Marc Pritzen and Hermann Pernsteiner ascended to glory on the Queen Stage of the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, claiming the King of the Mountain prize atop the Merino Monster and winning the stage. Andreas Seewald and Jakob Hartmann were second across the summit and finish line on Saturday, 7 February, and thus gained time on their nearest general classification rivals. The Anderson Transport UCI Women’s race leaders also extended their advantage. Greta Seiwald and Sara Cortinovis won Stage 3 by 4 minutes and 4 seconds, over Vera Looser and Samantha Sanders, to take their overall lead to 6 minutes and 18 seconds.
Merino Monster was the deciding factor in the stage, as it so often has been on the Queen Stage. Both the Honeycomb 226ers D2mont Merida and Decathlon Ford | Unno used the mountain to great effect, out-climbing the other contenders for stage victory. The 98-kilometre-long course presented more challenges than just the climb to 1 750 metres above sea level, especially for Roxanne Kemp, who suffered an early puncture.
The Safari Essence Titan Racing rider flatted before the Old Gydo descent from the Koue Bokkeveld to the Ceres Valley. “I used two bombs to try to reinflate the tyre, but the adaptor was leaking air around the valve, so I could only half inflate my wheel,” Kemp explained. “I had to ride most of the descent very cautiously to avoid destroying the rim, and because of that, we lost a lot of time. Danielle waited for me at the bottom, and then we had to chase all day.”
The team that had started the day in fifth overall never made it back to the front, but steadily improved their placing on the trail to finish sixth on the day. Ahead of them, Looser drove the early tempo and led the Efficient Infiniti Insure and Decathlon Ford | Unno teams down Old Gydo and across the valley roads. Seiwald and Cortinovis were content to bide their time, waiting for the climb to make their mark.
Looser and Sanders were able to control the pace on the ascent of the Old Theronsberg Pass, and the top two teams passed through the penultimate water point together. With 8 kilometres to climb to the highest point of the race, the women in the pink First Ascent leaders’ jerseys took control of proceedings. Looser started to yo-yo off the back of the group, and the Italian cross-country specialists simply maintained their inexorable momentum.
“We rode at a pace we were comfortable with,” Cortinovis allowed. “I was aware of how long the climb is, and we rode at a speed we could maintain to the summit.” Cortinovis’s time for the Merino Monster Strava segment was 2 minutes and 38 seconds off Candice Lill’s Queen of the Mountain effort. Her time of 47 minutes and 25 seconds is the fifth fastest women’s time for the 7.78-kilometre section of the route, and with Seiwald matching her pedal stroke for pedal stroke, the team’s efforts were enough to establish a 4-minute lead over Looser and Sanders.
Once they reached the summit, the Efficient Infiniti Insure team opted to descend cautiously. Back down on the Bokveld plateau, the leading two women’s teams time trialled to the finish, with Decathlon Ford | Unno holding Looser and Sanders at bay. Crossing the line, Seiwald and Cortinovis won their third stage of the race. Efficient Infiniti Insure had to settle for second once more, and Fortress Toyota claimed third once more. Ila Stow and Cherise Willeit’s closest rivals, for the final podium place, heading into the last day, are the 1Of1 x Summerplace Racing combination. Lilian Baber and Malena Seer are 6 minutes and 7 seconds back.
In the UCI Men’s race, the day began with Marco Joubert withdrawing shortly after the start. The Toyota Specialized Imbuko rider would later explain that he was feeling the effects of his Stage 2 crash and only started so that his teammate, Tristan Nortje, could start with the UCI Men rather than being relegated to C-Batch as an out-of-category rider. With the third-placed general classification team out of the running, Honeycomb 226ers D2mont Merida moved up from fifth to fourth, before a pedal was pushed in anger.
Sensing an opportunity, Pritzen controlled from the gun. “I know how sketchy the Old Gydo can be, especially with the rising sun and the dust, so I wanted to lead into that descent,” he reflected. Having achieved that aim, the Honeycomb 226ers man pushed on and kept the tempo high on the rolling tracks across the Ceres Valley.
On the Old Theronsberg Pass, he once again pushed on, splintering a group of ten teams to the race’s main protagonists. Only the two Singer KTM, two Toyota Specialized Imbuko, and two Insect Science teams could follow Pritzen and Pernsteiner. Soon, the group thinned more. “I was a little surprised when only the yellow jerseys came with us on the climb before Merino,” Pritzen confessed. “I knew today would suit us, with more open roads and the long climbs.”
“I hadn’t been able to spend much time on my bike this winter,” Pernsteiner stated. “The snow has been so thick that I’ve been skiing, ski-mountaineering, and training indoors. My cardio is good, but I’m missing the intensity for the first half an hour of each stage. Today, Marc [Pritzen] was so strong, and he really helped me a lot!”
