Photographs from the Cape Pioneer Trek

Alan Hatherly and Matt Beers were the first to make their mark at the Cape Pioneer Trek as they won the 96km opening stage that finished at Milkwood Primary School in Mossel Bay today.

Ariane Lüthi and Amy McDougall won the women’s race while Charles McFall and Carmen Buchacher won the mixed category.

Photographs of each of the stages can be viewed below.

Images courtesy of ZC Marketing Consulting and Oak Pics.

Stage one – Gondwana Glory – 96km

No longer featuring a prologue, stage one of the Cape Pioneer Trek threw riders in the deep end with a 96km challenge that included 1 650m of climbing.

Stage two – Diaz Delight – 71km

Day two, slightly shorter than the first, took riders along the coastline of the Mossel Bay area. The stage started with a steep climb out of town before riders headed along the coast. They then turned inland and made their way through Bergsig Game Farm before heading back for the exhilarating descent into town.

Stage three – Outeniqua Odyssey – 99km

The third stage is known as the second hardest stage of the event. Riders had to endure 2000m of climbing over a 99km route from Mossel Bay to George.

Stage four – Saasveld Singletrack – 31km

Stage four is the shortest stage of the Cape Pioneer Trek. It started and finished at the Van Kervel High School in George.

It is in the format of a time trial with 90% singletrack in lush forests.

Stage five – Montagu Mettle – 97km

Stage five, a 97km route with 1 650m of climbing, saw the closest finish of the event so far. In the end Matt Beers and Alan Hatherly took their fifth win after a spring for the line with two other teams.

Stage six – Swartberg Showdown – 95km

The much anticipated queen stage was by far the most challenging as riders tackled the notorious Swartberg Mountain. The final uphill battle saw riders complete a 8km climb to the finish after 95km of racing and 2 700m of climbing.

Stage seven – Chandelier Champagne – 64km

The final stage of the event completed 553km of racing and 11 370m of climbing over seven days. The undulating stage, which took riders through the Champagne Game Reserve, finished at the Queens Hotel in Oudtshoorn.