fotografic: Circuito de Mavalane race report

As some of you may already know the FMC - Federação Moçambicana de Ciclismo - has created a new race format with the intention of bringing cycling closer to cyclists and aspiring cyclists living in and around Maputo. The race format is primarily circuits, or as they are more commonly known, Criteriums.

From around 7:30 onwards riders started assembling close to the Galp petrol station near the airport. For those curious of trivia, Mavalane is actually the name of the Maputo Airport. The race would be a number of circuits -2 laps (16km) for u16's, 4 laps (32km) for "Populares" and 8 laps (64km) for Federated cyclists. The start of the 3 groups would take place at the same time, 8:30, however it was only at 9:20 that all the riders were ready and assembled to take to the road.

Notwithstanding the late start the weather was quite chilly and cloudy and windy weather ensured that it would stay that way for most of the race. The course saw a strong traffic police presence, at most intersections and along the route, with several motor-bikes to guide the peloton along. The route went around the Airport park, back along Acordos de Lusaka to Praça dos Herois Moçambicanos, then along Avenida das FPLM to Praça dos Combatentes and then back along FPLM and around the Herois roundabout to the start. All these roads were dual lane which meant that the riders would have access to a dedicated lane separated by traffic cones. The lap length of 8km and the slight rise along FPLM as well as the wind would be factors in the day. The first lap was declared neutral by race director Messias Langa, to guarantee that riders would know the course, and they set off at a comfortable pace of around 20km/hour until halfway through when Carlos complained of the lack of speed and upped the pace slightly. The large peloton including riders of different levels was an issue with some hitting traffic cones and one rider coming unstuck and falling. However the Red Cross was on hand for any serious injuries. It was a relatively sedate pace till we got to the finishing straight at the end of the neutral lap when riders then took off on a flying sprint and kept a strong pace to shed the weaker riders. Immediately a selection was made which saw a group of around 10 riders form at the front. Strong pace-making by Vicente Mafumo, Carlos Sales and last year’s U-23 champion Gustavo da Silva with occasional attacks and pulls by Betinho Cuambe saw a consistently high race pace. Other riders in the break included Wade Rasse, Joao, Abub, and Rodrigo, amongst others.

Each lap saw one rider ejected from the peloton until by the 2^nd lap to go just 6 riders were in the mix – the first three above plus Mike Simms, Mario Traversi and “Biopace” Isaac Cossa. However in the second-last lap a counter attack by Carlos after Mario had just put in one saw Mario and Isaac fall off the pace while the four powered on. The wind meant that once the riders fell out of the lead group they would not be able to make it back. The gap grew and by the end of the 2^nd lap the leaders had gained around 500m. The lead group kept up the pressure with Mike Simms putting in some strong efforts to fend off attacks. At the final roundabout Gustavo attacked and managed to get a gap but the long finishing straight allowed Carlos Sales to charge and catch him, but when he went around him in the final metres Gustavo squeezed the gap and took line honours with Carlos taking second and Mike rounding out the Podium in third place.

I do not have details of the 4 and 2 lap races, although these will be communicated by the media in due course, as there was a strong TV and radio presence at the race.

The atmosphere at the race was very positive with cyclists from different walks of life and different levels taking part, with a few women riders in there for good measure. Many spectators lined the route which meant good visibility for the sport. The traffic police are becoming more used to dealing with cyclists and understanding the speed at which we race, touching 50 or 60km an hour in sprints and downhill sections. TRAC, that are sponsoring the race series, seem intent on a long-standing relationship which is a positive step for the sport.

Some issues to report though – Start times were not adhered to, which is a recurring problem in organising events. We must be mindful both for participants who arrive on time and motorists who must wait for the events to finish to have full access to the roads. Crowd control at the finish line was not perfect with riders, spectators and vehicles blocking the road on occasion. Control of traffic along the route was not perfect and several riders not with the lead peloton had issues with vehicles during the race. Glass was also an issue and more troubling, more glass was seen as the race progressed, which meant that passing motorists or passers-by were throwing bottles on the course. There was no water-point for the race, which although a short distance, did see one rider fall due to dehydration (although promptly assisted by the Red Cross). With time these races will improve and become a positive force in sport.