Imbuko ChemChamp A team\u2019s Tristan Nortje and Marco Joubert showed why they podiumed at the ABSA Cape Epic, stamping their authority on Stage 1 of the KAP sani2c \u2018OG\u2019 in a time of 02:59:46. Bianca Haw and Danielle Du Toit had another strong day for Safari Essence Titan Racing, finishing in 03:42:59 and extending their overall lead to just over four minutes.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
The \u2018OG\u2019 riders left Glencairn this morning to race 89 km to Mackenzie Club in Creighton, near Ixopo. KAP sani2c is now a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Category 2 marathon stage race, attracting a much larger elite field this year.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\nMEN\u2019S RACE<\/b><\/u><\/u><\/h3>\n
Imbuko ChemChamp A finished about a minute and a half clear at the line. Insect Science Cycling\u2019s Keagan Bontekoning and Arno Du Toit (03:01:26) rode consistently to maintain pressure, resulting in PYGA Euro Steel slowing in the final 15 km. Despite a surge from Marc Pritzen and Wessel Botha (Team Honeycomb 226ers), who took third (03:02:28), Insect Science secured second place on the stage and climbed to second overall on GC. PYGA Euro Steel placed fourth in a time of 03:02:47.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Marco Joubert was really happy with how they rode today: \u201cWe made it tough for ourselves and everyone else. From about 12 km in, we pushed hard wherever the course allowed and got a gap. Riding in a group at high speed is always easier, but Tristan and I work well together, so we kept the pressure on, and the gap grew.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Tristan Nortje said their goal was to make the race hard from the start: \u201cWe knew it would be a three-hour day, not a 40-minute prologue. We pushed hard from the first singletrack and the teams split up – one rider with us and their partner behind – so we just kept the pressure on, hoping the elastic would snap. The pace was so high that even gaining 20 to 30 seconds was difficult. But we knew that after two hours, things would crack. It ended up being mostly just us, riding at 30 km\/h. It wasn\u2019t easy, but it worked.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Bontekoning said: \u201cWhen we hit the first singletrack at 13 km, I was just behind Michael. Like yesterday, he couldn\u2019t hold the front group, which opened a gap. That meant Wessel and I were behind and had to work hard to close it. We rode with PYGA Euro Steel for most of the day. Specialized came back at points, but dropped off again. With about 15 km to go, Phil seemed to be struggling, so I just kept the pace up. We were able to gain a bit, and I\u2019m happy with second today. It was a hard day with a lot of gap closing, but I feel fresh and ready for tomorrow.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
PYGA Euro Steel was disappointed to lose their podium spot. Philip Buys said: \u201cI suffered today, made a mistake and ended in a rut – just when Imbuko ChemChamp attacked. From there, I was on the limit and spent a lot of energy getting back to them. I paid for that effort in the last 15 km.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Michael Foster added: \u201cWe\u2019re obviously a bit disappointed that we couldn\u2019t hold onto the yellow jersey. Marco and Tristan set a really hard pace on the climb just after the Pevensey Road. We tried to chase, but it took too much effort to both bridge and stay there. Philip was struggling, so we stayed with Insect Science, but they got ahead after the second water point and the pace was too much. Marc and Wessel caught us on the final descent. We\u2019re still motivated to go hard tomorrow – there\u2019s a lot of time that can be gained on one good day.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Wessel Botha says it was not a perfect day: \u201cWe had to chase back after a big crash and a couple of wrong turns. But we kept fighting and made up time from fifth to third. There\u2019s still a gap, but it\u2019s not over. We\u2019ll keep pushing over the next two days.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Marc Pritzen said: \u201cThe crash and wrong turns didn\u2019t help, but to come back and grab third – it’s not a bad day. The last 20 km were key, and Wessel was super strong pulling on the flats and drags. That helped us catch up when we started seeing the guys in front.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
The longer, harder stages are still to come, and we\u2019re looking forward to making a move. Mountain biking is never over until it\u2019s over.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
The race is far from decided, with two more days of tight racing still to come.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\nWOMEN\u2019S RACE<\/b><\/u><\/u><\/h3>\n
It was another strong, focused day for Safari Essence Titan Racing\u2019s Bianca Haw and Danielle Du Toit, who finished in 03:42:59. They now hold a four-minute overall lead – a tough gap for second-placed Efficient Infiniti Racing (03:45:42) to close, but in stage racing, anything can happen. The Toyota Fortress team of Ila Stow and Cherise Willeit lost time due to a wrong turn but were determined to hold onto third place, pushing hard to make up ground. They crossed the line in 03:53:56.\u00a0<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Sonica Klopper and Tania Bugarin Ortiz (Tshenolo Pro Cycling Team) were pleased to retain fourth (03:59:08), and Roxanne Kemp and Janice Fourie (EPT Racing) stayed in the top five with a time of 04:06:28.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Danielle Du Toit said: \u201cWe had no strategy going in. At one point Bianca took the front and was clearly putting in a big effort. When we looked back and saw a gap, we knew we had to commit and go for it. It\u2019s tough to hold back on such a fast day. I just trusted Bianca and kept momentum in every pedal stroke. She even gave me a push at one stage – she\u2019s incredibly strong.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Bianca Haw said: \u201cThe plan was to see how things unfolded. I ended up on the front, slowed the pace, but then noticed Sam and Sarah and realised we had to go. Once you\u2019re out of sight, it becomes real – it was motivating, especially catching some of the UCI guys.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Sarah Hill said: \u201cJust after 75 km, I started cramping badly. There\u2019s not much you can do when that happens, and Sam was amazing. She slowed down and paced me home.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Samantha Sanders said: \u201cWe raced well and tried to keep the tempo high from the start to shake up the bunch. We worked hard to open gaps, but couldn\u2019t drop Bianca and Danielle. It wasn\u2019t for lack of trying. Tomorrow\u2019s another day – we\u2019ll go again.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Ila Stow said: \u201cWe took a wrong turn near Water Point 2 and lost about three minutes, but we regrouped and stayed focused. The route was long and tough, always pushing, even on the flats, but Cherise kept us steady all day. We tried to stay with Bianca and the Efficient team as long as we could, but they were just too strong.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Cherise Willeit said: \u201cThat wrong turn was frustrating\u2014we climbed the hill in the wrong direction and had to backtrack. It could\u2019ve been worse, but Ila stayed calm and helped us look on the bright side.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Tania Bugarin Ortiz said: \u201cMy partner Sonica was so strong today\u2014I couldn\u2019t stay on her wheel and she had to slow down for me, so I\u2019m very happy we kept fourth place. It was a fast, hard race, and I loved it.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
The 86 km Queen Stage tomorrow descends into the Umkomaas Valley and climbs the Unitrans Iconic Climb, finishing at the Kings Harvest Academy after 1896 m of climbing. Riders overnight at Jolivet Farm.<\/u><\/u><\/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><\/u><\/u><\/p>\n KAP sani2c Adventure: 7\u20139 May Image: Photo by Anthony Grote<\/em><\/p>\n RESULTS STAGE 1\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n MEN\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n WOMEN<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n GENERAL CLASSIFICATION\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n WOMEN<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can follow the race on\u00a0KAP sani2c Instagram<\/a>\u00a0 (https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/_sani2c\/<\/a>)<\/p>\n For more information visit\u00a0www.sani2c.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\nKAP sani2c \u2018OG\u2019: 8\u201310 May, with Prologue 7 May for UCI registered riders.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n\n
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