Saturday 15th of February was characterised by high temps, towering peaks and
\nthe most competitive international field seen at a one-day marathon in South Africa.
\nAll eyes were on the action in the Limietberg Mountains to see who would arise
\nvictorious at The Big 5 by Imbuko and Canetsfontein.
\nLeaving the Imbuko Wines Private Cellar, the intensity was on from the first climb.
\nEven the veterans of the race were taken aback by the pace. Marco Joubert was off
\nthe lead bunch at 14km with Nino Schurter starting to loose touch on the steeper
\nslopes as well while Luke Moir and Matt Beers drove the pace.
\nHitting the slopes of Seven Peaks at 20km, Tristan Nortje led Filipo Colombo,
\nBeers, and Moir into the single track climb with Wout Alleman and Marc Pritzen
\nhanging onto the back of the freight train. Frischknecht, Joubert and Schurter were
\nout of sight off the back. Much to the relief of the chasing riders the race eased up
\nand the 9 riders cam back together after the Canetsfontein Waterpoint at 30km.
\nJoubert moved to the front up the switchback ridden Aap du Huez trail, dropping
\nAlleman and Pritzen in the process. Frischknecht would soon also fade from the
\ngroup as the leading six neared the summit of the Canetsfontein Cliffhanger trail, a
\nriding experience that draws riders from around the world for its indescribable views
\nand expertly crafted switchback descent. Tristan Nortje ascended at a rate of knots
\nopening up a 30 second gap over the rest of the field by the summit, pocketing R20
\n000 in the process as King of the Mountain!
\nThe chase was on as they plunged towards the valley floor, Schurter and Colombo
\nemploying their World Cup XCO skills to close down the gap to Nortje. Luke Moir
\nwas 20 seconds back over the summit followed by Joubert leading Beers in pursuit
\nof the leaders. The break was looking strong until, in what would prove to be a
\nconsequential moment, Nortje took a wrong turn and lead the Scott SRAM duo
\nastray while Beers, Moir, and Joubert charged on past them unaware.
\nBeers twisted the throttle leaving the Canetsfontein Waterpoint for Groenberg with
\nJoubert and Moir in tow, looking to close down what he thought was a 30 second
\ngap to the leaders when they had in fact overtaken them. This wild chase seemed
\nto take its toll when they reached the base of the final sting, Patatskloof, a chainring
\nbending gravel ascent that cuts below the Seven Peaks trail. As Beers charged on
\nup the increasing gradient, Moir started loosing the wheel and Joubert was closing
\nin after loosing touch on the previous climb.
\nThis was to be the ultimate deciding moment of the race but not in the way we
\nexpected! From the shadows of 4th position, Filipo Colombo launched his attack,
\nsurging past Joubert, then Moir, and finally Matt Beers. Out of the saddle he
\nsqueezed every last watt he could from his legs to make the move stick. Joubert
\naccelerated in chase, moving past Moir.<\/p>\n
All Colombo needed to do was hold onto the gap he\u2019d opened up on the climb as
\nthe course traversed rocky jeep tracks and a couple more brief climbs to secure the
\nwin and that he did! Back to back victories for the Swiss XCO specialist at The Big
\n5 with 39 seconds between himself and Imbuko ChemChamp\u2019s Marco Joubert.
\n\u201cWe had to push quite hard in the last 20km as we weren\u2019t exactly sure where we
\nwere [after taking a wrong turn]. It was hard but super nice. I knew I had to close
\nthe gap, especially on Matt, more on the climbs than on the flats. I knew I had to
\nmake the move on the last climb and I pushed as hard as I could and thankfully got
\nthe gap\u201d – Filipo Colombo
\n\u201cI just rode my own pace today. I think it paid off as I felt pretty good towards the
\nend. The race was on with 6 of us in the group, strong riders, World Champions,
\nEpic Winners, and I think we showed our strength today. Epic is about 4 weeks out,
\nwe\u2019re feeling good. Big thanks to Imbuko for hosting this event, its the perfect timing
\nand perfect prep for whatever the season holds for you\u201d – Marco Joubert
\nCharging into 3rd was Luke Moir (2:39 back from the leader), showing impressive
\nendurance and tactical mastery from a young XCO Racer! He certainly showed
\nwhat he was capable of in a field of world class athletes.
\nThe big question at the finish line, where was Matt Beers? Tragically he had
\nsuffered a catastrophic wheel failure on a brief rocky descent shortly after the
\nPatatskloof Climb that ended his race when he was still in sight of a podium finish.
\nRounding out the top 5 was Nino Schurter and Tristan Nortje, 5:11 and 5:40 off the
\nleader respectively.
\nThe women\u2019s field was deep but one name stood out amongst the heavy hitters
\nand it was Candice Lill. Fast becoming known as the Queen of The Big 5, Candice
\ndoesn\u2019t hide the fact that she loves this race and has an uncanny knack for winning
\nit!
