Luso AC/DC Dynamics’ Calvin Beneke won stage five of the Mpumalanga Tour, which took riders on a 97km journey from the Mbombela Stadium to Badplaas today.
Beneke beat NAD’s Gawie Combrink in a dual sprint to the finish. Randwater-Transnet’s Luthando Kaka rounded out the podium over a minute later.
Calvin Beneke won stage five of the Mpumalanga Tour in Badplaas today. Photo: twitter.com/ForeverResortSA
Riders went quickly on the surge early in the race when the bunch kept breaking up and attacking just 6km in after the Barbeton turn-off.
Following the Hilltop Pass, the bunch got back together again, before Kaka, Beneke, Combrinck and BCX’s David Maree broke away.
Randwater-Transnet’s Thando Zothe and Sampada pair Jan Montshioa and Thokozani Mahlangu then managed to take the lead at the first King of the Mountain (KOM) 12km in.
BCX’s Nolan Hoffman, Office Guru’s Ryan Harris and Combrinck led a 10-man bunch at the first hot spot 28km in, following a steep descent after the KOM.
The rest of the bunch, consisting of Beneke, Kaka, Mahlangu, Maree, ProTouch’s Myles van Musschenbroek and Luso pair Jaco van Dyk and Casper Kruger, led by two and a half minutes for most of the way until the halfway mark.
Soon after the 50km mark, Maree, Beneke, Van Musschenbroek, Kaka and Mahlangu then made a split from the bunch.
Combrinck, Mahlangu, Van Musschenbroek, Kaka and Beneke won the third KOM 69km in, following a long 28km climb. The five-man leading bunch formed a three and a half minute gap.
Combrinck and Beneke then broke away with 20km left of the race, with Kaka and Van Musschenbroek chasing.
The pair maintained their lead throughout, before Beneke won the final sprint to the line.
View provisional results below.
Stage five
Elite men
1. Calvin Beneke (Luso AC/DC Dynamics) 2:53:37
2. Gawie Combrinck (NAD) 2:53:37
3. Luthando Kaka (Randwater-Transnet) 2:54:47
4. Thokozani Mahlangu (Sampada) 2:54:53
5. Myles van Musschenbroek (ProTouch) 2:55:08
6. Andrew Edwards (Luso) 2:57:28
7. Jayde Julius (ProTouch) 2:57:43
8. Wessel Botha (NAD) 2:57:43
9. Eddie van Heerden (MyVelo) 2:57:43
10. Chris Jooste (BCX) 2:57:43
11. Matt Beers (NAD) 2:57:43
12. Gustav Basson (ProTouch) 2:57:43
13. Nico Bell (NAD) 2:57:43
14. Dirk Coetzee (Namibian Cycling) 2:57:43
15. Tristan de Lange (Namibian Cycling) 2:57:43
16. James Fourie (ProTouch) 2:57:43
17. Travis Barrett (Office Guru) 2:57:43
18. Brandon Downes (BCX) 2:57:51
19. Lincoln Yannick 2:57:54
20. Clint Hendricks (BCX) 3:00:54
General classification
1. Eddie van Heerden (MyVelo) 15:16:29
2. Chris Jooste (BCX) 15:16:33
3. Matt Beers (NAD) 15:16:42
4. Nico Bell (NAD) 15:17:06
5. Wessel Botha (NAD) 15:17:19
6. Jayde Julius (ProTouch) 15:17:26
7. Gawie Combrinck (NAD) 15:18:46
8. Calvin Beneke (Luso AC/DC Dynamics) 15:20:43
9. Gustav Basson (ProTouch) 15:26:11
10. Brandon Downes (BCX) 15:28:23
11. Andrew Edwards (Luso AC/DC Dynamics) 15:33:26
12. Thokozani Mahlangu (Sampada) 15:36:28
13. Tristan de Lange (Namibian Cycling) 15:39:57
14. Lincoln Yannick 15:40:53
15. Dirk Coetzee (Namibian Cycling) 15:43:19
16. Jan Montshioa (Sampada) 15:44:21
17. Clint Hendricks (BCX) 15:45:25
18. Ryan Harris (Office Guru) 15:53:10
19. Jaco van Dyk (Luso AC/DC Dynamics) 16:01:25
20. Mornay van Heerden (MyVelo) 16:02:03
