Honeycomb 226ers Sprint to Stage 3 Victory at the Cape Pioneer

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CYCLING NEWS - The dual tracks and trails from Louvain, in the Langkloof, to Langenhoven Gymnasium, in Oudtshoorn, were rocky and rough on Stage 3 of the Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen.

This helped create the conditions for another thrilling day of racing on Thursday, 2 October.

Though the yellow and pink First Ascent leaders' jerseys did not change hands, there was movement on the UCI Women’s general classification podium and nearly a change in the UCI Men’s too, when Steph Wohlters crashed and Arno du Toit punctured.

Beyond the drama, the Honeycomb 226ers sprinted to stage victory, and Efficient Infiniti Insure added a third win to their tally.

At 98 kilometres long, the third stage was the longest of the race, but it featured only 1 500 metres of climbing. This belied the difficulty of the day, however.

A rocky climb and a treacherously technical descent set the tone for a course littered with rocks, where brief gravel road sections provided scant relief from the full-body workout of racing mountain bikes across the Klein Karoo.

After a fast start, the UCI Men settled into a steady rhythm once they had navigated the climb and descent over a foothill of the Kammanassie Mountain Range.

Toyota Imbuko Specialized ChemChamp and the Honeycomb 226ers were always attentive at the front of the group, which was eight teams strong when they passed through the first water point, at the 35 kilometre mark.

Shortly thereafter, following a river crossing, Tristan Nortje decided it was time to push on.

Keagan Bontekoning and Michael Foster were caught behind the initial split, which forced Du Toit to sit up and wait for his Insect Science teammate. Jaedon Terlouw’s confidence in his PGYA Euro Steel partner meant that he did not feel the need to wait for Foster.

This proved to be a wise decision, as Foster rode through the chase group of Insect Science, Imbuko ChemChamp, Team ACT/CRN, Tshenolo Racing 1, and Summerplace Racing to rejoin the leading trio of teams.

Steph Wohlters (leading) suffered a crash during the stage, but was able to finish nonetheless.

This completed the PYGA Euro Steel team, allowing them to compete with Nortje, Travis Stedman, Marc Pritzen, and Wessel Botha for stage honours. Behind, Insect Science’s day would soon become significantly harder.

“It was a momentary lapse of concentration on an innocuous section of dual track,” Du Toit confessed. “We’d just completed a particularly rocky section, and I relaxed slightly for half a second. I must have just clipped a sharp rock with the sidewall of my front tyre, and it tore instantly. One look and I knew a plug wasn’t going to hold. I patched the sidewall, felt around for thorns in the tyre, and put a tube in. But I must have done a bad job looking for thorns because the tube went flat instantly, too.”

“By then, Andre van Rooyen and Ruan Portwig, from our Kings of Neon Academy, had caught up to us,” Du Toit continued. “I didn’t want to take a wheel from them right away and ruin their day, so I took their tube and then they rolled with us for about 2 kilometres, until that tube punctured too! Then the only way to save our race was to take one of their wheels, which they graciously sacrificed.”

With an inflated front wheel, Insect Science set about reducing their time losses, with the aim of defending their third place on the general classification.

They had started the day 16 minutes and 39 seconds ahead of the Summerplace Racing pairing of Ignatius du Preez and Herman Fourie, and after a 45 kilometre chase, kept the damage to just under 10 minutes.

At the front, there was no separating Toyota Imbuko Specialized ChemChamp, the Honeycomb 226ers, and PYGA Euro Steel. With 15 kilometres to race, it was clear that the day would end in a sprint finish, and the teams started jockeying for position. Sweeping downhill onto the Langenhoven Gymnasium fields, Stedman was in pole position, but Pritzen and Botha held the second and third positions in the single-file line.

Arno du Toit (leading) and Keagan Bontekoning had a near 50 kilometre chase on their hands after a puncture put their podium position in jeopardy during Stage 3.

Nortje was unable to force his way around Botha after rounding the final bend, and Honeycomb 226ers claimed their first stage win of the race by a single second.

“We’ve had two second places, so it’s great to get a stage win,” Botha smiled. “There’s not that much between the teams, and tomorrow will be a tough stage, which should suit Marc [Pritzen] and me. I’m looking forward to it. The race is far from over!”

The sprint finish leaves the general classification showdown locked with Toyota Imbuko Specialized ChemChamp 3 minutes and 36 seconds ahead of the Honeycomb 226ers. Insect Science remains third, but is 22 minutes down after their puncture problems.

Summerplace Racing is fourth, and Imbuko ChemChamp round out the top five places. Further down, PYGA Euro Steel are in ninth, within half an hour of Imbuko ChemChamp and in with a chance of riding their way into the top five over the next two days.

The UCI Women’s race excitement centred on Wohlters’ crash. The Efficient Infiniti 2 rider found herself pinballing off a series of rocks before hitting the deck.

