The Copa2012 Calendar has been unveiled finally, just in time for the summer break.
2012
Race 1 - 19th February - Corrida Imran Akuji - 70km +/-. From Maputo to Boane
This race will commemorate Imran and pass by the spot where he was killed
Race 2 - 17th March - ITT (Individual Time Trial) Goba - 10.2km A tough climbing time trial starting just out of Goba town and climbing up to Goba Fronteira, with sections nudging 9% and overall a 450m climb
Race 3 - 18th March - Volta a Goba - 66km. Starts in Pequenhos Libombos to Goba town and back on the old road. A tough jutting climb just 7km from the finish will separate the men from the boys.
Race 4 - 8th April - Hell of the South Classic/ Rei do Sul - 117km - Race traditionally held on Easter Sunday, a southern counterpart to the Hell of the North, Paris Roubaix. Some question the appeal of this race, which pits riders against a pot-holed road between Boane and Moamba, and indeed the rider with the best wheels and technique generally wins. Lady luck needs to be on your side as well.
Race 5 - 26th March - ITT Namaacha - 16.6km and 490m of climbing. Time trial starting from Mandevo to the entrance of Namaacha Town. Last year the long-standing record was smashed. Anyone game to do better than the 37:36 record now held by Miguel Teixeira?
Race 6 - 27th March - Classica de Namaacha - 130km. Race starts in Pequenhos Libombos towards Goba on the old road, then back towards Namaacha on the main highway. First KOM will be at the top of Namaacha town. The race then continues around the Canada Dry road with another KOM at the highest point of the race. A final KOM on pedreira hill just before the barragem turn-off. This classica has a few route changes and so there is no course record.
Race 7 - 3rd June - Classica de Goba - 112km - Pequenhos Libombos start but towards Boane, then up Pedreira hill and on the new road towards Goba, up to Goba Fronteira and then back down on the same road, up Pedreira Hill and then the Barragem turn-off. First KOM will be Pedreira Hill, 2nd KOM is Goba Fronteira climb, third KOM is Pedreira Hill return. Intermediate sprint will be at the Goba/Namaacha intersection, about 30km into the ride.
3 DAY TOUR OF MAPUTO:
Race 8 - 23rd June - Desafio da Pedreira - 80km - Start in Matola petrol station towards Boane, up over Pedreira hill, down the bottom, then back up and towards Boane, then the Mozal loop with a sprint finish just in front of Shoprite Matola. KOM points to be finalised, but probably Boane town, Pedreira hill going up, and then pedreira hill coming back.
Race 9 - ITT Costa do Sol - 23km - Time trial starts at Costa do Sol bridge, to Mugabe Roundabout and back along Marginal to Costa start. Fairly flat but with a rough section after Southern Sun. This will pit the Triathletes against the roadies. Wind will play a part, so beware the disk wheel
Race 10 - Volta a Cidade - +/- 70km - Route is still being designed but will be a circuit race around Maputo city with some climbs. Not a criterium mind you, so there will be a possibility for escapes and some artful dodging... More details to be announced. As with all circuit races and criteriums, there will only be Sprint points on offer, with 3 intermediate sprints and a final finish sprint.
Race 11 - 8th July - Team Time Trial Baracchi - +/- 75km - This race emulates the famous Italian race of the same name that pitted two-man teams against each other. Coppi was a famous winner, as was Merckx. Will you and your partner be the next winners? Start will be at the Sasol Petrol station on the EN4 just outside of Matola, out towards Moamba and back. No place to hide in this race, and again, wind will be a factor. Will the triathletes prove their worth, or will the roadies be triumphant?
Race 12 - 29th July - Classica Dois Picos / Twin Peaks - 170km - The piece de resistance of the Copa Ciclimso. The longest race. The most climbing. Longer and tougher than the Jock Cycle Classic in nearby Barberton, where they even had to chop the race into three to make it appealing. None of that here in Mozambique. Might be lucky there will be a waterpoint... But other than that pain and lots of KOMs. First KOM at the Namaacha Climb. Second on the Canada Dry Loop in Namaacha. Third KOM in Goba. Don't bother showing up unless your're a serious cyclist.
Race 13 - 5th August - Elimination Criterium - 44km - Back on the flats for a crit with a difference. After the first 5 laps, the last placed rider in each lap will be eliminated. 3 intermediate sprint points on laps 5, 10 and 15. Final lap also carries sprint points. Make sure you can accelerate fast!
Race 14 - Subida Monte Ponduine - 83km - Many of you may not know but Maputo Province has a highest mountain, and it is called Ponduine. The "peak" stands on the edge of 3 borders. That's the tourist info. For riders what's more important is the final 20% gradient they will have to face to get up there. Put your compact crank and mtb cassette on to make it up this monster. Race starts in Pequenhos Libombos, up to Namaacha, around Canada Dry and up Mt Ponduine for a mountain-top finish. KOM1 is at Namaacha, while KOM2 is at the top of Mt. Pondiune. A car will take you back to the start.. as you won't be able to ride back
Race 15 - Classica EN1 - 160km - Marracuene start to Palmeira and back, with a final kick up 5km from the finish. Rather boring race that may get substituted by a Classica da Cidade circuit race if we can get permission to paralyse Maputo for a day. Details will follow.
Race 16 - Critérium de Maputo - 44km - Facim circuit race, and last Copa Race. An excuse for a party afterwards, but the tough sprints will keep the riders alert. Sprints on every 5 laps. Green jersey hopefuls, this is your last chance!
RACE start times are all 7:30am. Punctuality is the name of the game in 2012, and anyone getting there late will either be penalised or will simply have missed the boat and can rather go do a training ride or something.. Also, the best 12 results will count towards General Copa Classification, so you needn't worry about missing a race or two, as you can still be in the competition. Each race carries a max 15 points for the winner, and first 10 riders get points on a sliding scale. Riders from 11th place onwards who finish the race get half a point. Riders who start but don't finish for whatever reason get a quarter point as consolation.
We have the following categories in the Copa Ciclismo 2012:
Yellow Jersey for Overall winner
Green Jersey for Points Winner (sprints)
Polka-dot Jersey for King of the Mountains
White Jersey for U23 Rider. Let's hope we have more than one rider next year..
Red Jersey for Most Aggressive Rider. This isn't for the guy who throws bidon's and knocks other riders over..
Black Jersey for the rider in last place with the most number of completed races. A time cuttoff will apply though of 30% of the winners time.. so you can't just come and ride around for hours doing training.. You have to race for it. Trick here is not too fast and not too slow.
Also age-group winners will also get trophies - Juniors (16-18), Seniors (19-29), Sub-Vets (30-39), Veterans (40-49) and Masters (50+)
We are working to get the idea of teams off the ground. If this happens next year, then there will also be a team classification prize. Teams will be limited to 4 riders for the 2012 season.
The idea of the game is participation, competing, finishing races and above all having good fun.
We look forward to seeing you at the next Copa2012!
