Cycling stars Robert Hunter and Andrew McLean entered for the 2008 Pick n Pay Amashovashova cycle race on Monday, just ahead of the 1 October entry cut-off deadline, in an effort to settle some unfinished business.

McLean, a former top professional and more recently a champion for the Toyota Cycle Lab veteran team and TV presenter, and Hunter, the Team Barloworld captain and South Africa’s only Tour de France stage winner, have decided team up on a tandem once again and return to the Amashovashova to try and achieve the goal they narrowly missed last year.

It’s an unselfish goal, but one that they’re both passionate about. The pedigreed pairing will line up among approximately 5000 participants in the 106km race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban on Sunday 19 October and set out to break 2 hours and 20 minutes to earn a cool R100000 for Race4Change, Pick n Pay’s charity portal that raises funds for various causes including cycling development.

In 2007 the pair went out to break a 2 hour 15 minute Race4Change target time, but a howling northeasterly wind scuppered their chances of success and they just missed the mark clocking 2 hours, 16 minutes and 52 seconds at an average speed of 46.4 kph. This year, the organisers have adjusted their tandem dash-for-cash charity target to 2 hours and 20 minutes.

“I’m thankful they’ve adjusted it. It’s more realistic now,” said McLean, adding: “From a cycling perspective it may sound a bit soft to aim for a slower time than we clocked last year, but I think everyone would rather the target was more achievable so that there is a chance the money can actually go to the charities. It's still a tough target time!”

Last year, a clearly spent McLean and Hunter hauled themselves across the finish line at SunCoast Casino in Durban, their pale, gaunt faces, glassy eyes and sweat-speckled brows testimony to their extreme effort. The two cycling champions had ridden themselves over the lactate threshold and into oxygen debt and had nothing to show for it. A new course record, yes, but no cash for the needy charities.

“We killed ourselves from the start last year,” remembers McLean. “We were on our own from the gun and knew we had to hit that first climb up Fox Hill fast and then use the rolling terrain and downhills to our advantage after that. But the wind was too strong for us to keep that pace up in the final 30 kays.”

McLean has invited other tandems to try and assist him and Hunter break the target time barrier this year.

If one or two other strong tandems can get over the first climb with us and can share the pace with us, I’m sure we can do it this year. Again, the wind will be a factor if it is blowing, which it usually is that time of year, but really, our goal is to try and earn R100 000 for those in need and that’s all that counts.

For more information on the 2008 Pick n Pay Amashovashova, visit www.amashova.co.za or call 031 3128896. For more information on the Pick n Pay Race4Change, visit www.picknpay.co.za