South Africans Matthys Beukes and Gert Heyns claimed three stage wins en route to overall victory at the seven-day Cape Pioneer Trek mountain bike race in Oudtshoorn on Saturday.
Matthys Beukes (left) and Gert Heyns of SCOTT Factory Racing LCB 1 celebrate their overall victory at the end of Stage 6 of the Cape Pioneer Trek from Calitzdorp to Oudtshoorn, South Africa.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje/Nikon
Beukes and Heyns (Scott Factory Racing LCB) headed up an international podium that also comprised Italian brothers Roberto and Emanuele Crisi (Celeste Kento Avvenia) in second and the Dutch pairing of Bram Rood and Mos Gerben (KMC-Mitsubishi-Koga-Stauwdam Assen) in third.
For more news, results and photos see: Cape Pioneer Trek
Beukes and Heyns’ teammates Philip Buys and Arno du Toit won the 68km final stage from Calitzdorp to Oudtshoorn for their third stage win in the 541km race from Mossel Bay.
In the women’s race, Swiss racer and former marathon world champion Esther Suss and British partner Catherine Williamson (SasolRacing) took a hard-fought seven-minute victory over local rider Robyn de Groot and Sweden’s Jennie Stenerhag (Ascendis Health).
South Africans Marlene Lourens and Desiree Loubser (Fair Cape) rounded out the podium.
Oudtshoorn residents Kobus and Fienie Barnard (Klein Karoo Mixed) raced into their hometown to earn an impressive sixth stage win and claim the mixed category.
South Africans Rob Sim and Doug Brown (Trek Robert Daniel) dominated the veterans’ race and did not drop a single stage on their way to the category win.
Waleed Baker and Joao Mendes (PitstopSport24hrs) delivered a consistent performance to win the masters’ title.
The men’s and women’s solo categories were won by Craig Uria and Lara-Ann Everts-Van de Venter respectively.
