Pieter du Preez leads South African domination at home Para-cycling Road World Cup

Ernst van Dyk was one of four home favourites to win gold ©UCI

South Africa's Nicolas Pieter du Preez continued his unbeaten record this season as he stormed to H1 road race victory in front of a home crowd at the Para-cycling Road World Cup in Pietermaritzburg.

Preez, who had finished over five minutes clear of his rivals in yesterday’s time trial, had a smaller winning margin at the end of the 18 kilometres course but still finished 54 seconds clear of his nearest rival Teppo Polvi of Finland after crossing the line in 54min 15sec.

Switzerland’s Benjamin Frueh ended 4:17 adrift of the winner to complete the podium but it would be a day of South African celebration as Preez’s gold was the first of four on the second day of competition.

Ernst van Dyk was the second home cyclist to deliver gold as he completed the 55km H5 course in 1hour 43min 11sec, while Goldy Fuchs beat Germany’s Hans-Peter Durst in a sprint finish to the T2 class after both riders were given a time of 45:43 at the close of their 24km route.

Justine Asher was the final South African to finish on top of the podium, winning the women’s H2 title in 47:31, with the result seeing her add to her gold medal in the time trial event yesterday.

Goldy Fuchs beat world champion Hans-Peter Durst in the men's T2 event ©Twitter/CyclingSA

Asher and Preez were not the only athletes to secure their second triumph of the weekend as Canada’s Shelley Gauthier and America’s Alicia Dana backed up their time trial wins with impressive displays in the women’s T1 and H3 road races.

Gauthier completed the 18km T1 course in a time of 47:19 to finish well clear of her nearest rivals as Australia’s Bianca Woolford was 12:07 behind the Canadian to win the silver medal, while Russia’s Yulia Sibagatova was a further 1:08 behind to take bronze.

Dana enjoyed a 4:44 winning margin over Britain’s Karen Darke, crossing the line in 1:28:42 to repeat the pair’s positions from the time trial.

There was also success for Australia’s Carol Cooke’s after she finished the women’s T2 event in 40:35 with America’s Jill Walsh finishing 1:27 behind the winner.

Walsh’s team-mate William Groulx won the H2 men’s race in 49:07.