#TuksCycling: Tuks cyclists on a mission to reclaim USSA-title

Posted on June 20, 2018

The 19-year-old Travis Barrett proved last year with his eighth-place finish in the Telkom 94.7 Cycle Challenge that he can be a rider for the big moment, so it won’t be a surprise if he gets a podium finish at the USSA Cycling Championships in Pretoria.
 
What made the Tuks student’s performance remarkable is the fact that he only finished 67 seconds behind Daryl Impey who is the first South African rider to have worn the yellow jersey at the Tour de France. 
 
Maties dominated during last year’s USSA Championships. Gert Heyns was the men’s overall winner while Frankie du Toit was the women’s winner. The Tuks cycling team was second overall. In spite of a lousy crash Michelle Benson (Tuks) prevailed to finish second the women’s category.
 
Kevin Patten was the last Tuks rider to win overall at USSA’s. It was in 2014. He won three of the five stages. Tuks also was the overall champions in 2013. 
 
Edwill O’Neill who has been riding for the Tuks for the last three years is of the opinion that he and his teammates can reclaim the title from 2 July. His confidence sprouts from the performances of Barrett, Andries Nigrini and Alex Worsdale. 
 
Nigrini is currently the overall leader in the Student Mountain Cup-series while Worsdale finished fifth in the first stage of the Tour de Limpopo. Apart from being the first under-18 rider to finish in the 94.7-race Barrett also won the 94.7’s 25km mountain bike race.
 
According to O’Neill, the three youngster’s inclusion means the Tuks Team has got more depth and will be capable of dominating stages and countering moves from the opposition riders. 
 
The three-day event that will be held in and around the Voortrekker Monument consists of two road stages, an individual time trial, a hill climb time trial as well as a criterium. 
 
The Tuks cyclists are under no illusions as to what awaits them. At best cycling can be very unpredictable. One crash, a flat tyre at a vital moment or lap of concentration can mean the difference between winning and losing. 
 
According to Barrett as a cyclist, he is an above average climber who can time trial and sprint. The ideal situation for him will be to try and get away in a break; work to make it stay away and then sprint for the win. He also backs himself in a bunch sprint to the line.
 
Nigrini sees himself as a good climber. 
 
“I am quite aggressive when it gets too steep climbs. There is nothing I love more than to launch attack after attack to try and see whether I can break up the race.”
 
He is also an experienced criterium rider. Last year he had the opportunity to compete for five weeks in criterium races in the Netherlands. That can be hectic at times. To survive and stay upright throughout the race takes some real skill.
 
Worsdale is a climber and a time triallist. 
- Author Wilhelm de Swardt

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