Tweet this page
Login or Sign up
Kameelfontein success for Johnston and Team inov-8 at fourth round of Momentum Health i-Flex National Duathlon SeriesMonday, 13 June 2011 08:15 Blessing in disguise at fourth round of Momentum Health i-Flex National Duathlon SeriesA venue change due to renovations at the Roodeplaat Dam entrance proved to be a blessing in disguise for a record field of over 500 adults, teenagers and toddlers that turned up to tackle the fourth leg of the 2011 Momentum Health i-Flex National Duathlon Series. Add to this the flawless sunshine conditions after a week of freezing rain, and the day was even sweeter for lovers of multisport. The new start from Kameelfontein Primary School took the main field of 432 through the Kameelfontein area on a 5km run, 40km bike and 2.5km run to the finish. At the head of the field, five men showed their intentions from the opening 5km run. Theo Blignaut, Series leader Brand du Plessis, Abrahm Louw, World Student Games track star Johan Pretorius and relative dark horse Travis Johnston had a single aim: to finish the first run in the lead pack and get onto the bike with the other leaders to work together on the draft-legal bike. Being allowed to ride in bunches makes for quicker pacing on the bike. Riding solo can be 15-20% slower. Abrahm Louw took 10km to ride back into contention with the four ahead and once this five-man group formed, they paced hard to increase the gap on Chris Felgate and Jeanne-Pierre ten Napel. It was not about teamwork to the end, though, as no-one wanted to risk giving free reign on the run to speed merchant Pretorius. It was no surprise then that his four former teammates worked hard to shed him on the first long uphill after the Zambezi Drive turnaround at 30km. Blignaut showed he wasn't going to give the others an armchair ride to the run transition with a big jump on the final climb, but the others were having none of it. Despite excellent road traffic control on the day, a vehicle did get between Theo Blignaut and Travis Johnstone (who had flashed through the gates of the school first, a second apart) and chaser Brand du Plessis. This little lead would prove to be decisive for third place. Blignaut led Johnstone out onto the run as fast as he could, the little uphill before the left turn left onto Kameelfontein making their quad muscles feel like jelly. Surprise of the day came when Johnston went past Blignaut within the first 500m and did not ease off the pace, posting an unofficial winning time of 1:31:17, just 16 seconds ahead of his rival. Both men ran the final 2.5km in under 9 minutes (8:32 and 8:53 respectively). Du Plessis was another 29 seconds adrift in 1:32:02. If the men's race was unpredictable and a good way to lose betting money, the women's race was the opposite. The two Team inov-8 friends who have shown remarkable consistency at local races and increasingly bold international results, youngster Carlyn Fischer and more experienced training partner Carla van Huyssteen, ran the opening 5km shoulder to shoulder, with the grace of gazelles. About a minute back, Alae Brand from Cape Town battled the effects of several day's duty at her post as a hospital doctor. As expected, the pair's lead continuted to grow over the 40km up and down bike course and they entered bike-run transition (known as T2) together, Fischer getting out slightly ahead and running just 14 seconds faster than van Huyssteen. The first four women (the other two were Brand and Rhodé Snyman) all ran the closing 2.5km in under 11 minutes. Full results on www.spectrumsport.co.za Official Series website www.duathlon.co.za Series overview Fourth year (started 2008) Total series prizemoney in excess of R300,000 Three events are off-road (5km run / 30km mountain bike / 2.5km run - timed as one event) Three events are road (5km run / 40km cycle / 2.5km run - timed as one event) Duathlon is run + bike + run (timed as one continuous event from the time you start the first run to the time you cross the finish line on the second run) Team option: Yes Categories: Open, Age 40-49, 50+ Prizemoney: The Grand Prix system awards 20 points for a win, 19 points for second etc. At the end of the Series, a bonus of R10,000 prizemoney is awarded to the winning man and the winning woman, R6,000 for second and R4,000 for third. See www.duathlon.co.za for more Medals: Only for Kiddies race Kids distances 1km run / 5km cycle / 1km run Goodie bag: New Balance moisture management t-shirt, Vit-T-Go energy supplements, Go Multi magazine (total value approx R300) Spot prizes: New Balance products, Rudy Project eyewear, PeptoPro and PeptoSport protein peptide products, Go Multi magazine subscriptions Race website www.duathlon.co.za Enter online www.cyclelab.co.za Online fees: R155 individual, R210 team, R50 kiddies, R80 kiddies team On the day entries: R200 / R250 / R60 / R100 Enquiries: Andre de Beer 082 490 5061 Televised on SuperSport 2011 Series dates: Event 1: Sun 27 Feb, Waterfall Country Estate, JHB (off-road) Event 4: Sun 12 Jun, Roodeplaat Dam, Pretoria (road) Event 5: Sun 24 Jul, Holla Trails, Umhlali, 40 minutes north of Durban (off-road)
|
