ADVERTORIAL
The Dis-Chem Ride for Sight was once again a wonderful celebration of cycling , and in the end it proved to be a day for the sprinters . – BY JOHNNY KOEN
One of the country ’ s most important single day bike races , the Dis-Chem Ride for Sight , was held in nearperfect weather conditions at Boksburg City Stadium on Sunday 19th February , and once again attracted a sizable field of loyal supporters . This was the 34th edition of the event , which is a seeding event for the 2024 Cape Town Cycle Tour and the 2023 Virgin Active Ride Joburg 947 .
The men ’ s race over the tough 116km course was dominated almost throughout by the spirited early and long prevailing three-rider breakaway of Rohan du Plooy , Casper Kruger and Josh Dike , and though the trio rode hard , they were eventually reigned in , and the finish saw a bunch sprint . This presented the ideal opportunity for the defending champion , Josh van Wyk to convincingly outgun the field in the dash for the cash .
The second wheel in the all-new straight high-speed finish run-in , was the talented junior , Emile van Niekerk . Third place went to the formerly retired 35-year-old Boksburg resident and 2014 race winner , Herman Fouche , recording his best comeback result .
Josh is a renowned international track specialist , multiple SA champion , and the record holder of the 124-year-old Paarl Boxing Day 25 Miler . His victory is particularly remarkable , as this was his first race back after a serious velodrome crash last year , which left him sidelined for several months .
More Sprint Finishes
The women ’ s race featured a small field that were content to leave the outcome of the race to a sprint-finish at the end . This saw the
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