OMX Pro Team hit the ground running this weekend with three of their racers gracing the podium at Round 1 of the South African Cup in Mankele.
It was especially pleasing to see OMX Pro Teams newest recruit and British National XCO champ, Annie Last, winning the race with a controlled display of XC dominance in the South African heat.
Leading the race out from the start, Last was able to control the tempo as the World Cup XCO star put a minute into her nearest competitor by the half way stage. Going on to take the victory (1:20:47) from Frances Du Troit (1:23:52) by over 3 minutes. Novus OMX Pro team-mate Mariske Strauss (01:27:19) came in to claim third in front of Bianca Haw (01:28:41), with fellow OMX Pro Team rider and South African national champ Cherie Vale (01:30:00) claiming a creditable 5th after recovering from a midweek illness.
Speaking on the teams website after the race, Annie Last said, “January is early for me to race but I really enjoyed it – I felt strong and came away with a win which is great! I was certainly mindful of overheating and rode the opening laps a little conservatively to ensure I didn’t mess up the rest of the race. The course was really good, with some nice smooth recovery sections, some steep climbs and some great singletrack and descents.”
With the Rio Olympics on the horizon and the British Cycling team desperate for qualifying points, Last will be hoping to build on this early season win as her new team continue their preparations for the fast approaching 2016 UCI XCO World Cup season.
Be sure to check out all thing Novus OMX Pro Team over at www.OMXProbike.com
