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12th Giro del Capo - 2.5
South Africa, March 11-15, 2003
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Stage 5 - March 15: Signal Hill ITT, 5 km
Team Barloworld crowns it all
By Jean-François Quénet in Cape Town
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David George (Barloworld) has faced up to his responsibilities in winning the final time trial and the overall in the Giro del Capo for the second time in a row. The pressure was on his shoulders as he and his team defended a leader's jersey that he didn't have for four days. He could have been affected by the difficult weather conditions - it was raining in Cape Town and the top of Signal Hill was in the middle of a cloud. The commissaires even considered shortening the 5.5 km stage, but the riders coming back from their warm-up said it was fine.
George was a bit scared though as the visibility was very poor for the last two kilometres. "It was a bit tricky, he admitted. I didn't know what was going on. I was hoping that no one was riding back down and not watching in a curve. But it went all right."
A year ago, George clocked the record time of 12:00 in sunny conditions. This time, the wind prevented him from going as fast but he still had an average speed of 26.72 km/h, which is absolutely impressive in this gruelling climb.
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Also impressive was his teammate Jaco Odendaal's ride. The 21 year old Barloworld rider lost the stage to George by less than one second. "I'm very happy with the way I rode up this hill and I can't be disappointed because the stage win is in my team," said a delighted Odendaal, who jumped on the final podium with a third place. He was 42 seconds down on George at the end, that's exactly the deficit he had on stage 1 because he was involved in a crash with one kilometre to go.
With Odendaal, Team Barloworld has the jewel of South African cycling. This rider has many similarities to Michael Boogerd. He's a climber in the making and it'll be very interesting to see him race in Europe under the guidance of Michel Gros, because he has a lot to learn about cycling. He's far from having reached his peak.
Darren Lill from HSBC was the other young guy who had a very good ride. He defended his pink jersey the best he could and lost only 25 seconds on George. Further down the list, coming from the track, Luke Roberts can be happy with a fourth place overall. Fifth was Jonathan Dayus from Team Ringerike - a very good result for his first race as a professional, but he could have made the final podium with a proper warm-up before the time trial. This Englishman may create some surprises this year.
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For Team Barloworld, this is the second win in two UCI stage races since the team was created. Tiaan Kannemeyer opened the team's historical record book by winning the Tour of Egypt two weeks ago. "To win the Giro del Capo is what we expected," team manager John Robertson commented. "We were riding for David and Jaco, it's a pity that Jaco had a crash on day one. Apart from that, everything went according to the plan. I'm proud with the way we did it."
"We surprised a few people by taking all the responsibilities for the chases without having the leader's jersey, but the results at the end have proved that we did the right thing. I couldn't hope for a better start for this new team. The South African public is now regarding us as the best of the two trade teams in this country. But we have now done the easy part of the season, the hard work will start soon."
The French cup race GP Denain will be Team Barloworld's next UCI race on April 17th. This South African new task force in the world of cycling will have a European programme until mid-September. The team contains two French riders, Éric Berthou and Sylvain Calzati, who were 11th and 15th respectively in the time trial today after working as super domestiques for four days, and two Australians, Sean Sullivan and Hilton Clarke.
The South African fans will be able to see them again, as the involvement of the Barloworld company is valid for five years with the ambition to get into the Tour de France within these five years. The team will be racing at home again, and should be able to give George a stable career now. Aged 27, he hasn't had in the international teams he rode for (US Postal, Vini Caldirola and CCC-Polsat) the success in relation with his talent.
Just one month ago, before he secured a contract with Barloworld, he almost decided to quit cycling. Now he should be back next year to try and equalize Andrew McLean's record of three wins in a row in the Giro del Capo, South Africa's only UCI race.
Photography
Images by Jean-Francois Quenet
- Team Barloworld has found two hard workers with French neo-pros Sylvain Calzati and Eric Berthou
- Hilton Clarke didn't ride the Giro del Capo but is the hot favourite for the Pick'n Pay Cape Argus on Sunday, according to South African cycling promoter Tony Harding.
