![\"ccs-62657-0-74500700-1505675304.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-74500700-1505675304.jpg\")
<\/a>RoadCover\u2019s Brendon Davids won the Bestmed Jock Tour after finishing third on the final stage in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, today. Photo: Memories4U Photography<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\u201cI\u2019m happy with how this weekend turned out, it\u2019s a really cool feeling,\u201d said Davids, a former African continental mountain bike champion who switched to the road after missing out on selection for the Rio Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my first tour win, the first time I\u2019ve worn a yellow jersey on the road, so I\u2019m pretty happy with how things have turned out,\u201d said the 23-year-old from Fourways in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n
He explained that he had started the stage with the sole intention of holding on to the yellow jersey, which he secured the previous day after just failing to haul in a tiring Julius.<\/p>\n
The final day included the feared Boulders climb early on, but it was status quo for the GC contenders until they hit the base of the Hilltop ascent after 131km of racing.<\/p>\n
Team ProTouch showed their hand first on the climb when Pieter Seyffert and Gustav Basson tried to set Julius up for a final assault on yellow, but Davids was content to follow the wheels of Main and teammate Mornay van Heerden.<\/p>\n
RoadCover\u2019s Clint Hendricks then paced Davids up to the three attackers, with Main on Davids\u2019 wheel. Job done, Hendricks peeled off, leaving Davids and Main to continue the uphill battle.<\/p>\n
\u201cPieter and Gustav had gone too deep so they left Jayde isolated and it was just him, Kent and myself from there,\u201d said Davids.<\/p>\n
\u201cHalfway up, I attacked on one of the switchbacks and only Kent really responded. Jayde laboured onto the wheel and I knew the next move would be the one that would give us the gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former teammates duly disposed of Julius only to realise there was one more hurdle to clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith two kilometres to go we realised there was another rider up the road,\u201d said Davids. \u201cI completely buried myself to try and get within a winning distance, but it was too little too late.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new champion said he was waiting for a visa to come through to race overseas and was only able to confirm his entry a few days before the start.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a big week of training coming into the tour so, to be honest, I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d have as good a time-trial as I did. I thought we\u2019d ride for Mornay if he had a good opening stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut one thing led to another and my legs continued to do well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julius\u2019 attacking riding saw him take both the Optimum Financial Services king of the mountains and points jerseys.<\/p>\n
Demacon\u2019s overnight leader Carla Oberholzer won her second stage in a row to secure overall victory in what she termed as \u201cprobably the most difficult road tour in South Africa\u201d.<\/p>\n
Stage one winner Yolandi du Toit, riding for Garmin, minimised her losses to take second ahead of former national road champion Cherise Willeit.<\/p>\n Oberholzer, from Clarens in the Free State, was part of a three-woman sprint for the finish after she and Bestmed-ASG\u2019s Sanet Coetzee formed an early breakaway a mere 3km after the start.<\/p>\n They were joined by Willeit, Lynette Burger, Zanri Roussouw, Du Toit and Daleen van der Leek soon after Boulders and the group stayed together until Hilltop.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got a decent gap on the others on Hilltop and rolled together until the finish, where we sprinted it out,\u201d said Oberholzer.<\/p>\n The 32-year-old said the overall victory had been her objective and she was extremely happy with the outcome.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main goal today was to keep the lead and anything we took on top of that was a bonus. It\u2019s always great when you pull something like this off with great teamwork.\u201d<\/p>\n Bestmed\u2019s marketing executive Chris Luyt announced that the medical scheme would donate R200 for every member who completed the Jock Tour, split equally among Cansa and Helping Hands, a corporate social investment driven by Clicks.<\/p>\n<\/a>Carla Oberholzer won her second stage in a row to take the overall title of the Bestmed Jock Tour in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, today. Photo: Memories4U Photography<\/span><\/p>\n