Anriette Schoeman will make her return to competitive road cycling in the Herald Cycle Tour road race in Gqeberha on Sunday. Image: Supplied
Road cyclists from across South Africa will descend on Gqeberha's stunning coastline for the 36th edition of the The Herald Cycle Tour on Sunday.
After missing the 2021 event due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some of the country's finest professional riders are set to battle it out in the traditional feature race – the 106km Classic – that gets underway at 6am.
The event, hosted by Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, will take place over two days, featuring 2km and 500m junior races as well as a special activation on Saturday before the attention turns to the 106km and 55km Pursuit events on Sunday.
"We are delighted to be hosting The Herald Cycle Tour together with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality after a break of one year due to Covid-19 restrictions," The Herald general manager Ryan Megaw said this week.
"The support from riders this year has been phenomenal, which shows that there is a pent-up need to get out and compete again after the recent restrictions.
"Our aim over the next few years is to continue the event's growth trajectory with the support of our committed sponsors and ensure that we continue to give back to the community that supports us by making this a world-class event."
The 2018 Classic winner, Clint Hendricks, will be aiming to add another title to his collection in one of his favourite races.
"As I said in 2018 when I won the race, this is such a special race and I believe that it should be talked about alongside some of the other big races we have on the cycling calendar in SA. It is certainly one of my favourite races to be a part of," he said.
With precious little racing on his plate over the last two years, Hendricks said it was mentally very tough to deal with.
"I went through a very bad patch when the pandemic hit and we were put into lockdown.
"I always knew that I would ride again, but I wasn't sure of the extent or if I would race professionally.
"It did cross my mind to retire from the sport completely, but it was not the way I wanted to exit the sport, I didn't want to be forced out by a pandemic, I wanted to leave on my own terms," the Team Enza Pro Cycling rider said.
Hendricks is pleased with his form coming into the event and the Paarl-based sprinter hopes to put all his skills on show.
Meanwhile, well-known Gqeberha cyclist Anriette Schoeman, who won the race in 2017 before three second-place finishes in 2018, 2019 and 2020, claimed second place at the Herald Cycle Tour Mountain Bike Race at the weekend and will test her limits as she goes for title number 18 in the 106km event.
"I am very excited to do the race but, to be honest, I have not really done any racing since last year March.
"It's also my first road race since my knee operation in September which had me on crutches for six weeks till the end of October," the Strada Solar-Africa Silks rider said.
Schoeman, who has begun her transition away from the realm of professional cycling to focus on her new career, said she did not have the preparation she would like going into the race, but was still looking forward to going out and having a good race.
"I am busy studying and working at the same time to become a piano technician and tuner.
"I honestly did not have any expectations going into the mountain bike race last week and it will be the same this week. I want to support the events because I just love The Herald Cycle Tour," she said.
"As the race got going last week, I tried to figure out what I did have and what I didn't, then just raced with that, spread the effort nice and evenly, and it all worked out in the end.
"This weekend will be a different race entirely. It will require a lot more high-end anaerobic effort, almost like 110 per cent effort a lot of the time."
