MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Matt Beers and Alan Hatherly won the 96km stage one of the Cape Pioneer Trek, which started and finished at Milkwood Primary School in Mossel Bay on Sunday, 15 October.
In this Momentum Health-sponsored event, the riders headed out at 07:30. Stage one included 1 650m of elevation.
The changed route for the 2017 Cape Pioneer Trek mountain bike stage race will be longer, and will be featuring more climbing than the race in 2016.
The 2017 race will cover a total distance of 553km, 72km further than last year.
Total vertical ascent will be 11 420m. This is 1 030m more than in 2016.
The seven stages of the trek, presented by Biogen, feature two journey stages - from Mossel Bay to George and from George to Oudtshoorn - and five exploration stages, including a mid-race time trial at stage four and the queen stage at stage six.
In this Momentum Health-sponsored event, the riders headed out at 07:30. Stage one included 1 650m of elevation. Photo: Zoon Cronje, www.zcmc.co.za
The seven-day race will feature a time trial and a mountain top finish on the Swartberg Pass.
The race will also include more time in the Mossel Bay area. In contrast to the 2016 race, this year will not feature a prologue.
The Spur RedE team finished ahead of defending champions Nico Bell and Gawie Combrinck, despite the team experiencing mechanical difficulty.
A wheel change for Hatherly at water point three cost the team members precious seconds as the NAD Pro pair were able to sail past them.
However, the housemates regrouped and were able to pull back valuable time and finished in 3:35:32, one minute ahead of Bell and Combrinck.
Jiri Krivanek and Marek Rauchfuss (Kelly's Bikeranch team) finished third in 3:38:07.
2017 Route details
Stage 1
Mossel Bay to Mossel Bay: 96km, 1 650m ascent
Stage 2
Mossel Bay to Mossel Bay: 71km, 1 550m ascent
Stage 3
Mossel Bay to George: 99km, 2 000m ascent
Stage 4
George to George: 31km, 720m ascent
Stage 5
George to Oudtshoorn: 97km, 1 650m ascent
Stage 6
Oudtshoorn to Swartberg Pass: 95km, 2 700m ascent
Stage 7
Chandelier Game Reserve to Oudtshoorn: 64km, 1 150m ascent
ARTICLE: http://inthebunch.co.za
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