Intaka Tech World's View Challenge - 1.1

South Africa, February 2-7, 2008

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Race 2 - February 3: Thornville - Polyshorts Circiut, 127.4 km

Hot and heavy conditions decimate field

By Sophie Thompson

The Italian Liquigas team made it two in a row when Leonardo Bertagnolli took the top honours in a tar-meltingly hot Sunday in the capital city on day two of the Intaka Tech World's View Challenge. Andry Grivko (Team Milram) finished second ahead of David George (MTN Team).

"Hot and heavy" is how Event Director Alec Lenferna described day two of competition. Temperatures reached 48 degrees Celsius on the Polyshorts route which was a real challenge to competitors and officials and left the spectators huddled in every available patch of shade along the race.

The route took cyclists from the City Hall out through Richmond for two laps of the Polyshorts circuit before returning to the city and doing four laps of the street circuit.

Many top cyclists succumbed to the heat and melting tar. A large gap formed between the break-away and the main peloton resulting in the main peloton being pulled at 91km to prevent them from getting lapped. Of 99 starters, only 24 completed the event.

"It was really hot out there!" said South African Christoff van Heerden (Konica Minolta) who won both King of the Mountain category climbs and the overall title for the day.

Liquigas arrived two weeks early to train and acclimatise which has stood them in good stead - its riders won today's race and yesterday's. "Our target was to win one stage - now we have won two already - so anything is possible," said yesterday's winner Manuel Quinziato. "We have a saying that there is no two without a three!" he smiled. The Italian team is upbeat about the race.

The top four women in the racing vets and ladies category repeated their performance from race one and came home in the same order as yesterday.

Tomorrow's race starts at Alexandra Park at 9:30 am local time, goes towards Wartburg and Dalton and ends again at Alexandra Park.

Results

1 Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) Team Liquigas                                      3.03.24 (41.68 km/h)
2 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Team Milram                                                  0.31
3 David George (RSA) MTN Cycling Team                                              0.34
4 Christoff Van Heerden (RSA) Konica Minolt                                        2.22
5 Christian Kux (Ger) Team Milram
6 Nicholas White (RSA) MTN Cycling Team
7 Roman Kreuzinger (Cze) Team Liquigas
8 Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Team Neotel
9 Daryl Impey (RSA) Team Barloworld
10 Peter Velits (Svk) Team Milram                                                  2.33
11 Malcolm Lange (RSA) MTN Cycling Teama                                           4.40
12 Johann Rabie (RSA) Team Neotel
13 Richard Baxter (RSA) House Of Paint
14 Marco Velo (Ita) Team Milram                                                   10.58
15 Ciaran Power (Irl) Pezula Racing
16 Waylon Woolcock (RSA) MTN Cycling Team                                         14.11
17 Michael Van Staaden (RSA) Intaka Tech - South African Developement Team
18 Kieran Page (GBr) Pezula Racing
19 Dennis Van Niekerk (RSA) Konica Minolta
20 Travis Allen (RSA) Konica Minolta

King Of The Mountain

1 Christoff Van Heerden (Team Konica Minolta)
2 Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (Neotel Team)
3 Daryl Impey (Team Barloworld)

Women

1 Marissa Van Der Merwe (MTN Team)
2 Lynette Burger
3 Cherisa Taylor
4 Chrissie Viljoen
5 Isabel Moolman
 
Veterans

1 Jaco Ferriar
2 Andrew Maclean
3 Jock Green
4 Graham Cronje
5 Andrew Van Biljoen