South African National Elite Men’s Champion, Jaco Venter is looking forward to defending his title in his own backyard at the 2017 SA National Road Championships in the Western Cape from 7-12 February.
The Team Dimension Data rider said: “It would be great to defend my title at nationals this year, but if I can’t, as long as it’s someone from our team I’ll be happy.”
South African National Elite Men’s Champion, Jaco Venter is looking forward to defending his title in his own backyard at the 2017 SA National Road Championships in the Western Cape from 7-12 February. Photo: Cycling SA
He is also hoping for a great few months ahead in Europe. “Starting with Catalunya, then onto the hilly classics and hopefully then making it into the Tour de France team,” he added.
The Cape Town local says that it’s something special to have the National Championships in the region. “I regularly train out to the Wellington side, so it’s like a home nationals, which I haven’t had in a really long time,” he said.
Reflecting on 2016, Venter feels that what he has learnt most about himself in the year is his ability to forget the suffering endured, and how excited and motivated he becomes for each new season.
Venter is currently taking part in the Santos Tour Down Under in Australia from 14-22 January. On the Tour, Venter said: “Down Under is always a tricky and hard race because of its high level. It’s my first race of the season as well. I never know what to expect after the training I’ve been doing. I’ve been feeling good on the bike and we’ve got a good team here so its been great so far and we’re hoping to get onto the podium on the GC with Nathan Haas. We’ve got two more difficult stages so we’ll see how it goes.”
Entries for the 2017 SA National Road Championships are open and close on Wednesday 25 January. To enter, click here: https://cyclingsa-events.co.za/app/
For more information about the 2017 SA National Road Championships, route maps and accommodation, click here: https://www.cyclingsa.com/2017-sa-road-champs/
