09:00
2 Jack Beckinsdale (AUS) 09:11
3 Jon Dibben (ENG) 09:17
4 Owain Doull (WALES) 09:17
5 Robert McCarthy (AUS) 09:35
13 James Fourie (RSA) 09:54
23 Jayde Julius (RSA) 10:21
38 Emile Jacobs (RSA) 11:32
Team Time Trial – Men
1 AUSTRALIA: Jack Beckinsdale / Caleb Ewan / Robert McCarthy / Alex Morgan – 18:11
2 ENGLAND: Jon Dibben / Matthew Holmes / Sam Lowe – 18:56
3 CANADA: Elliott Doyle / Simon-Pierre Gauthier / Charles Matte / David Onsow – 19:27
4 WALES: Owain Doull / Dan Pearson – 19:31
5 NORTHERN IRELAND: Matthew Adair / Daniel Stewart – 19:54
7 SOUTH AFRICA: James Fourie / Emile Jacobs / Jayde Julius – 20:15
Road Race – Men
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) 2:34:27
2 Owain Doull (WALES) 2:34:27
3 Jack Beckinsdale (AUS) 2:34:27
4 Jon Dibben (ENG) 2:34:27
5 Jayde Julius (RSA) 2:34:27
17 James Fourie (RSA) 2:27:26
23 Emile Jacobs (RSA) @2 laps
Team Road Race – Men
1 AUSTRALIA: Jack Beckinsdale / Caleb Ewan / Robert McCarthy / Alex Morgan
2 ENGLAND: Jon Dibben / Matthew Holmes / Sam Lowe
3 WALES: Owain Doull / Dan Pearson
4 SOUTH AFRICA: James Fourie / Emile Jacobs / Jayde Julius
5 SCOTLAND: Jack Barrett / Grant Ferguson / Taylor Johnstone / Stuart McCluskey
Criterium – Men
1 Robert McCarthy (AUS) 57:12
2 Jon Dibben (ENG) 57:45
3 Jack Beckinsdale (AUS) 57:45
4 Owain Doull (WALES) 57:46
5 Grant Ferguson (SCO) 57:46
6 Jayde Julius (RSA) 57:48
19 James Fourie (RSA) @27 laps
35 Emile Jacobs (RSA) @39 laps
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