After being forced to end her 2009 season prematurely because of a broken collarbone, Ashleigh Moolman (Biogen Toyota) made a triumphant return to racing on Sunday when she won the Pick n Pay The Star Fast One 103km road cycling race south of Johannesburg. The Stellenbosch-based rider confirmed that she’s not just a strong climber when she outsprinted a large lead pack in the popular race, which started at Nasrec and finished at Vanderbijlpark. Cherise Taylor (Nashua) and Carla Swart (MTN Energade) finished second and third respectively.
“It was great to win my first race back,” smiled Moolman. “I was a bit nervous as there was patchy rain, the roads were wet and there were a few potholes. But the pack rode very predictably and we got to the final turn safely.”
There were plenty of attacks in the race, but the absence of a strong wind or any significant ascents ensured that none of the attacks were successful and a 26-rider strong group remained to contest the final, gradual uphill dash for the finish line.
“Our Biogen Toyota team rode quite defensively because we only had four riders in the race, while MTN Energade had nine and Konica Minolta had eight,” explained Moolman. “Because it was quite a long sprint, it suited me perfectly. I sat on Lynette’s (Burger) wheel for a leadout and then timed my kick just right.”
Moolman’s team captain, Lynette Burger, the current South African road champion and also a noted sprinter, snapped a spoke within sight of the finish line, but she’d done enough to give Moolman the perfect springboard from which to launch her winning move.
2010 Pick n Pay The Star Fast One
Sunday 24 January, 103km, Nasrec–Vanderbijlpark
Leading results:
1 Ashleigh Moolman (RSA – Biogen Toyota) 02hr35min51sec
2 Cherise Taylor (RSA – Nashua)
3 Carla Swart (USA – MTN Energade)
4 Susanne Ljungskog (SWE – MTN Energade)
5 Sanet Smal (RSA)
6 Jeaun-Mari Breytenbach (RSA – Nashua)
7 Lisa Vermaak (RSA)
8 Marissa van der Merwe (RSA – MTN Energade)
9 Charlotte van der Merwe (RSA – Nashua)
10 Lizanne Naude (RSA – Biogen Toyota) all same time
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