South Africa’s top woman cyclist Anriette Schoeman feels like a total loner in the build-up to the women’s 118km road race in the city centre of Athens on Sunday.
Don’t get her wrong. Schoeman has made many friends and feels quite at home in the South African Olympic team. It’s just that she will stand alone against teams of three when she takes on the world’s best women riders.
”She’s feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of teams of three against one,” said Tony Harding, the South African cycling coach, at the Olympic Village. ”So we’re just calming her down a bit.”
The men’s cycling team of Robbie Hunter, Tiaan Kannemeyer and Ryan Cox, with Harding, have discussed a strategy for Schoeman in which she can ”ride off” the opposition teams.
”We’ve identified about five or six girls in the bunch that Anriette needs to stick to,” said Harding. ”She must hang in there until about 70km, then if she’s in the right position, she can start making her moves.
”If that plan comes together, she has the right stuff to get a really good position. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time.” — Sapa
Special Report: Olympics 2004