MOUNTAIN BIKING NEWS - South African mountain biking stars Alan Hatherly and Hayley Preen kicked off their 2026 campaigns in style, claiming emphatic victories at the Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen, on Saturday 17 January.
The 120km UCI Class 1 race from Chandelier Game Lodge near Oudtshoorn to Pine Creek Resort in Great Brak benefitted from a revised route that removed two notoriously rocky early climbs, combined with cool weather, allowing riders to push a faster, more consistent pace throughout.
Organisers anticipated times around 15 minutes quicker for the elite men, but the leaders surpassed expectations. The opening 40km to the first feed zone was covered in under 90 minutes - far quicker than the usual 01:45 to 01:50 - without feeling overly taxing, thanks to the smoother start.
A puncture just before the feed zone cost Tristan Nortje dearly, forcing a wheel change and dropping him from contention.
Marc Pritzen surged to take the King of the Mountain hotspot, whittling the lead group to four: himself, Hatherly, Wessel Botha and Travis Stedman.
Stedman later crashed after a feeding error, while Andreas Seewald recovered from an early puncture to rejoin the field.
After the iconic Attakwaskloof, Seewald bridged back to the leading trio. With 20km left, Hatherly attacked on the second-last climb and held a slim gap through tough headwinds and corrugated roads, despite feeling the fatigue in the final kilometres.
The group that filled the top four places, from left: Alan Hatherly, Wessel Botha, Marc Pritzen and Andreas Seewald.
The Giant Factory Off Road Racing rider crossed the line in a new course benchmark of 04:25:10 - 21 minutes faster than the previous record in 2021. Pritzen finished second, just 23 seconds adrift, with Botha third under a minute back, Seewald fourth and Nortje fifth.
In the women's race, a large group of 10 stayed together early. Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb) attacked on the Queen of the Mountain climb, soloing briefly before being rejoined by Samantha Sanders and Bianca Haw. After nearly 30km of co-operation, Preen launched a decisive move on a steep climb with 30km remaining and powered away solo.
She won in 05:33:07 - an impressive 50 minutes faster than her 2025 time and within seven minutes of the long-standing 2017 course record. Sanders took second, 03:29 behind, with Haw third.
The 20th edition of the “Hell of the South” showcased the riders’ strength on a tweaked but still demanding course. For more details, photos and updates, visit www.atta.co.za or follow @attakwasmtb on Instagram.
UCI men’s results
1. Alan Hatherly: Giant Factory MTB Racing (4:25:10)
2. Marc Pritzen: Honeycomb 226ers (4:25:33 | +23)
3. Wessel Botha: Insect Science (4:26:07 | +57)
4. Andreas Seewald: Singer KTM (04:27:09 | +1:59)
5. Tristan Nortje: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (04:34:04 | +8:06)
UCI women’s results
1. Hayley Preen: ChemChamp Honeycomb (05:33:07)
2. Samantha Sanders: Efficient Infiniti Insure (05:36:36 | + 3:29)
3. Bianca Haw: Leatt (05:38:41 | +5:34)
4. Felicitas Geiger: Privateer (05:45:21 | +12:14)
5. Malena Seer: 1OF1 Cycling (05:49:36 | +16:29)
Marc Pritzen took the King of the Mountain Hotspot prize in a move that provided the decisive split in the peloton.
Previous Articles:
- Hatherly and Preen open their 2026 seasons with victories at the Hell of the South
- Double World Champion and Hell of the South Defending Champ returns
- Route tweaks likely to produce faster Hell of the South
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