Amashova Classic defending champion S’annara Grove seals dramatic win at the line

S’annara Grove battled brutal winds and needed a bike throw at the line to fend off the challenge of Lisa Bone in a dramatic sprint finish in the 106km women’s race at the Amashova National Classic on Sunday.

The CJ O’Shea Racing rider defended her title in the iconic race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, clocking a time of 2:48:49.

Men’s race winner Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (2:16:55) also relied on a sprint finish to secure his first Amashova title, though his race unfolded with far less drama.

“It was a windy day. Normally in winter we get a nice westerly blowing, which would have meant a nice tailwind for the Amashova. But today we actually got a bit annihilated by a north-easter, which is a bit unusual for winter,” Grove told Independent Media Sport at the finish at Suncoast Casino in Durban.

“It made it difficult to be very aggressive on the hills. When we got to Inchanga, it was always my plan to go to the front, make things hard, and try to break the field up so I didn’t have to deal with attacks from too many riders from different teams. It was quite difficult with the headwind.

“I think I joked a few times that the girls were saving quite a few watts on my wheel, but it still broke up the field enough and we came through Inchanga with just five riders. Then we hit the M13, got annihilated with the wind, and really had to fight our way down there.”

Grove admitted she may have launched her final sprint too early. Despite that, she was able to call on her track experience to edge Bone at the line.

“It was very close. I haven’t had a sprint that tight since the Cape Town Cycle Tour in 2024. It was decided on the throw of the line. I’m glad I have a lot of track experience — I’m quite good at throwing for the line,” said Grove, a Durban rider for whom the Amashova holds a special place.

Lucy Young rounded out the top three, with the leading trio sharing the same time.

Janse van Rensburg also needed a late sprint to hold off Travis Stedman (2:16:56), while Emile van Niekerk finished third in 2:18:10.

“It was a nice race — quite fast from the start. Me and Travis got away just after the halfway mark. From there it was really fast to the finish, quite a lot of downhills, but we worked well together,” said Janse van Rensburg, whose best previous Amashova result was third place in 2008.

“The two of us came to the finish together, and you never know in a sprint finish with two riders how it’s going to go. Travis has a good kick, so I didn’t know what would happen until the last moment — very happy to take it.”

Rising star Josh Johnson claimed victory in the under-19 division.