- Simon Kessler (Microsoft) winner of the points jersey
- Eckard Bergh (Minolta) a young man to watch in South Africa
- David George (Barloworld) powers up the hill
- Mattias Carlsson (Ringerike) doesn't mind this sort of weather
- David George (Barloworld) congratulated by team manager John Robertson
- David George (Barloworld) interviewed by Phil Liggett at the top of Signal Hill
- Jaco Odendaal (Barloworld) - Michael Boogerd the second?
- The HSBC team was the best team in the race
- David George (Barloworld) given the final pink jersey by the Minister of Health
- David George (Barloworld) looking pretty in pink
- The final podium (L to R): Darren Lill (HSBC, 2nd), David George (Barloworld, 1st) and Jaco Odendaal (Barloworld, 3rd)
- South African sparkling wine also suits the cycling winners
Results
1 David George (RSA) Barloworld 12.21 2 Jaco Odendaal (RSA) Barloworld 3 Darren Lill (RSA) HSBC 0.25 4 Jeremy Maartens (RSA) HSBC 0.41 5 Luke Roberts (Aus) Comnet-Senges 6 Jonathan Dayus (GBr) Team Ringerike 0.48 7 Thomas Ziegler (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 0.58 8 Adrian Maaske (RSA) Minolta 1.03 9 Eckard Bergh (RSA) Minolta 1.13 10 Morné Bester (RSA) Microsoft 1.15 11 Eric Berthou (Fra) Barloworld 1.20 12 Daniel Spence (RSA) HSBC 13 Ian McLeod (RSA) HSBC 1.27 14 Jens Heppner (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 1.32 15 Sylvain Calzati (Fra) Barloworld 1.33 16 Hans-Jurgen Juratzek (Ger) Comnet-Senges 1.34 17 Chris Willemse (RSA) Chris Willemse Cycles 1.35 18 Mark Wilcox (RSA) CSC/CVT 1.39 19 Mattias Carlsson (Swe) Team Ringerike 20 Willie van Zyl (RSA) Eyeperoptics/Queens 1.46 21 Adrian Ilsley (RSA) Minolta 22 Bjorn Papstein (Ger) Lamonta 1.49 23 Mannie Heymans (RSA) Eyeperoptics/Queens 1.50 24 Alex Galvin (RSA) Minolta 1.58 25 Eric Furstenburg (RSA) Eyeperoptics/Queens 1.59 26 Michal Precechtel (Cze) e'Dsystem-ZVVZ 2.05 27 Lubor Tesar (Cze) e'Dsystem-ZVVZ 2.09 28 Reinhardt du Plessis (RSA) Minolta 2.11 29 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 30 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Team Ringerike 2.15 31 Tiaan Kannemeyer (RSA) Barloworld 2.16 32 Daniel Meinke (Ger) Comnet-Senges 33 Martin Müller (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 2.18 34 Eric Baumann (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 2.21 35 Neil Timm (RSA) BOE/Italian Connection 2.22 36 Craig Butland (RSA) BOE/Italian Connection 2.27 37 Martin Pieterse (RSA) Calcium-Hexal Panda 2.36 38 Jock Green (RSA) HSBC 2.37 39 Wolfgang Owczarek (Ger) Lamonta 2.40 40 Simon Kessler (RSA) Microsoft 2.42 41 Travis Allen (RSA) Calcium-Hexal Panda 2.43 42 Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Team Ringerike 43 Graeme Cronjé (RSA) Calcium-Hexal Panda 2.44 44 JC Jooste (RSA) HAV Carpets 2.46 45 Johan van der Berg (RSA) Microsoft 2.48 46 Chris Esch (RSA) CSC/CVT 2.51 47 Geddan Ruddock (RSA) Vineyard Hotel/Breitling 48 Martin Laciak (Cze) e'Dsystem-ZVVZ 2.53 49 Sebastian Drenker (Ger) Lamonta 2.58 50 Charl Van Wyk (RSA) Sub 3 3.01 51 Philip Schoeman (RSA) Sub 3 3.04 52 Jacques