Two of the revelations of the current Tour de France have been two of the South African riders, Louis Meintjes and Daryl Impey, and both will be hoping to take their form from the three week journey around France into the men’s road race in Rio next month.
While Meintjies and Impey have been getting their fair share of column centimetres for their heroics on the greatest cycle race on the planet, it is the two women members in South Africa’s Olympic road racing squad who probably have the best chance of conjuring up a medal.
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio will be the clear number one rider in the South African women’s team for the road race which is due to take place on August 7, a day after the men’s race. But she will have strong backing from An-Li Kachelhoffer, whose primary role is likely to be working as a domstique or backup rider for Moolman Pasio.
All four members of the road racing teams are well suited to the lumpy Rio course with Moolman Pasio probably enjoying the best chance of sneaking into the medal positions.
Over the past few years she has proved herself to be one of the better climbers in the women’s peloton, while also able to conjure up a very good sprint at the end of races. For Rio, which is likely to see the peloton disintegrating as the riders negotiate the short, sharp hills, there is every chance a bunch of semi-climbers will get away and stay away as a group to be decided on a small group sprint or break up further near the end to race as individuals. If Kachelhoffer can help and protect her teammate in the early kilometres of the 130km race, then the compact Moolman Pasio could just add an Olympic medal to the bronze she won at the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
Moolman Pasio will also see action in the women’s time trial, but that will be a tougher ask, although her recent form has shown she will not be far off the pace.
The current Tour de France proves the two men’s riders also have a chance of pulling off a surprise.
Meintjes, more of a pure climber, is currently lying in 12th, just over 30 seconds outside a top ten place, but the calculated manner in which he has ridden the Tour so far shows the young under 23 former World Championship silver medallist is well on his way to realising his potential.
Last year he ended 10th in the Vuelta de Espana, and with a second Grand Tour top ten possible, the Team Lampre Merida rider has to potentially be one of the stars of the future.
Impey has not been overshadowed by his teammate in this Tour. He finished second on a tough mountain stage and was instrumental in setting up Orica BikeExchange teammate Michael Matthews for a stage win.
Impey, like Moolman Pasio, is less of a climber and more of a combination climber / sprinter and so could be well-suited to the short, regular climbs which litter the men’s 154km race and so be in line to sprint for a medal.
The road race route is an out and back course starting from Copocabana and includes two loops at either end.
The Grumari Circuit (one lap for women and four laps for men) includes two climbs: Grumari is a narrow climb and descent which averages 7% gradient over 1.2km with a maximum of 13%; while the Grota Funda climb averages 4.5% gradient over 2.1km with a maximum gradient of 6%.
The Canoas/Vista Chinesa Circuit (one lap for women and three for men) is a climb over 8.9km followed by a technical descent of 6km. - Independent Media