Anri

Anriëtte Schoeman riding in Team Biogen Toyota colours showed true form when she won the Randfontein EPR Challenge over 120 km this weekend, breaking with the main peloton at the halfway mark to stay ahead to the finish line.

The ladies started with the Vets 50-plus, and were soon caught by the seeded men’s A bunch within 17km of the race’s start, which got mixed up with the Vets and ladies.

It was however Team Biogen Toyota’s Lizanne Naude, Anriëtte Schoeman and Joanna van der Winkel who launched constant attacks against the drags.

Then, 60km into the race, six of the Men’s Vet’s group made a break, and Schoeman reacted immediately and managed to cross over the 80 metres gap to join up with the breakaway group.

The rest of the ladies field chased the bunch furiously, but those in the break slowly managed to open up a time gap. The constant pressure however got to the breakaway seven, but with 40km to go only four riders, Schoeman included, managed stay away.

At this stage the break was three minutes ahead of the peloton, and with 30 km to go, other riders in the break called it a day and rejoined the chasing bunch, but still Schoeman remained up front, with three of the Men’s Vets.

Schoeman decided to join in the sprint to the finish and managed to finish second overall in the breakaway group, and as the first lady home in 03:17:16.

Anli Pretorius (MTN) took the bunch sprint amongst the ladies to take second spot, with Lizanne Naude (Biogen Toyota) home third.