\nWith Vera Looser out of the race due to illness, the task of pursing Lill through the
\nLimietberg mountains was left in the hands of Emilly Johnston, Bianca Haw, Sam
\nSanders and Malene Degn.
\nWith the gates opened on the first climb, Lill took hold of the reigns and set an
\nunruly pace for her competitors to follow. It would be Emilly Johnston (U23 World
\nCup XCO race for Scott SRAM) who would have the closest thing to an answer for
\nCandice\u2019s blistering pace. The Canadian settled into a fast tempo to stay clear of
\nthe raging battle for 3rd behind her throughout the day, lapping up the endless
\nsingletrack descents that this course is renowned for.
\n\u201cIt was very painful but fun. The trails were so good but that last hour I really
\nsuffered. Really I just wanted to go out and explore some new trails. I rode as best I
\ncould to try and make it through, it was a brutal day out there!\u201d said Emilly on the
\nBig 5 experience.<\/p>\n
The Scandinavian XCO racer, Malene Degn was the 3rd woman into the Seven
\nPeaks climb at the 20km mark with Sam Sanders (Efficient Infiniti) hot on her heels.
\nNot far back in 5th, Bianca Haw was taking a moment to warm up but wasn\u2019t going
\nto give up the fight after just one climb!
\nSam and Malene traded blows over Seven Peaks, through the Canetsfontein water
\npoint and up the Obiekwa mountain towards the Cliffhanger trail. As the gradients
\nramped up, Sam would slip back into the clutches of Bianca Haw while Malene
\ndanced her way up to the towering heights of the Cliffhanger.
\nCandice Lill comfortably secured the Queen of the Mountain title and R20 000
\nprize, with Emilly 5 minutes behind her over the crest of the climb. Malene 3rd,
\nBianca 4th, and Sam 5th.
\nAfter 20 minutes of eye-watering descent, the top 5 women were on their way home
\nvia the Greenberg and Patatskloof climbs. Sam Sanders regained her position over
\nMalene Degn and thus were the final standings. Lill 1st, Johnston 2nd, Haw 3rd,
\nSanders 4th, and Degn 5th.
\n\u201cThe pace was really fast at the beginning as everyone tried to stay in the front as
\nlong as possible. I probably went a bit over the limit but it was a cool day to test
\nhow I was feeling, where my form is, and what I can handle. After breaking away on
\nthe first climb I managed to pace myself OK to the finish, the last 2 climbs were
\ndefinitely tough, but the trails were amazing!\u201d – Candice Lill
\nThe race winners walked away with R25 000 each but it was the last man across
\nthe finish line, William Neff, who would land one of the best prizes of the day; a bike
\ntouring trip to Europe (for a trip such as to tour around the Mont Blanc mountain) to
\nthe value of R60 000 from MTB Adventure ( www.mtb-adventure.com ) symbolising
\nthe achievement of any rider who managed to complete the monumental 3000m of
\nclimbing in 77km.<\/p>\n
photo: The views from the top of the Canetsfontein Cliffhanger Trail are unparalleled. (c) Max Sullivan<\/em><\/p>\n Top 10 Men: 1st – 04:33:09 – Candice Lill ( Seattle Coffee Co \/ Sabi Sabi )
\n1st – 03:41:48 – Filipo Colombo (Scott SRAM)
\n2nd – 03:42:27 – Marco Joubert (Imbuko ChemChamp)
\n3rd – 03:45:06 – Luke Moir (Privateer)
\n4th – 03:45:59 – Nino Schurter (Scott SRAM)
\n5th – 03:46:28 – Tristan Nortje (Imbuko ChemChamp)
\n6th – 03:48:19 – Wout Alleman (Buff Megamo)
\n7th – 03:49:05 – Marc Pritzen (Honeycomb 226ers)
\n8th – 03:50:39 – Andri Frischknecht (Scott SRAM)
\n9th – 03:52:23 – Urs Huber (Bulls Bikes)
\n10th – 03:52:33 – Simon Stiebjahn (Singer KTM Racing)
\nTop 5 Women:<\/p>\n
\n2nd – 04:43:13 – Emilly Johnston (Scott SRAM)
\n3rd – 04:49:05 – Bianca Haw (Safari Essence Titan Racing)
\n4th – 04:50:31 – Sam Sanders (Efficient Infiniti)
\n5th – 04:55:42 – Malene Degn ( Scott \/ GripGrab \/ Topeak \/ Good Habits)
\nThis iconic route has undoubtedly solidified its place in the global marathon for
\namateurs and pros alike, drawing an unprecedented field of pro riders from South
\nAfrica and abroad. The Big 5 by Imbuko and Canetsfontein will be back in 2026 to
\ntest the worlds best and the every-day heroes who just love a huge day out in the
\nmountains!
\nTo see the action from the day, head over to @big5mtbchallenge on Instagram
\nwhere all the latest content and biggest moments can be found.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"