Stage 5: Cape Pioneer Trek

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GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Despite both the men’s and the women’s races featuring an early break – during stage 5 of the 2017 Momentum Health Cape Pioneer Trek on Thursday 19 October.

The stage was decided by mere seconds.

Team Spur/Red-E secured their second victory in a sprint finish, by out-muscling KMC Fruit to Go and NAD Pro MTB, while Team Ascendis Health edged out Team Spur/Valencia by eight seconds at the end of the 97 kilometre long stage.

The fifth stage of the race was second longest and the last journey stage of the event, as the route wound its way from the forests of George to the arid Klein Karoo of Oudtshoorn, via the hop plantations of Herold.

The day featured 1 650 metres of altitude gain, most of which came in the first twenty kilometres on the storied Montagu Pass.

Nico Bell and Gawie Combrink, of NAD Pro MTB, set the pace up the pass and forced a split which only Team Spur/Red-E could follow.

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“Nico [Bell] and Gawie [Combrink] must have slept well last night because they went hard from the end of the neutral zone” Hatherly commented.

The leading two teams opened up a gap of 90 seconds by the first water point at the 35 kilometre mark but then a headwind neutralised the race.

The KMC Fruit to Go team, of Bram Rood and Gerben Mos, had their strongest stage of the race so far – fighting back to the lead group of NAD Pro and Spur/Red-E on at least three occasions.

“We rode our own pace up the climb and then worked with KTM and two solo riders to catch NAD and Spur” Rood said.

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“We were riding to defend our third position so when the other teams dropped off in Chandelier [Game Reserve] we were not worried when we could not keep up with NAD and Spur anymore.

"But then coming towards the tar we caught them and we rode into town together. When we turned down towards the river I crashed with 2 kilometres to go, so we went full gas and caught them again with less than a kilometre to go.

"There was a really narrow gate at the start of the finishing straight and we managed to get through there ahead of NAD so that’s how we beat them in the sprint” Rood elaborated.

The women’s race also featured an early break with Robyn de Groot and Sabine Spitz, of Team Ascendis Health going on a solo attack on the Montagu Pass.

Amy-Beth McDougall looked to be in trouble early on but Ariane Lüthi kept her composure and the pink jersey wearers limited their time loss to 1 minute and 12 seconds inside the first 20 kilometres.

“Ariane [Lüthi] was brilliant, she helped me so much today” McDougall said after the stage.

The Ascendis Health combination eventually crossed the finish line 8 seconds ahead of Team Spur/Valencia with the Junto Ladies team, of Nicola Giliomee and Frankie du Toit, finishing 28 minutes and 59 seconds back in third.

To follow the action as it unfolds mountain biking fans can follow the event’s Twitter handle, @CapePioneerTrek, from 07:30 on Friday morning.

In addition to the live coverage on Twitter the highlights from every stage of the race can be viewed on the Cape Pioneer Trek Facebook page and the Dryland Event Management YouTube Channel from 20:00, Central African Time, daily.

For more information on the Momentum Health Cape Pioneer Trek please visit www.capepioneer.co.za

Results: 2017 Momentum Health Cape Pioneer Trek, presented by Biogen

UCI Men | Stage 5