Stage 1 of the 2025 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, took riders from Wilderness on the Garden Route coast to Louvain in the Langkloof. The 84 kilometre course included a sapping 2\u00a0250 metres of climbing, which tested even the freshest of legs. Tristan Nortje and Travis Stedman proved the strongest climbers on the opening day, distancing the Honeycomb 226ers on the ferocious Duiwelskop ascent. In the UCI Women\u2019s race, the final climb proved pivotal too, as it granted Vera Looser and Samantha Sanders the opportunity to express their dominance on the day over their Efficient Infiniti Insure teammates Sarah Hill and Steph Wohlters.<\/p>\n
Header Image: Danielle du Toit finished the opening day with her Safari Essence Titan Racing teammate, Bianca Haw, in third. Photo by Oakpics.com<\/em><\/p>\n Starting for the first time in Wilderness, the fifteenth edition of the Race with Soul got underway from the Wilderness Hotel under clear skies on Tuesday, 30 September. The mercury soon rose from mild to warm, before becoming hot near midday. The racing followed a similar pattern, becoming increasingly intense as the stage progressed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The early phases were hardly drama-free, however. A large group charged through the first 35 kilometres together, and the first to falter did so due to punctures. Rudi Koen double flatted and, fixing his punctures, exhausted his and Imbuko ChemChamp teammate, Lood Goosen\u2019s, supply of plugs and CO2<\/sub>\u00a0canisters. Michael Foster\u2019s puncture was even worse. The PYGA Euro Steel man rode over a piece of wire, which punctured his tyre and rim tape. This left him nursing his bike to the feed zone to change the wheel. It took Foster and Jaedon Terlouw nearly half an hour to remedy the issue, effectively putting them out of the running for general classification honours in this year\u2019s race.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While PYGA Euro Steel and Imbuko ChemChamp were enduring punctures, the Honeycomb 266ers kept the pressure on the pedals. \u201cEveryone knew the final two climbs were going to be decisive, so there was no point in pushing too hard, too early,\u201d Wessel Botha explained. \u201cThe front group kept up a steady pace, and a few people tried moves, but nobody really went all out until that singletrack climb.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Near the 60 kilometre mark, the pace intensified, and the lead group, which had been six teams strong, was rapidly whittled down to just Toyota Imbuko Specialized ChemChamp, Insect Science, and<\/p>\n the Honeycomb 226ers. \u201cI didn\u2019t attack on the singletrack climb, I just made sure I was at the front so I could set a controlled tempo,\u201d Botha revealed. This tempo was enough to distance Summerplace Racing, Tshenolo Racing, and Insect Science Azimuth initially, and then force Arno Du Toit and Keagan Bontekoning from the wheels, too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the singletrack gave way to rough dual track, Toyota Imbuko Specialized ChemChamp took over the pace making. \u201cWe got away once, then Honeycomb [226ers] fought back to us, then we got away again and made the move stick,\u201d Stedman retold, explaining how he and Nortje established their lead. With Pritzen struggling near the summit, Nortje and Stedman were able to rapidly separate themselves from the chasers and gain time on the steepest ramps.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pressing home their advantage, they descended to Louvain as rapidly as they could, while remaining relatively safe. Crossing the line, Nortje and Stedman celebrated their stage victory and were surprised to see the size of the gaps behind them. Botha and Pritzen finished 4 minutes and 6 seconds down, with Insect Science a further 3 minutes back in third.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis is actually the first time I\u2019ve led a stage race, so it\u2019ll be special to wear the yellow jersey tomorrow,\u201d Stedman smiled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first wearers of the UCI Women\u2019s pink First Ascent leaders\u2019 jerseys are no strangers to the honour. Looser and Sanders are the most decorated women in the field, yet they were unsure of how their form would stack up. Sanders is making her comeback from injury and said her focus pre-race was on getting strong enough to survive the rugged terrain rather than just being fit enough to race her bike for five days.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After a steady start to the stage, the first attack of the race came from Hill and Wohlters, Sanders\u2019 Efficient Infiniti Insure teammates. \u201cSarah [Hill] and Steph [Wohlters] attacked on the first climb and got a little gap. We were in a group with Safari Essence Titan Racing, Fortress [Real Estate Investments], and Summer Sky [Racing],\u201d Sanders noted. \u201cBut Bianca [Haw] wasn\u2019t happy with our teammates up the road, and she closed the gap. Doing so put us in a position to counter and get away with Sarah and Steph.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe rode so nicely with our teammates,\u201d Hill added. \u201cI think they might have been waiting for us a bit, but it was great to work together for the middle phases of the race.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Sanders and Looser decided to accelerate, they rapidly built up a significant advantage on the Duiwelskop climb. \u201cI expected to cramp at some point in the stage, and I did on the last climb,\u201d Wohlters confessed. Efficient Infiniti Insure 1 powered over the summit and descended to victory in the Langkloof, winning by 18 minutes. Efficient Infiniti Insure 2 were second, 3 minutes and 3 seconds ahead of Bianca Haw and Danielle du Toit, of Safari Essence Titan Racing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Looser and Sanders will thus wear pink on Stage 2, which features an out-and-back course from Louvain. The route includes 1\u00a0800 metres of climbing in 88 kilometres. Adding distance to the familiar trails of the Langkloof, the day begins by heading northwest towards Herold before doubling back and ascending Duiwelskop from the north and dropping into a hidden valley. Dual and singletrack through fynbos keep the mid-phases of the stage interesting before broad district roads allow for tactics to come into play in the finale.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To stay up-to-date with all the action from the race, follow\u00a0@capepioneer<\/a>\u00a0on Instagram or like the\u00a0Cape Pioneer<\/a>\u00a0Facebook page. More information on the event can be found at\u00a0www.capepioneer.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n UCI Men | Stage 1:<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n UCI Women | Stage 1:<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n To view the full results from the 2025 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, click\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2025 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, Results<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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