Passing through the water point at the base of the Merino Monster, Pernsteiner and Pritzen had Seewald, Hartmann, and Nortje for company. With the latter preventing from affecting the racing, by the event rules, the Toyota Specialized Imbuko rider could only follow. When the Honeycomb 226ers D2mont Merida team accelerated, Nortje did just that, but Singer KTM Racing chose not to.
“Both Jaki [Jakob Hartmann] and I missed bottles at the first feed zone, so we were a bit low on carbs,” Seewald said. “With our closest general classification rivals behind us, we could ride more cautiously on Merino, not go too deep, and protect the yellow jerseys.”
With Singer KTM not chasing at full gas, Pritzen and Pernsteiner gradually turned a small advantage into a 2-minute buffer at the summit. This allowed them to descend relatively cautiously and reach the trails on the plateau far below with time in hand. They then powered across the final 18 kilometres to take stage honours, before watching the clock to see if they could leapfrog not only Travis Stedman and Jaedon Terlouw, but the Insect Science team too.
Despite suffering a puncture, Johan van Zyl and Wessel Botha were able to limit their time losses to the hard-charging Honeycomb 226ers D2mont Merida combination. Surging onto the Kaleo finish line, they held off Toyota Specialized Imbuko and Singer KTM 1 in the sprint for third. In so doing, they also prevented Pritzen and Pernsteiner from claiming second.
Going into the final stage, Singer KTM Racing 2 leads Insect Science by 5 minutes and 23 seconds. Honeycomb 226ers D2mont Merida are third at 6:13. Van Zyl and Botha thus have a 50-second buffer to Pritzen and Pernsteiner. The Stage 3 winners may be more concerned about Stedman and Terlouw in fourth than they are about the team ahead of them, however.
“Tomorrow probably won’t suit us,” Pritzen allowed. “We’ve struggled with positioning ahead of the singletracks thus far in the race, and tomorrow is packed with trails. I think today was our one big opportunity.”
The final stage of the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, is a 60-kilometre test, with 950 metres of climbing. As the statistics suggest, it will be fast, though there is always a risk of a puncture or a mechanical in the Koue Bokkeveld. To follow the action as the 13th edition wraps up, mountain biking fans can like the Tankwa Trek Facebook page and follow @tankwatrek on Instagram. Daily highlights will be uploaded to the Dryland Event Management YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.tankwatrek.co.za.
2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, Results:
Stage 3 | UCI Men’s Results:
- Honeycomb 226ers D2mont Merida: Marc Pritzen & Hermann Pernsteiner (03:49:04)
- Singer KTM Racing 2: Andreas Seewald & Jakob Hartmann (3:51:36 | +2:32)
- Insect Science: Johan van Zyl & Wessel Botha (03:54:53 | +5:49)
- Toyota Specialized Imbuko B: Travis Stedman & Jaedon Terlouw (3:54:54 | +5:50)
- Singer KTM Racing 1: Martin Frey & Simon Stiebjahn (03:54:55 | +5:51)
Stage 3 Anderson Transport UCI Women’s Results:
- Decathlon Ford | Unno: Greta Seiwald & Sara Cortinovis (4:45:05)
- Efficient Infiniti Insure: Vera Looser & Samantha Sanders (4:49:09 | +4:04)
- Fortress Toyota: Cherise Willeit & Ila Stow (5:12:57 | +27:52)
- 1Of1 x Summerplace Racing: Lilian Baber & Malena Seer (5:14:31 | +29:26)
- Index Property Solutions: Sanchia Malan & Claudia Krenn (5:20:42 | +35:37)
UCI Men’s General Classification after Stage 3:
- Singer KTM Racing 2: Andreas Seewald & Jakob Hartmann (8:26:26)
- Insect Science: Johan van Zyl & Wessel Botha (8:31:49 | +5:23)
- Honeycomb 226ers D2mont Merida: Marc Pritzen & Hermann Pernsteiner (8:32:39 | +6:13)
- Toyota Specialized Imbuko B: Travis Stedman & Jaedon Terlouw (8:34:57 | +8:31)
- Singer KTM Racing 1: Martin Frey & Simon Stiebjahn (8:40:10 | +13:44)
UCI Anderson Transport Women’s General Classification after Stage 3:
- Decathlon Ford | Unno: Greta Seiwald & Sara Cortinovis (10:15:43)
- Efficient Infiniti Insure: Vera Looser & Samantha Sanders (10:22:01 | +6:18)
- Fortress Toyota: Cherise Willeit & Ila Stow (11:10:28 | +54:45)
- 1Of1 x Summerplace Racing: Lilian Baber & Malena Seer (11:16:45 | +1:01:02)
- Index Property Solutions: Sanchia Malan & Claudia Krenn (11:28:58 | +1:13:15)
Image: The early morning light is beautiful for photos, but makes seeing rocks and ruts difficult for the riders. Photo by Oakpics.com.
