Chris Wolhuter and Andrew Hill took one back from overall leaders Kevin Evans and Pieter Seyffert when they outsprinted them to win stage two of the three-day PwC Great Zuurberg Trek near Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
Wolhuter and Hill, riding for TIB Insurance, finished in 3:43:01 to hold the Biogen Volcan-Altech Autopage duo at bay by a single second and claim the 78km queen stage that took in remote portions of the Addo Elephant National Park.
Cycle Lab’s Andrew Mclean and Bruce Diesel finished third in 4:03:00 on the tough stage that featured almost 2 000m of climbing.
Evans and Seyffert retain their positions at the top of the leaderboard with an aggregate time of 6:23:29 and will take a 1:18 lead into the final day.
The young Isostar team of Jurgens Uys and Jason Meaton finished fourth in 4:03:25 to remain third in the general classification in 6:52:24.
The stage is now set for an interesting showdown on the fast-paced 50km final stage.
Chris Wolhuter (left) and Andrew Hill (second from left) outsprint Kevin Evans and Pieter Seyffert (far right) to claim the second stage of the PwC Great Zuurberg Trek near Addo outside Port Elizabeth on Saturday. Photo: Full Stop Communications
While Wolhuter and Hill may have the technical advantage on the Hayterdale cross-country trails, the race could come down to the final climb up Zuurberg Pass, where Evans and Seyffert asserted their authority on day one.
“I think a minute’s enough to win this race if you don’t have any bad luck or mechanicals,” said Evans.
“Andrew and Chris were stronger today than yesterday, so our goal was just to ride with them, not lose time and defend our lead.”
The race started briskly as the riders descended into the valley from Camp Figtree towards Slagboom Dam, with the foursome going clear on the technical Monty’s Python climb just before the first waterpoint.
“Then we climbed up and out of the Addo Park grasslands, where I just sat at the front and rode a nice consistent pace,” said defending champion Hill.
On one of the recommended portage sections after the second waterpoint, the Isostar youngsters caught the leaders but the elastic snapped once more when the tempo was increased.
There were some anxious moments for the overall leaders when Evans’s chain kept dropping, forcing him and Seyffert to chase back several times on the northern ridge of the Zuurberg mountains.
“We then set a really strong pace through the third and fourth waterpoints along the Karoo Koppies section, with a tailwind behind us and a nice smooth track,” said Hill.
However, his turn for trouble came when a lead motorbike crashed in front of him, snagging a roll of farm fencing and his rear wheel in the process.
After extricating Hill from the barbed wire, the foursome paced together on For Pete’s Sake, the final sting-in-the-tail climb, before deciding the stage in a nail-biting finishing sprint.
Merrell’s Andrea Shirley and Sanmari Woithe claimed second honours in the women’s race in 5:10:12 for a combined time of 8:44:58.
Multiple Cape Town Cycle Tour champion Anriette Schoeman and Africa Silks teammate John Wakefield won the day in the mixed category in 4:47:23 for an overall time of 8:01:50.
For the latest news, go to Great Zuurberg Trek.
