Redemption for PYGA Euro Steel and Efficient Infiniti double up at the Cape Pioneer

Gallery Update

CYCLING NEWS - Having lost an hour with a puncture on Stage 1 of the Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer PYGA Euro Steel might be out of the general classification battle, but they earned redemption with a stage win on the second day of the 2025 race.

Wednesday, 1 October, also saw Efficient Infiniti Insure add a second victory to enhance their lead in the UCI Women’s race.

The 83-kilometre-long route, which started and finished in Louvain, was fraught with danger, given the dry and dusty trails, but all who gained an advantage on the day did so by the strength of their legs.

Strength was required on Stage 2, especially in the first 50 kilometres of the race. The trails were dry and dusty, with a fine powder hiding rocks and ruts, or being kicked into the air to further obscure riders’ vision.

“You had to be at the front of the group or close your eyes and hope for the best,” Tristan Nortje joked about the visibility at times.

For the most part, the top teams navigated the trickiest sections without incident. Cronje Beukes, of Tshenolo Racing 2, crashed but was able to continue. Steph Wohlters punctured, later, but it did not cost her and Sarah Hill a position on the trail.

“We went through a nasty ditch and I slowed right down to get through safely, then heard the knock of a rim on the rock behind me. Looking back, I saw Steph [Wohlters] had punctured,” Vera Looser explained.

“I’d actually had a small puncture earlier, which meant that my tyre was a bit soft,” Wohlters elaborated. “So it hit straight through onto the rim and we had to stop to bomb it.”

Michael Foster (leading) and Jaedon Terlouw rode to a redemption of sorts on Stage 2, of the 2025 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, to win the stage after losing time the previous day. Photo by Oakpics.com

At the time, the two Efficient Infiniti Insure teams were together, ahead of Safari Essence Titan Racing on the trails. The puncture cost Wohlters and Hill an easier ride on the gravel roads, into a rising headwind, later in the stage. That in turn allowed Bianca Haw and Danielle du Toit to reel in second position.

“We got into a good rhythm on the gravel road and kept passing teams,” Haw said. “Danielle [du Toit] and I were working nicely together, and when I saw a team which looked like Steph [Wohlters] and Sarah [Hill] ahead, I told myself we had to catch them.”

“They went past us and put us under pressure,” Hill allowed. “But there was no way I was giving up second on the general classification, so we dug deep to limit our time losses.”

Looser and Samantha Sanders had no such concerns. Once they were alone at the front, they pushed on and worked to extend their overall lead with a second stage win. In so doing, Efficient Infiniti Insure 1 added 6 minutes and 26 seconds to their advantage over Safari Essence Titan Racing and 7 minutes and 35 seconds over Efficient Infiniti Insure 2.

Haw and Du Toit’s second place on the day gained them 69 seconds on Wohlters and Hill. The gap between second and third in the UCI Women’s category thus drops to 1 minute and 57 seconds.

In the UCI Men’s race PYGA Euro Steel, the Honeycomb 226ers, Toyota Imbuko Specialized ChemChamp, and Insect Science managed to establish a gap on the chasing pack, led by Tshenolo Racing 1, Summerplace Racing, and Imbuko ChemChamp on the first significant climb of the day, just after the 20 kilometre mark.

Vera Looser (leading) and Samantha Sanders added 6 and a half minutes to their general classification advantage with their second stage win of the race. Photo by Oakpics.com

Near the summit, Arno du Toit and Keagan Bontekoning had to let the other three teams go, as the pace was slightly too high for the Insect Science pair to handle.

“We rode our own pace and weren’t too concerned, because we knew they would ease up later,” Bontekoning stated. “We got back to the group before the second feed zone, and then it became a tactical race on the gravel roads back to Louvain.”

After Du Toit had kept the pace steady into the headwind, Michael Foster and Jaedon Terlouw attacked on as the four teams swept off the gravel and onto a dual track through Louvain’s pastures. Marc Pritzen and Wessel Botha were able to close the gap, but Tristan Nortje and Travis Stedman, along with the Insect Science team, were not.