Goosen (RSA) CSC/CVT 3.07 53 Bjorn Glasner (Ger) Lamonta 3.12 54 Kevin Evans (RSA) Vineyard Hotel/Breitling 3.13 55 Darryl Impey (RSA) Microsoft 3.15 56 Alastair Andrews (RSA) SA Development 57 Rupert Rheeder (RSA) Eyeperoptics/Queens 3.19 58 Alexander Milner (RSA) Sub 3 59 Paul Minnaar (RSA) BOE/Italian Connection 3.20 60 Brian Loff (RSA) SA Development 3.22 61 Gareth Rawson (RSA) HAV Carpets 3.27 62 Robbie Rodrigues (RSA) BOE/Italian Connection 3.30 63 Simon Brown (RSA) CSC/CVT 64 Steve Sergeant (RSA) Vineyard Hotel/Breitling 3.34 65 Jean-Claude Pretorius (RSA) Chris Willemse Cycle 3.35 66 Claude Roestoff (RSA) SA Development 3.38 67 JP Fourie (RSA) HAV Carpets 3.40 68 Anton van der Merwe (RSA) BOE/Italian Connection 69 Dirk Vobbe (RSA) Vineyard Hotel/Breitling 3.41 70 Douglas Ryder (RSA) Microsoft 3.53 71 Jaco Ferreira (RSA) Eyeperoptics/Queens 4.40 Final general classification 1 David George (RSA) Barloworld 12.56.16 2 Darren Lill (RSA) HSBC 0.12 3 Jaco Odendaal (RSA) Barloworld 0.43 4 Luke Roberts (Aus) Comnet-Senges 0.58 5 Jonathan Dayus (GBr) Team Ringerike 0.59 6 Adrian Maaske (RSA) Minolta 1.03 7 Jeremy Maartens (RSA) HSBC 1.06 8 Eckard Bergh (RSA) Minolta 1.13 9 Jens Heppner (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 1.26 10 Morné Bester (RSA) Microsoft 1.32 11 Mattias Carlsson (Swe) Team Ringerike 1.35 12 Ian McLeod (RSA) HSBC 1.37 13 Mannie Heymans (RSA) Eyeperoptics/Queens 1.54 14 Adrian Ilsley (RSA) Minolta 2.00 15 Thomas Ziegler (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 2.02 16 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 2.15 17 Eric Baumann (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 7.33 18 Alex Galvin (RSA) Minolta 8.22 19 Reinhardt du Plessis (RSA) Minolta 9.10 20 Chris Willemse (RSA) Chris Willemse Cycles 9.11 21 Michal Precechtel (Cze) e'Dsystem-ZVVZ 9.22 22 Jock Green (RSA) HSBC 10.57 23 Hans-Jurgen Juratzek (Ger) Comnet-Senges 11.50 24 Bjorn Glasner (Ger) Lamonta 12.41 25 Simon Kessler (RSA) Microsoft 13.52 26 Eric Furstenburg (RSA) Eyeperoptics/Queens 14.06 27 Martin Laciak (Cze) e'Dsystem-ZVVZ 16.06 28 Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Team Ringerike 16.43 29 Daniel Meinke (Ger) Comnet-Senges 17.31 30 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Team Ringerike 18.16 31 Lubor Tesar (Cze) e'Dsystem-ZVVZ 18.49 32 Martin Müller (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 20.37 33 Mark Wilcox (RSA) CSC/CVT 34 Daniel Spence (RSA) HSBC 21.17 35 Graeme Cronjé (RSA) Calcium-Hexal Panda 23.50 36 Travis Allen (RSA) Calcium-Hexal Panda 24.07 37 Tiaan Kannemeyer (RSA) Barloworld 24.40 38 Martin Pieterse (RSA) Calcium-Hexal Panda 24.42 39 Wolfgang Owczarek (Ger) Lamonta 27.33 40 Paul Minnaar (RSA) BOE/Italian Connection 27.35 41 Johan van der Berg (RSA) Microsoft 30.11 42 Alastair Andrews (RSA) SA Development 33.15 43 Craig Butland (RSA) BOE/Italian Connection 33.25 44 Neil Timm (RSA) BOE/Italian Connection 33.47 45 Willie van Zyl (RSA) Eyeperoptics/Queens 34.02 46 Alexander Milner (RSA) Sub 3 36.32 47 Bjorn Papstein (Ger) Lamonta 36.34 