Johannesburg - The South African National Road Championships reaches a climax this weekend with the elite men's and women's road races.
The race will see the title holders return to defend their crowns in Mbombela on Saturday.
Here are five things to know about the race.
The contenders in the men's race:
Daryl Impey is fresh from delivering top performances for his Australian based Orica-GreenEDGE team at the Tour Down Under, finishing seventh overall.
Reinhardt Janse van Rensburg would likely feature in the leading pack, while defending champion Louis Meintjes, Nolan Hoffman, Jay Thomson and Herman Fouche were also among the favourites.
The contenders in the women's race:
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, who will be in search of a fourth consecutive title, comes in as the undisputed favourite. The bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games won the jersey in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The competition in the women's race is likely to be further intensified by Cherise Stander, Heidi Dalton, Lise Olivier and An-Li Kachelhoffer
The course:
The men's road race will be contested over 180km's, while the women's race will cover eight laps of the same course, covering a total 112km's around Mbombela stadium It is designed to cater for a sprinter and a fairly good climber. It has a few technical elements which are expected to challenge a few inexperienced riders. Riders should watch out for the two challenging climbs, which are about 1km long.
The location:
This will be the second staging of the South African National Road Championships in Mbombela. The last time the city hosted the event was in 2013.
Weather predicted:
AccuWeather.com's forecast for Saturday reads: “A thunderstorm in spots in the morning; watch for a strong thunderstorm in the afternoon.” If it does rain it shouldn't affect the race as much. It will probably play a part around the technical areas though.
Sapa