A fast and furious KAP sani2c \u2018OG\u2019 UCI Prologue played out over 18.7 kms of freshly cut trails in and around Glencairn Farm.<\/p>\n
After heading out past Chep Dam and up Glencairn Hill, teams snaked back through the Race Village at the halfway mark, creating much excitement among the \u2018OG\u2019 riders gathered at registration.<\/p>\n
Farmer Glen Haw has built new trails around Glencairn to host this year\u2019s Prologue after sani2c became a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Category 2 marathon stage race in 2024.<\/p>\n
PYGA Euro Steel\u2019s Philip Buys and Michael Foster claimed the top step of the podium in a time of 00:41:13, narrowly edging out Team Honeycomb 226ers (Marc Pritzen and Wessel Botha). Pritzen crossed the line first in 00:40:49 after breaking away, but with Botha finishing slightly behind, their team time was recorded as 00:41:16, placing them just two seconds behind PYGA Euro Steel. Imbuko ChemChamp A\u2019s Tristan Nortje and Marco Joubert rounded out the top three in 00:41:17.<\/p>\n
Botha said: \u201cMarc and I had ridden the Prologue route yesterday, so we knew exactly which sections we wanted to be ahead on. I did take a slightly wrong turn at one point, and Marc pulled away. He just went for it, and I managed to stick with the bunch. Overall, I\u2019m happy with the result.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nortje added: \u201cThey went hard on the first climb, but then completely sat up on the downhill. I knew the PYGA guys could do those punchy efforts and then back off, so I tried to keep the pace high throughout. A hard, sustained effort suits us better. It was all about pacing and mind games today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joubert commented: \u201cThe route was pretty tricky today \u2013 over the 20 km, there was probably only a kilometre where you could really pass. Philip and Michael definitely used that to their advantage as XCO riders. But the time gaps are small, and we\u2019re looking forward to the longer stages ahead \u2013 that\u2019s where we are strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nortje added: \u201cWe didn\u2019t burn too many matches for just a second in the lead. We\u2019re happy with how we rode today, and we\u2019re looking forward to the longer days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foster said: \u201cThe Prologue adds a different racing dynamic and definitely keeps things interesting. I wasn\u2019t sure what happened with Marc and Wessel \u2013 whether it was a planned tactic or not \u2013 but I saw Marc was ahead and I just made sure to get in front of Wessel. That\u2019s what makes stage racing exciting. Phil kept it together perfectly and we nailed the sprint.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buys is pleased with the result but knows the effort needs to be sustained over three long days: \u201cThat was short with high intensity. Hopefully I\u2019ve got the endurance to match that over the next few days. I think today was a good ride for us. My main goal was to be with the lead group over the first big climb, and then to get into the singletrack first on the second part, where I could control the pace. I eased off a bit, knowing Michael was behind. He\u2019s got the power to surge when he needs to, so I saved a bit for the sprint as there are not a lot of passing opportunities in that second half. Luckily, I still had enough kick to take it.”<\/p>\n
The Insect Science duo of Arno du Toit and Keagan Bontekoning were just off the pace and took fourth, while the young pair Travis Stedman and Johan van Zyl (Team Toyota Specialized) placed themselves firmly in the top five teams who will battle it out over the next three days.<\/p>\n
Safari Essence Titan Racing teammates Bianca Haw and Danielle Du Toit delivered a strong performance to secure victory (00:53:23), though Efficient Infiniti Racing\u2019s Samantha Sanders and Sarah Hill were unlucky to have taken a wrong turn and lost the lead after Glencairn Climb. They made their way back to the lead group and ultimately claimed second place (00:54:50), passing the Toyota Fortress team of Cherise Willeit and Ila Stow. Toyota Fortress were pleased to secure a podium place in a time of 00:55:02.<\/p>\n
Sanders said of their bad luck: \u201cI took a wrong turn and Sarah followed my wheel \u2013 we lost quite a bit of time and had to climb back out of the descent. But we didn\u2019t panic. We just rode our way back, and that\u2019s racing \u2013 it happens. We\u2019ve still got three days to go. Once we caught up again, we managed to pass Cherise and Ila, opening up a small gap, probably around 20 seconds. Thankfully we didn\u2019t have to sprint, because that grass drag to the line is a real soul-sapper! It was tight racing, but that\u2019s what makes it fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill commented on their first race as a team: \u201cSam is a phenomenal partner and she paced us so well. We\u2019re both technically proficient, we both know sani2c well, and we match up nicely on the bike. I\u2019m looking forward to the next three days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haw joked about the trails in her backyard: \u201cThey really need to work on those switchbacks \u2013 they\u2019re super tight! But today was very cool. Sam and Sarah took a bit of a wrong turn \u2013 luckily not too far off \u2013 and that\u2019s when we made our move and broke away. We knew they\u2019d be coming for us, but that moment disrupted their momentum just enough for us to hold the lead.\u201d<\/p>\n
After concerns that she may not be race ready, Du Toit was very pleased with today\u2019s racing: \u201cThankfully, my legs felt good. Bianca just took the reins \u2013 I trusted her completely. She knew exactly what she was doing, so I followed her wheel, and she kept me motivated and the pace strong. It\u2019s really special racing with her on her home soil. I\u2019m just happy we got off to a good start and hope it carries through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willeit and Stow were not unchallenged for their third place as the Tshenolo Pro Cycling Team of Tania Bugarin Ortiz and Sonica Klopper (00:55:06) rode an impressive race. They made a valiant attempt in the last stretch to catch third place, but should be satisfied with their performance today.<\/p>\n
The scene is set for an exciting three days of racing to follow. Leaving Glencairn tomorrow morning, the full \u2018OG\u2019 field will ride 89 kms to Mackenzie Club.<\/p>\n
Men<\/strong><\/p>\n Women<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Follow the race on Instagram stories (@_sani2c) and highlights reels, and catch full highlight videos and race reports each evening at\u00a0www.sani2c.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Image: Not a lot of room to move on the singletrack<\/b> \u2013 Philip Buys (front) holding the group behind Marc Pritzen. Photo, Caption and Credit (Anthony Grote)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
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