48 Darryl Impey (RSA) Microsoft 38.28 49 Douglas Ryder (RSA) Microsoft 41.28 50 Claude Roestoff (RSA) SA Development 41.35 51 Charl Van Wyk (RSA) Sub 3 44.01 52 Eric Berthou (Fra) Barloworld 45.33 53 Sebastian Drenker (Ger) Lamonta 46.04 54 Sylvain Calzati (Fra) Barloworld 47.10 55 Anton van der Merwe (RSA) BOE/Italian Connection 49.20 56 Brian Loff (RSA) SA Development 52.33 57 Kevin Evans (RSA) Vineyard Hotel/Breitling 59.06 58 Steve Sergeant (RSA) Vineyard Hotel/Breitling 1.02.58 59 Dirk Vobbe (RSA) Vineyard Hotel/Breitling 1.03.05 60 Rupert Rheeder (RSA) Eyeperoptics/Queens 1.03.18 61 Geddan Ruddock (RSA) Vineyard Hotel/Breitling 1.04.30 62 Simon Brown (RSA) CSC/CVT 1.04.54 63 Chris Esch (RSA) CSC/CVT 1.05.59 64 JC Jooste (RSA) HAV Carpets 1.06.18 65 JP Fourie (RSA) HAV Carpets 1.09.12 66 Jaco Ferreira (RSA) Eyeperoptics/Queens 1.09.29 67 Philip Schoeman (RSA) Sub 3 1.13.52 68 Robbie Rodrigues (RSA) BOE/Italian Connection 1.15.16 69 Jacques Goosen (RSA) CSC/CVT 1.16.51 70 Jean-Claude Pretorius (RSA) Chris Willemse Cycle 1.21.36 71 Gareth Rawson (RSA) HAV Carpets 1.27.21 Points classification 1 Simon Kessler (RSA) Microsoft 20 pts 2 Darren Lill (RSA) HSBC 13 3 Luke Roberts (Aus) Comnet-Senges 12 4 Bjorn Glasner (Ger) Lamonta 12 5 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 10 6 Wolfgang Owczarek (Ger) Lamonta 10 7 Jock Green (RSA) HSBC 8 8 Eric Baumann (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 7 9 Jens Heppner (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 6 10 Graeme Cronjé (RSA) Calcium-Hexal Panda 5 11 Ian McLeod (RSA) HSBC 4 12 Johan van der Berg (RSA) Microsoft 4 13 Thomas Ziegler (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 4 14 Mattias Carlsson (Swe) Team Ringerike 4 15 Darryl Impey (RSA) Microsoft 3 16 Douglas Ryder (RSA) Microsoft 2 17 Morné Bester (RSA) Microsoft 1 18 Willie van Zyl (RSA) Eyeperoptics/Queens 1 Mountains classification 1 Eric Baumann (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 32 pts 2 David George (RSA) Barloworld 30 3 Jeremy Maartens (RSA) HSBC 28 4 Jock Green (RSA) HSBC 28 5 Thomas Ziegler (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 25 6 Johan van der Berg (RSA) Microsoft 18 7 Jaco Odendaal (RSA) Barloworld 16 8 Graeme Cronjé (RSA) Calcium-Hexal Panda 15 9 Alex Galvin (RSA) Minolta 10 10 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Wiesenhof Leipzig 6 11 Ian McLeod (RSA) HSBC 6 12 Tiaan Kannemeyer (RSA) Barloworld 5 13 Darren Lill (RSA) HSBC 4 14 Adrian Ilsley (RSA) Minolta 4 15 Anton van der Merwe (RSA) BOE/Italian Connection 4 16 Geddan Ruddock (RSA) Vineyard Hotel/Breitling 4 17 Eckard Bergh (RSA) Minolta 3 18 Adrian Maaske (RSA) Minolta 2 Teams classification 1 HSBC 38.51.48 2 Minolta 1.16 3 Wiesenhof Leipzig 3.03 4 Ringerike 15.46 5 Barloworld 21.26 6 Comnet-Senges 27.31 7 Eyeperoptics/Queens 40.28 8 eD'System-ZVVZ 41.17 9 Microsoft 41.30 10 Lamonta 53.43 11 Calcium-Hexal Panda 1.09.44 12 BOE-Italian 1.28.12 13 SACF Developement 2.04.23 14 CVT 2.19.11 15 Sub 3 2.31.25 16 Vineyard Hotel/Breitling 2.56.32 17 HAV Carpets 3.39.51
