Honeycomb 226ers\u2019 Marc Pritzen and Felix Stehli seized the First Ascent yellow leaders\u2019 jerseys with a commanding performance on the opening day of the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, on Tuesday, 22 September. Racing aboard 32-inch-wheeled Stoll Bikes, the pair powered up and over Duiwelskop to win Stage 1 by 8 minutes and 5 seconds in the UCI Men\u2019s competition. In the UCI Women\u2019s race, Samantha Sanders, the three-time defending champion, and her Efficient Infiniti Insure teammate, Sarah Mar\u00e9, lived up to their billing as pre-race favourites by claiming victory by 16 minutes and 32 seconds on a tough and technical 66-kilometre course, from Wilderness to Louvain.<\/p>\n
Marc Pritzen (leading) and Felix Stehli won Stage 1 of the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, adding to their 32-inch success on the Stoll Bikes P32s. Photo by Oakpics.com<\/em><\/p>\n Starting alongside the Indian Ocean, at the ANEW Resort Wilderness, the morning was misty and cool before the sun burnt through the clouds and the mercury rose to 32 degrees Celsius. The route over the Outeniqua Mountains included three major climbs, the first of which came 15 kilometres into the stage. The next two effectively ran into each other, with only a short downhill respite, ensuring that kilometres 35 to 58 were virtually all uphill, resulting in 1\u00a0800 metres of accumulated elevation gain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This suited the favourites, Sanders and Mar\u00e9. \u201cWe hadn\u2019t planned on attacking so early,\u201d Sanders revealed. \u201cAt the summit of the first climb we looked around and saw the other teams were a bit disjointed. Not all the teammates were together, and we decided to attack and see what happened. We thought we could get into the singletrack first and then if anyone rode back to us, we\u2019d reevaluate, but nobody did.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sanders and Mar\u00e9 powered through the first trail segment and by the time the Efficient Infiniti Insure team reached Water Point 1 at the 35-kilometre mark, they held a 4-and-a-half-minute advantage. Behind them, Hollard Summerplace Racing\u2019s Chloe Hopf and Lilian Baber kept the pressure on Safari Essence Titan Racing\u2019s Danielle du Toit and Roxanne Kemp. On the lower slopes of the second climb, shortly after the water point, Hopf and Baber accelerated.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI like rocky, steep climbs,\u201d Baber acknowledged. \u201cIt was tough, but I think my cross-country background helps me with climbs like that. We got away from the Safari Essence Titan Racing team near the bottom of the singletrack climb, and then rode our own pace to the summit.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That pace was enough to comprehensively distance Du Toit and Kemp, as well as the chasers Silke Bester and Luzaan Durand of Absolute Motion, and the Cycle Nation Enza Construction team of Rachel Seaman and Bianca Botha. The Hollard Summerplace Racing combination could not reel in Sanders and Mar\u00e9 as the Efficient Infiniti Insure pair continued to extend their advantage to 16 minutes and 32 seconds by the finish line.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hopf and Baber were second, nearly 21 minutes up on Safari Essence Titan Racing\u2019s Du Toit and Kemp. \u201cBoth Roxy [Roxanne Kemp] and I struggled today.\u201d Du Toit confessed. \u201cBut we kept going and tried to minimise our losses as best we could. There are still four big days ahead, and despite today being tough, we are looking forward to Stage 2 tomorrow. The race is far from over.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pritzen and Stehli\u2019s attack in the UCI Men\u2019s category came only 5 kilometres later in the stage than Sanders and Mar\u00e9\u2019s in the UCI Women\u2019s race. On the first climb of the day, Jan Withaar, of Insect Science Safari Essence, dropped his chain. His teammate Wessel Botha remained with the Honeycomb 226ers group, while Arno du Toit and Keagan Bontekoning helped pace Withaar back. They caught the leaders as they entered the first singletrack, but were caught at the back of the pack and were therefore unable to follow Pritzen and Stehli\u2019s move.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI went super hard on that singletrack,\u201d Pritzen grinned. \u201cIt was wet and grassy, so it was hard to keep momentum. Once we got away, we just went all in. The main climb of the day was tough, and because there was so little grip you couldn\u2019t really ride it hard. You had to work for traction all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With Honeycomb 226ers up the trail, the Toyota Specialized, Pump for Peace Abashovi, and Tshenolo Pro Cycling teams were second, third and fourth on the road. Du Toit and Bontekoning helped pace Withaar and Botha up to that group, then fell back slightly to recover from their efforts. At Water Point 1, 35 kilometres into the stage, Pritzen and Stehli led Withaar, Botha, Ignatius du Preez and Lood Goosen, Unathi Nxumalo and Thabiso Zindela, as well as Alec Colesk\u00e9 and Halalisani Ndebele, by 98 seconds. Du Toit and Bontekoning were a further 20 seconds adrift.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On the singletrack climb that followed, Botha and Du Preez proved to be the strongest climbers in the chase group. Their teammates, Withaar and Goosen, could not match their speed, however, and Honeycomb 226ers\u2019 advantage ballooned. Goosen struggled more than Withaar as the climb wore on, and Insect Science Safari Essence solidified their second position in the trails.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By the summit, Pritzen and Stehli were over 6 minutes ahead; Withaar and Botha were followed over the top by Toyota Specialized Imbuko, Pump for Peace Abashovi, and Insect Science\u2019s Du Toit and Bontekoning. In the remaining kilometres, the Honeycomb 226ers added to their advantage. \u201cThe 32-inch wheels were an advantage today,\u201d Pritzen stated. \u201cThey roll over obstacles so easily and provided lots of grip on the loose terrain on the climb and on the descent to the finish.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Crossing the line 8 minutes and 5 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals, Pritzen and Stehli earned yellow and a significant advantage to take into Stage 2. Botha and Withaar gained 1 minute and 47 seconds over Du Preez and Goosen in the battle for second and third. Du Toit and Bontekoning finished strong, passing Nxumalo and Zindela, of the Pump for Peace Abashovi team, in the closing kilometres to claim fourth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The gaps behind the men\u2019s race leaders are tighter, and that augurs well for a captivating tussle over the coming days. Stage 2 presents the next opportunity for teams to gain places. It features a 73-kilometre route, with 1\u00a0500 metres of climbing. Starting and finishing at Louvain, it is front-loaded with climbing and could end in a sprint finish.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To see if the challengers can gain time on Efficient Infiniti Insure or the Honeycomb 226ers, cycling fans can view live updates from the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, on the @capepioneer<\/a> Instagram handle or by liking the Cape Pioneer<\/a> Facebook page. For more information, visit www.capepioneer.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, Results<\/strong><\/p>\n UCI Men\u2019s Stage 1 Results:<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n UCI Women\u2019s Stage 1 Results:<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the full results from the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
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