Cycling South Africa is proud to announce the Elite Women’s National Road Cycling Team that will participate in the 2016 CAC (African Cycling Confederation) Road Cycling Championships, taking place in Morocco, from 22 to 26 February.
Cycling SA is sending a women’s team only as the Continental Championships is extremely important for them to bolster valuable UCI points in the lead up to Olympic qualification. The South African women’s team is in a favourable position due to Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio’s excellent performances during the 2015 season, which saw her ranked sixth in the Elite Women UCI Individual World Rankings at the end of 2015. This placed South Africa in ninth place in the UCI Nation’s Rankings, which (as it currently stands) qualifies South Africa to take three Elite Women to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The National Team aims to qualify an extra spot on the women’s team for Rio at the 2016 CAC (African Cycling Confederation) Road Cycling Championships in Morocco.
Due to her team commitments and preparations for the forthcoming season with the Cervelo-Bigla Pro Cycling Team, Moolman-Pasio will not be able to participate in Morocco next week. The proficient team of newly crowned National Champion, An-Li Kachelhoffer will be joined by road racing stalwarts Lise Olivier and Anriette Schoeman, who finished second and third respectively at the SA National Road Cycling Championships at the weekend. The final team member is Samantha Sanders, who put on a brilliant performance at the SA Road Champs at the weekend. She has recently crossed over from mountain biking to road racing and has shown immense power and talent on the tarmac. Sanders will work closely with her experienced teammates to deliver on the team’s goals.
The full team will be competing in the Team Time Trial on Sunday 21 February and the Road Race on Thursday 25 February, while Sanders and Olivier will compete in the Individual Time Trial on Tuesday 23 February.
According to the UCI Olympiad Qualification System Timeline (QUALIFICATION SYSTEM – GAMES OF THE XXXI OLYMPIAD – RIO 2016), the Elite Men’s results were taken from the 2015 African Continental Championships, and their qualifying events for the Rio Olympic Games ended on 31 December 2015.
As part of an ongoing initiative to offer international exposure and improve our depth and experience, Cycling SA anticipates sending U23 Men, Junior Men and Junior Women National Teams to Europe in the coming months for valuable racing experience in the challenging European conditions. More details about this initiative will be disclosed shortly.
National Team African Continental Road Championships:
Elite Women
An-Li Kachelhoffer
Lise Olivier
Anriette Schoeman
Samantha Sanders
Management
Steven Sergeant
Jill Bezuidenhout
Congratulations on your selection and good luck.
Perhaps this helps (from page 7) http://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/NewsGeneral/16/81/62/2015-02-Rio2016-QualificationSystem-FINAL-RoadCycling-EN_English.pdf
Not sure I understand completely, but it looks to be first the normal rankings and then a special place available depending on the continental championship results. I guess the final team classification?
"An NOC can earn maximum one (1) quota place through the ranking by nation from the Continental Championships.
If an NOC that has already qualified through the UCI Ranking by Nation of 31 May 2016 is the top ranked NOC of the respective continental championship, the next best ranked NOC in the ranking by nation of the respective continental championships will be allocated the quota place"