Ryan Gibbons wins South African TT Championships

Ryan Gibbons put in a storming ride to win first place at the South African Time Trial championships in Swellendam.

Having being the hot favourite heading into the event, Gibbons handled the pressure well, completing the course in a time of 51:24, 1’14’’ faster than his nearest rival and former UAE Team Emirates stagiaire, Matthew Beers.

This result underscores the good form of Gibbons heading into the road race which takes place on Sunday, where he will be hoping to defend his title.

Ryan Gibbons: “Obviously I’m delighted with this result and it bodes well heading into the road race on Sunday.
It wasn’t in my original plan but the opportunity was given to me by the team to come back and race the championships and I grabbed it, so having the chance to defend my title is quite exciting.
After some good results at the African Championships and also after today I’ll be a marked man and it won’t be easy, as I’ll also be racing alone against many teams with large squad numbers. It won’t be a simple task but I’m confident with my condition and aiming to defend my road title on Sunday.”

South African TT Championships Results:

1.Ryan Gibbons (UAE Team Emirates) 51’24”
2.Matthew Beers +1’14’’
3.Kent Main (ProTouch) +1’47’’