Cape Pioneer Stage 1 created early race-defining gaps on Tuesday, 22 September, as Marc Pritzen and Felix Stehli rode into yellow. The Honeycomb 226ers pair won the UCI Men’s race by 8 minutes and 5 seconds on the opening day of the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen.
Racing on 32-inch-wheeled Stoll Bikes, Pritzen and Stehli attacked over the tough route from Wilderness to Louvain. They crossed Duiwelskop with a clear lead and claimed the First Ascent yellow leaders’ jerseys.
Cape Pioneer Stage 1 delivers steep climbs and major gaps
The 66-kilometre course started beside the Indian Ocean at ANEW Resort Wilderness. Mist and cool conditions greeted riders before the sun broke through and temperatures reached 32 degrees Celsius.
The route crossed the Outeniqua Mountains and included three major climbs. The first arrived 15 kilometres into the stage. The next two climbs linked closely together, making kilometres 35 to 58 almost entirely uphill. The stage carried 1,800 metres of accumulated elevation gain.
In the UCI Women’s race, Samantha Sanders and Sarah Maré quickly confirmed their status as pre-race favourites. The Efficient Infiniti Insure riders won by 16 minutes and 32 seconds.
Sanders, a three-time defending champion, said the attack came earlier than planned. She noted that rival teams looked disjointed near the top of the first climb. Efficient Infiniti Insure then pushed to enter the singletrack first and never came back.
By Water Point 1 at 35 kilometres, Sanders and Maré already held a four-and-a-half-minute lead. Behind them, Hollard Summerplace Racing’s Chloe Hopf and Lilian Baber increased pressure on Safari Essence Titan Racing’s Danielle du Toit and Roxanne Kemp.
Hopf and Baber attacked on the lower slopes of the second climb. Baber said her cross-country background helped on the rocky, steep terrain. They rode clear of Du Toit and Kemp and held second place to the finish.
Safari Essence Titan Racing completed the women’s podium, with Du Toit and Kemp third. Du Toit admitted both riders struggled but said they focused on limiting losses. She also pointed to four difficult days still remaining.
Pritzen and Stehli turn singletrack move into yellow jerseys
The decisive men’s move came five kilometres later than the women’s winning attack. On the first climb, Jan Withaar of Insect Science Safari Essence dropped his chain. His teammate Wessel Botha stayed with the Honeycomb 226ers group.
Arno du Toit and Keagan Bontekoning helped pace Withaar back to the leaders. They made contact entering the first singletrack but sat at the rear. That positioning prevented them from following when Pritzen and Stehli accelerated.
Pritzen said he went “super hard” through the wet, grassy singletrack. Once the gap opened, Honeycomb 226ers committed fully. He added that the main climb demanded constant traction work because grip was limited.
At Water Point 1, Pritzen and Stehli led a chase group by 98 seconds. The closest pursuers included Withaar and Botha, Ignatius du Preez and Lood Goosen, Unathi Nxumalo and Thabiso Zindela, and Alec Coleské and Halalisani Ndebele. Du Toit and Bontekoning trailed that group by another 20 seconds.
On the following singletrack climb, Botha and Du Preez were strongest among the chasers. Their teammates could not match the pace. As Goosen faded more than Withaar, Insect Science Safari Essence strengthened its hold on second place.
By the summit, Pritzen and Stehli led by more than six minutes. They extended the advantage before the finish. Pritzen said the 32-inch wheels helped them roll over obstacles and find grip on loose climbs and descents.
Botha and Withaar finished second, gaining 1 minute and 47 seconds on Du Preez and Goosen in third. Du Toit and Bontekoning passed Pump for Peace Abashovi’s Nxumalo and Zindela late to secure fourth.
Stage 2 starts and finishes at Louvain. The 73-kilometre route includes 1,500 metres of climbing. Its front-loaded profile could still end with a sprint finish.
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