Defending champion prepares for Berge-en-Dale race
Kim aiming for a hat-trick of victories
The tough Berge en Dale cycling challenge will be taking place on 24 February, and defending champion, Kim Le Court, is gearing for a hat-trick of victories.
The road race will be taking place near Krugesdorp, and, besides the main event, there will also be a 59km road race. The mountain biking component has been cancelled this year.
The race, presented by Optimum Financial Services, starts at Cradlestone Mall in Muldersdrift and is a seeding race for the Cape Town Cycle Tour taking place next month.
Le Court, the 21-year-old Demacon Women’s Team rider, has won the last two events, but admitted that the pressure will be on her during this year’s 107km feature race. “I am expecting stiff competition in the women’s race. There’s a group of strong riders in South Africa now and with the SA champs just a week ago and people looking ahead to the Cape Town Cycle Tour, everyone’s in good form and it’s going to be tough. But our main focus is to concentrate on what we want to achieve as a team” she said.
The team also includes this year’s Fast On winner, Lynette Burger, SA Road champion, Carla Oberholzer, and Heidi Dalton, and Kim explained, “We do not have a specific lead rider, but will gauge things before and during the race to make sure someone will be standing on the podium.”
Kim, who joined her family on a trip to France during the Christmas period and only resumed training early in January, said, “I still aim to do well in the Berge en Dale and having won the race twice in a row it has a special meaning for me. But I didn’t get much base training so I will just have to see how my climbing legs are, and, while winning is my goal, the main objective is to work together as a team.”
She will however get a chance to see where her fitness levels are at, when she participates in the African Continental Road Championships in Rwanda this coming weekend, where she will be riding in the 85km road race.
Kim, who has been with the Demacon team for two years, said she was enjoying being part of the team and explained, “We have some strong riders who know how to race and how to help you during a race.
We understand each other, communicate well and commit ourselves to what is decided.”
She identified the 11km climb at the beginning of the route as a key section, and said, “There is going to be a lot of pressure at the start because the bunch can often break up on the climb. That’s what we would like to happen, because it’s not great to have a big group at the top of the hill.”
Kim added that she did not want to give away any secrets pertaining to their race strategy, but said that they would try to ensure that Demacon is up front, and ends the race well.
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