Imbuko ChemChamp’s Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje crossed the Kaleo finish line second on the
final stage of the Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, on Sunday – 9
February – to seal the 2025 title in fine style. Their firm grip on the race was only superseded by the
UCI Women’s champions; She Sends. Kate Courtney and Candice Lill complete a clean sweep of
stage victories to win by nearly 40 minutes after four days of rugged Koue Bokkeveld mountain
biking.
The last day of the twelfth edition served up drama as the Honeycomb 226ers lost their podium
place when Wessel Botha crashed 15 kilometres into the 57-kilometre-long stage. Botha and Marc
Pritzen had been Imbuko ChemChamp’s closest rivals and had pushed the team from Wellington
throughout much of the race. On two key occasions they faltered though, which served to highlight
not only their lack of luck but also the benefit of using attack as the best form of defence.
“What’s the saying? ‘Attack is the best form of defence’,” Joubert queried after wrapping up the
overall victory. “We know from previous years that the light and dust can make visibility difficult on
this stage. The only way to be safe is to race from the front and control the pace, which is what we
did today.”
“I didn’t see Wessel [Botha] crash,” Pritzen confessed. “On the first descent I looked back and he
wasn’t there. When he didn’t catch up, I stopped and riders passing me while I waited said he was
on his way but didn’t look good. When he got to me, I had to convince him not to continue and get
into the ambulance.”
Botha appears to have crashed on a relatively innoxious section of dual track. “I think he just
misjudged a line in the dust, riding into the sun,” Matt Beers speculated. “It looked quite bad, but he
was adamant that he needed to finish the stage. So, I’m glad Marc [Pritzen] and the medics
convinced him to stop.” The Honeycomb 226ers rider was taken to the race doctor for a check-up
and has been treated for concussion.
“We didn’t realise Wessel had crashed, so we stuck to our pre-stage plan and pushed hard for the
first hour,” Nortje explained. “When we got to Water Point 1, at the 24 kilometre mark, we had a
look around and saw that only Singer [KTM Racing] and Toyota Specialized were with us. We went to
the line with those two teams and were happy that Simon [Stiebjahn] and Martin [Frey] won the
stage. They’re two of the nicest guys in the peloton and really deserved the stage victory today.”
“People don’t see the long hours of training and all the work which goes on behind the scenes,”
Joubert added. “The whole Imbuko ChemChamp team put in a massive amount of effort to get us
here and help us throughout the week. This victory is a good way of paying back all their hard work
and support.”
Singer KTM Racing edged out Imbuko ChemChamp in the closing metres, which allowed Martin Frey
and Simon Stiebjahn to win the final stage. Joubert and Nortje were second on the day, but won the
overall by 10 minutes and 36 seconds from Frey and Stiebjahn. Beers and Johan van Zyl, of Toyota
Specialized, were third on the stage, and moved up to fifth overall. Computer Mania Cannondale Pro
MTB’s Daniel van der Walt and Ursin Spescha were sixth on the day but moved up to third overall.
Arno du Toit and Keagan Bontekoning also moved up following Honeycomb 226ers’ withdrawal.
Insect Science Cycling thus finished fourth.
She Sends’ four of four stage wins put an exclamation point on their time in the Bokveld. “Today was
another good day,” Courtney smiled. “We pushed hard and I really enjoyed the riding. Racing
alongside Candice [Lill] has been great. She kept me honest and ensured that we were always
pushing.”
“The Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, is my favourite stage race,” Lill
stated. “It has been so much fun coming from the training camp with Greta [Seiwald], Martina
[Berta], Tyler [Jacobs] and Sara [Cortinovis] to the race. The riding has been tough, as always, but it
was superbly organised and as a Biogen athlete it was great to represent a co-sponsor here. They,
along with Dryland and Momentum really look after everyone so well.”
Courtney and Lill’s winning margin on the final stage was 6 minutes and 5 seconds, which took their
overall winning margin to 40 minutes and 37 seconds. Spaghetti M&G’s Greta Seiwald and Martina
Berta overcame two puncture disrupted days to secure silver behind the dominant champions. The
young Ghost-Liv Racing combination, Tyler Jacobs and Sara Cortinovis were third on the day and
overall. Sarah Hill and Vera Looser were fourth, ahead of Ila Stow and Cherise Willeit in fifth.
Singer KTM Racing’s Martin Frey (leading) and Simon Stiebjahn raced to stage honours on the final day of the 2025 race. Photo by Max Sullivan.
Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, Results
UCI Men | Stage 4:
1. Singer KTM Racing: Martin Frey & Simon Stiebjahn (2:13:40)
2. Imbuko ChemChamp A: Marco Joubert & Tristan Nortje (2:13:45 | +5)
3. Toyota Specialized: Matt Beers & Johan van Zyl (2:14:07 | +27)
4. Team Bulls: Axel Roudil-Cortinat & Simon Schneller (2:17:01 | +3:21)
5. Insect Science Cycling: Keagan Bontekoning & Arno du Toit (2:17:06 | +3:26)
UCI Women | Stage 4:
1. She Sends: Candice Lill & Kate Courtney (2:36:21)
2. Spaghetti M&G: Greta Seiwald & Martina Berta (2:42:26 | +6:05)
3. Ghost-LIV Racing: Tyler Jacobs & Sara Cortinovis (2:44:02 | +7:41)
4. Efficient Infiniti: Sarah Hill & Vera Looser (2:54:44 | +18:23)
5. Kolisi/Songo Foundation: Ila Stow & Cherise Willeit (2:56:27 | +20:06)
UCI Men's General Classification after Stage 4:
1. Imbuko ChemChamp A: Marco Joubert & Tristan Nortje (10:40:04)
2. Singer KTM Racing: Martin Frey & Simon Stiebjahn (10:50:40 | +10:36)
3. Computer Mania Cannondale Pro MTB: Daniel van der Walt & Ursin Spescha (10:59:12 | +19:08)
4. Insect Science Cycling: Keagan Bontekoning & Arno du Toit (11:03:24 | +23:20)
5. Toyota Specialized: Matt Beers & Johan van Zyl (11:10:16 | +30:12)
UCI Women's General Classification after Stage 4:
1. She Sends: Candice Lill & Kate Courtney (12:43:17)
2. Spaghetti M&G: Greta Seiwald & Martina Berta (13:23:55 | +40:37)
3. Ghost-LIV Racing: Tyler Jacobs & Sara Cortinovis (13:33:15 | +49:58)
4. Efficient Infiniti: Sarah Hill & Vera Looser (13:51:45 | +1:08:28)
5. Kolisi/Songo Foundation: Ila Stow & Cherise Willeit (14:23:25 | +1:41:08)
For the full results from the 2025 Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen,
click here. For more information on the event visit www.tankwatrek.co.za.
