Heart attacks, spills and rocks fall at Cape Argus

SCENIC Chapman’s Peak was up to old tricks again on Sunday when a rockfall delayed the Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Tour as 35000 cyclists took on the 108km Classic around the Cape Peninsula on Sunday.

Six Namibian cyclists who formed an invitational team from Namibia, took part in the event, which took place for the the first time over the Chapman’s Peak in four years after repairs to the rocky slopes. The Namibians were Mannie Heymans, Dan Craven, Karl Platt, Nico Ruppel, Imgrim Kaff and Teon Laser.The Namibian riders also took part in the Giro del Capo International cycling race that took place around Cape Town and that preceded the Cape Argus.The rockfall caused a scare as officials closed the road with 2 500 riders still to climb.A 42-year-old rider also fell 30 metres down a cliff descending Chapman’s Peak.He was taken to hospital where doctors refused to give information regarding his status.There were also two serious reports of heart attacks to a 55-year-old male from Riverside and a 77-year-old male from Ficksburg.The 55-year-old, who had his heart attack at Cape Point, was transferred from the Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic to Vincent Palotti where he was to undergo a cardiac catherization yesterday.The 77-year-old man, who was struck at Suikerbossie, was also taken to the same hospital and was in a stable condition by the cut-off time at 6h02pm.There were the usual thrills and spills over the fast section with injuries ranging from broken bones, a neck injury, minor head injuries and abrasions.One hundred and twenty nine of these incidents had been reported by the cut-off.Results of Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Tour on SundayElite men: 1 Antonio Salomone (Barloworld, ITA) 2 hours 32 minutes 23 minutes, 2 Enrico Poitschke (Wiesenhof, Leipzig, GER), 3 David Kopp (Lamonta, GER), 4 Neil MacDonald (HSBC, RSA), 5 Jacques Fullard (Minolta, RSA), 6 Hans-Jurgen Juretzek (Comnet-Senges, GER), 7 Malcolm Lange (Microsoft, RSA), 8 Jeff Howes (HSBC, RSA), 9 Michal Precechtel (Cyclone e’d Systems, CZE), 10 Greg Prince (Minolta, RSA) all same timeElite women: 1 Anke Erlank (Microsoft) 2:49:22, 2 Anriëtte Schoeman (Pro-line/CD) 2:51:41, 3 Ronel van Wyk (Liberty), 4 Samantha Serfontein (Burg Wheelers, KZN), 5 Cathy Carstens (WP), 6 Chrissie Viljoen (Gauteng), 7 Amy-Jane Mundy (KZN), 8 Sharon Laws, 9 Annette Laubser (Gauteng), 10 Yolandi du Toit (Gauteng) 2:53:49.- Nampa-SapaThe Namibians were Mannie Heymans, Dan Craven, Karl Platt, Nico Ruppel, Imgrim Kaff and Teon Laser.The Namibian riders also took part in the Giro del Capo International cycling race that took place around Cape Town and that preceded the Cape Argus.The rockfall caused a scare as officials closed the road with 2 500 riders still to climb.A 42-year-old rider also fell 30 metres down a cliff descending Chapman’s Peak.He was taken to hospital where doctors refused to give information regarding his status.There were also two serious reports of heart attacks to a 55-year-old male from Riverside and a 77-year-old male from Ficksburg.The 55-year-old, who had his heart attack at Cape Point, was transferred from the Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic to Vincent Palotti where he was to undergo a cardiac catherization yesterday.The 77-year-old man, who was struck at Suikerbossie, was also taken to the same hospital and was in a stable condition by the cut-off time at 6h02pm.There were the usual thrills and spills over the fast section with injuries ranging from broken bones, a neck injury, minor head injuries and abrasions.One hundred and twenty nine of these incidents had been reported by the cut-off.Results of Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Tour on SundayElite men: 1 Antonio Salomone (Barloworld, ITA) 2 hours 32 minutes 23 minutes, 2 Enrico Poitschke (Wiesenhof, Leipzig, GER), 3 David Kopp (Lamonta, GER), 4 Neil MacDonald (HSBC, RSA), 5 Jacques Fullard (Minolta, RSA), 6 Hans-Jurgen Juretzek (Comnet-Senges, GER), 7 Malcolm Lange (Microsoft, RSA), 8 Jeff Howes (HSBC, RSA), 9 Michal Precechtel (Cyclone e’d Systems, CZE), 10 Greg Prince (Minolta, RSA) all same time Elite women: 1 Anke Erlank (Microsoft) 2:49:22, 2 Anriëtte Schoeman (Pro-line/CD) 2:51:41, 3 Ronel van Wyk (Liberty), 4 Samantha Serfontein (Burg Wheelers, KZN), 5 Cathy Carstens (WP), 6 Chrissie Viljoen (Gauteng), 7 Amy-Jane Mundy (KZN), 8 Sharon Laws, 9 Annette Laubser (Gauteng), 10 Yolandi du Toit (Gauteng) 2:53:49.- Nampa-Sapa