The men in the yellow First Ascent leaders’ jerseys fought to ensure they did not cede time to the Honeycomb 226ers, while Pritzen and Botha raced PYGA Euro Steel for victory.

“Michael [Foster] went ahead up the road, and I was able to hide on Marc [Pritzen] and Wessel [Botha’s] wheels,” Terlouw smiled. “Into the headwind on the final kicker that helped me save energy for an attack around them. I managed to bridge up to Michael, and we could win the stage. After yesterday’s puncture and time loss, this is a revenge of sorts. But I’d love to add more stage wins to our tally over the coming days too.”

The day’s result allowed Pritzen and Botha to reduce Nortje and Stedman’s advantage to 3 minutes and 36 seconds. Du Toit and Bontekoning remain in third, gaining time on Summerplace Racing in fourth on the general classification. Imbuko ChemChamp remains fifth.

Stage 3 is the mid-point of the 2025 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen. The 98 kilometre course will take the riders from Louvain, in the Langkloof, to Oudtshoorn via Chandelier Game Reserve.

Toyota Imbuko Specialized ChemChamp preferred to ride at the front of the group in the early phases of the day, to maximise their visibility and minimise their risk of punctures and crashes. Photo by Oakpics.com

Despite it being the longest route of the race, it is also the day with the second least climbing, at just 1 500 metres of accumulated elevation gain. Rocky dual tracks provide reasons aplenty to remain vigilant throughout the stage, however, as punctures and mechanicals are always a risk in Chandelier.

To stay up-to-date with all the action from the race, 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 2:

PYGA Euro Steel: Michael Foster & Jaedon Terlouw (3:11:19)
Honeycomb 226ers: Wessel Botha & Marc Pritzen (3:11:24 | +5)
Toyota Imbuko Specialized ChemChamp: Travis Stedman & Tristan Nortje (3:11:54 | +35)
Insect Science: Arno du Toit & Keagan Bontekoning (3:15:04 | +3:45)
Summerplace Racing: Ignatius du Preez & Herman Fourie (3:21:17 | +9:58)

UCI Women | Stage 2:

Efficient Infiniti Insure 1: Vera Looser & Samantha Sanders (4:06:34)
Safari Essence Titan Racing: Bianca Haw & Danielle du Toit (4:13:00 | +6:26)
Efficient Infiniti Insure 2: Sarah Hill & Steph Wohlters (4:14:09 | +7:35)
Summer Sky Racing: Lilian Baber & Karlise Scheepers (4:25:18 | +18:44)
Fortress Real Estate Investments: Ila Stow & Chloe Bishop (4:29:37 | +23:03

UCI Men’s General Classification after Stage 2:

Toyota Imbuko Specialized ChemChamp: Travis Stedman & Tristan Nortje (6:47:01)
Honeycomb 226ers: Wessel Botha & Marc Pritzen (6:50:37 | +03:36)
Insect Science: Arno du Toit & Keagan Bontekoning (6:57:14 | +10:13)
Summerplace Racing: Ignatius du Preez & Herman Fourie (7:13:52 | +26:52)
Imbuko ChemChamp: Rudi Koen & Lood Goosen (7:20:26 | +33:26)

Stage 2 UCI Men’s Podium (from left to right): Wessel Botha, Marc Pritzen, Jaedon Terlouw, Michael Foster, Tristan Nortje, and Travis Stedman. Photo by Oakpics.com

UCI Women’s General Classification after Stage 2:

Efficient Infiniti Insure 1: Vera Looser & Samantha Sanders (8:37:07)
Efficient Infiniti Insure 2: Sarah Hill & Steph Wohlters (9:02:45 | +25:40)
Safari Essence Titan Racing: Bianca Haw & Danielle du Toit (9:04:39 | +27:33)
Fortress Real Estate Investments: Ila Stow & Chloe Bishop (9:34:22 | +57:16)
Summer Sky Racing: Lilian Baber & Karlise Scheepers (9:48:51 | +01:11:45)

UCI Women’s General Classification Podium after Stage 2 (from left to right): Steph Wohlters, Sarah Hill, Vera Looser, Samantha Sanders, Bianca Haw, and Danielle du Toit. Photo by Oakpics.com