Team Biogen Toyota’s Anriette Schoeman made history on Sunday when she won the women’s category at the 109km Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour for a record sixth time.
The 32-year-old Port Elizabeth-based professional outsprinted a strong international field to clock a winning time of three hours and six minutes. Robyn de Groot (MTN Energade) finished second with British rider Catherine Williamson (Team Bizhub) rounding out the podium places.
Until this year, Schoeman shared the record of five victories with former South African professional, Willie Engelbrecht, who recorded his wins in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But Sunday’s win makes her the most prolific Elite category race winner of South Africa’s highest profile race.
“It has been one of my goals to break that five-win record and I’m
so happy to have achieved it. I have to pinch myself to believe it,” said an ecstatic Schoeman afterwards.“I had a knee operation in January and at one point I didn’t think I’d even be able to race ‘The Argus’ this year. But I trained hard to peak for this race and I’m very happy to have been able to win. Both for myself and my team.”
Schoeman was riding with a diminished team after Ashleigh Moolman (broken collarbone) and Lynette Burger (reconstructive facial surgery) were forced out by recent crashes. She wasn’t considered a strong pre-race favourite, but her experience helped as she positioned herself perfectly to outgallop her rivals by more than a bike length.
Schoeman immediately dedicated her victory to the memory of the victims of the horrific incident that claimed the lives of three cyclists in Oudtshoorn last week.
“It was something that could have been avoided and is very tragic. Motorists need to be more aware of cyclists and cyclists need to be more respectful of the rules of the road,” said Schoeman, who has been injured more than once after being hit by motorists while training.
Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour 2010
Cape Town, South Africa; 109km
Leading results
1 Anriette Schoeman (RSA) Biogen Toyota 03hrs 06min 00sec
2 Robyn de Groot (RSA) MTN Energade
3 Catherine Williamson (ENG) Team Bizhub
4 Cherise Taylor (RSA) Team Nashua
5 Joanna van de Winkel (RSA) Biogen Toyota
6 Jennie Stenerhag (SWE) Alpha Pharm
7 Marissa van der Merwe (RSA) MTN Energade
8 Chrissie Viljoen (RSA) MTN Energade
9 Mariske Strauss (RSA) MTN Energade
10 Fabiana Luperine (ITA) Selle Italia Ghezi