“I’d just taken a bite of a banana when I saw that the dual track was becoming rocky just ahead,” she explained. “I had to grab the bars with the banana still in my hand, and with riders alongside me and behind me, I first hit one rock, then the next. Before I knew it, I was on the ground, bracing for someone to ride over me. Miraculously, nobody did!”

“Steph [Wohlters’] bike cartwheeled up and I had to duck to avoid the cassette hitting me in the face,” Sarah Hill added. “I straightened her bars, and we were back up and riding in no time. But when the adrenaline wore off, we lost the group.”

Safari Essence Titan Racing were the primary beneficiaries of Wohlters’ dip in energy. Bianca Haw and Danielle du Toit were best able to follow Vera Looser and Samantha Sanders when the Efficient Infiniti Insure team surged up the trail and raced to their third stage victory.

Haw and Du Toit finished just 1 minute and 39 seconds behind the victors, and moved into second on the general classification in the process. The Absolute Motion combination of Frances Janse Van Rensburg and Rachel Seaman enjoyed their best day of the race, claiming third on the stage. Wohlters and Hill finished third.

The result means that Looser and Sanders lead by 29 minutes going into the Queen Stage. Safari Essence Titan Racing have a 9 minute and 16 second buffer on Efficient Infiniti Insure 2, in second.

Further back, Fortress Real Estate Investments is fourth, and Summer Sky Racing is fifth.

Friday’s Stage 4 has been on every rider’s mind for months. The Queen Stage of the 2025 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, will be a challenging one. Starting in Oudtshoorn, the 93 kilometre course takes in 2 250 metres of climbing, including the 655 metres of the 8.5-kilometre-long Swartberg Pass ascent.

Currently, the best time for the southern climb is 29 minutes and 21 seconds, set by Matthys Beukes in March 2021. Amy Wakefield’s 40 minutes and 45 seconds is the current Women’s QOM, set during the 2017 race.

To stay up-to-date with all the action from the race and the ascent of the Swartberg Pass, follow @capepioneer on Instagram or like the Cape Pioneer Facebook page. More information on the event can be found at www.capepioneer.co.za.

2025 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, Results

UCI Men | Stage 3:

Honeycomb 226ers: Wessel Botha & Marc Pritzen (3:32:10)
Toyota Imbuko Specialized ChemChamp: Travis Stedman & Tristan Nortje (3:32:11 | +1)
PYGA Euro Steel: Michael Foster & Jaedon Terlouw (3:32:12 | +2)
Summerplace Racing: Ignatius du Preez & Herman Fourie (3:35:00 | +2:50)
Imbuko ChemChamp: Rudi Koen & Lood Goosen (3:35:46 | +3:36)

UCI Women | Stage 3:

Efficient Infiniti Insure 1: Vera Looser & Samantha Sanders (4:22:36)
Safari Essence Titan Racing: Bianca Haw & Danielle du Toit (4:24:16 | +1:39)
?Absolute Motion: Frances Janse Van Rensburg & Rachel Seaman (04:26:43 | +4:06)
?Efficient Infiniti Insure 2: Sarah Hill & Steph Wohlters (4:35:24 | +12:48)
Fortress Real Estate Investments: Ila Stow & Chloe Bishop (4:35:30 | +12:53)

Stage 3 UCI Men’s Podium (from left to right): Travis Stedman, Tristan Nortje, Marc Pritzen, Wessel Botha, Jaedon Terlouw, and Michael Foster.UCI Men’s General Classification after Stage 3:

Toyota Imbuko Specialized ChemChamp: Travis Stedman & Tristan Nortje (10:19:12)
Honeycomb 226ers: Wessel Botha & Marc Pritzen (10:22:48 | +03:36)
Insect Science: Arno du Toit & Keagan Bontekoning (10:41:57 | +22:45)
Summerplace Racing: Ignatius du Preez & Herman Fourie (10:48:53 | +29:41)
Imbuko ChemChamp: Rudi Koen & Lood Goosen (10:56:12 | +37:00)

UCI Women’s General Classification after Stage 3:

Efficient Infiniti Insure 1: Vera Looser & Samantha Sanders (12:59:43)
?Safari Essence Titan Racing: Bianca Haw & Danielle du Toit (13:28:54 | +29:12)
?Efficient Infiniti Insure 2: Sarah Hill & Steph Wohlters (13:38:10 | +38:28)
?Fortress Real Estate Investments: Ila Stow & Chloe Bishop (14:09:52 | +1:10:10)
Summer Sky Racing: Lilian Baber & Karlise Scheepers (14:31:06 | +01:31:26)

Stage 3 UCI Women’s Podium (from left to right): Bianca Haw, Danielle du Toit, Vera Looser, Samantha Sanders, Frances Janse van Rensburg, and Rachel Seaman. Photos by Oakpics.com