The opening day of the 2023 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer Trek, presented by Biogen, came down to just 17 seconds, on Sunday, 3 September. The 26-kilometre-long Prologue, through the singletracks of Saasveld, was won by the Imbuko Giant A and Efficient Infiniti Insure teams, ahead of Valley Electrical – Toyota and Viviovita – Bell respectively. The garden city of George, famous for its fickle weather, provided the perfect setting with cool temperatures and light winds allowing for red hot racing.
\nThe punchy course for the Prologue time trial featured 450 metres of climbing and was packed with singletracks through the indigenous and pine forests of the Outeniqua foothills. Starting and finishing at Glenwood House School, on the outskirts of the city, the teams had a brief tar road blast to find their rhythm before the climbing and the trails began. Once in the forests the singletracks came thick and fast, though there were still overtaking opportunities to be had on the dual track stretches. This proved particularly key in the UCI women\u2019s race.
\nAfter starting first, of the eight UCI women\u2019s teams, Bike Park Uitsig – SCR Academy\u2019s Ila Stow and Robyn Williams set the initial fastest time. Their time in the hotseat was a short one, however. Sarah Hill and Hayley Smith, of Vivovita – Bell were the next team across the line, despite having started 10 minutes and five teams later. Hill and Smith passed the Specialized Experience Centre, Elements, Biogen and Echo Pentest Ladies teams on the trails. Their time of 1 hour, 11 minutes and 43 seconds was clearly a great one.
\n\u201cI absolutely loved the trails, it\u2019s my first time riding the Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer Trek, presented by Biogen, and I was absolutely blown away by day one,\u201d Smith smiled. \u201cI can\u2019t wait for the days to come. Especially teaming up with Sarah [Hill], we worked perfectly together today. So, as I said, I can\u2019t wait for the days to come.\u201d
\nDespite putting in a stellar performance and starting the event with a bang, the Vivovita – Bell team will have their work cut-out for them if they are to close the gap to Kim le Court and Samantha Sanders. The Efficient Infinity Insure combination stopped the clock in 1 hour, 9 minutes and 39 seconds to take the first UCI women\u2019s First Ascent leaders jerseys of the race.
\n\u201cWe rode a really good\u2026,\u201d Sanders began, before revising her opinion. \u201cNo, I\u2019m lying. I rode flat out! And Kim [Le Court] just paced me. But we\u2019re super happy to take the lead and be in the pink jerseys tomorrow.\u201d
\nIn the UCI men\u2019s race the initial fastest time was set by Trek SA\u2019s Kai von During and Justin Chesterton. The pair were the first team to dip below the 1-hour mark. They were soon unseated off the hotseats by Valley Electrical Titan Racing\u2019s Rossouw Bekker and Matthew Keyser, who in turn were knocked off their perch by Imbuko Giant B. Pieter du Toit, who won the race alongside Marco Joubert in 2022, and Rudi Koen\u2019s 58 minute and 44 second effort was good enough for third when it was all said and done.
\nTristan Nortje who is partnering fellow George local, Gert Heyns, was second fastest on the day. The Valley Electrical – Toyota combination were just 17 seconds off the stage win. \u201cIt was super-fast and super hard\u201d Nortje confessed. \u201cGert [Heyns] is super-fast on these trails, so I was just trying to hang on. But we managed a good pace and there\u2019s a lot of racing left. It\u2019s only 17 seconds between us and the Imbuko Giant A team. The long days start tomorrow\u2026\u201d
\nStopping the clock in 56 minutes and 8 seconds, Joubert and Wessel Botha were the day\u2019s fastest team. As such the Imbuko Giant A squad take the yellow First Ascent jerseys into the opening marathon stage on Monday. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t have asked for better legs today,\u201d Joubert grinned.
\n\u201cTaking the win for the team was the perfect outcome. We had a solid plan for the day and we were able to execute it perfectly.\u201d
\n\u201cIt might only be a short Prologue, but this is an indication that we\u2019re in good form,\u201d the defending champion added. \u201cThis takes some pressure off Wessel [Botha] and myself, and it feels lekker to be in yellow. Now we can take the next couple of days to see where the other guys are and mix it up with them. Then we\u2019ll see how the week plays out, taking it day by day.\u201d
\nDay two and Stage 1 is next on the cards for the racers in the 2023 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer Trek, presented by Biogen. It boasts a highly technical and testing 55-kilometre route with 1 750 metres of climbing. Once again, the course is packed with singletracks and should provide an opportunity for the better climbers in the race to gain time on their rivals.
\nTo follow the action, as it unfolds, watch the Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer Trek, presented by Biogen or @capepioneer Facebook or Instagram stories. Additional updates can also be found at @CapePioneerTrek on Twitter. For more information visit www.capepioneer.co.za.<\/p>\n
Wessel Botha and Marco Joubert en route to winning the Prologue of the 2023 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer Trek, presented by Biogen. Photo by Oakpics.com. <\/em><\/p>\n Results: Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer Trek, presented by Biogen
\nPrologue Men:
\n1. Imbuko Giant A: Marco Joubert & Wessel Botha (56:08)
\n2. Valley Electrical – Toyota: Gert Heyns & Tristan Nortje (56:25 | +17)
\n3. Imbuko Giant B: Pieter du Toit & Rudi Koen (58:44 | +2:36)
\nPrologue Women:
\n1. Efficient Infinity Insure: Kim le Court & Samantha Sanders (1:09:39)
\n2. Vivovita – Bell: Sarah Hill & Hayley Smith (1:11:43 | +2:04)
\n3. Bike Park Uitsig – SCR Academy: Ila Stow & Robyn Williams (1:17:19 | +7:40)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"