Honeycomb 226ers’ Marc Pritzen and Felix Stehli seized the First Ascent yellow leaders’ jerseys with a commanding performance on the opening day of the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, on Tuesday, 22 September. Racing aboard 32-inch-wheeled Stoll Bikes, the pair powered up and over Duiwelskop to win Stage 1 by 8 minutes and 5 seconds in the UCI Men’s competition. In the UCI Women’s race, Samatha Sanders, the three-time defending champion, and her Efficient Infiniti Insure teammate, Sarah Maré, lived up to their billing as pre-race favourites by claiming victory by 16 minutes and 32 seconds on a tough and technical 66-kilometre course, from Wilderness to Louvain.
Starting alongside the Indian Ocean, at the ANEW Resort Wilderness, the morning was misty and cool before the sun burnt through the clouds and the mercury rose to 32 degrees Celsius. The route over the Outeniqua Mountains included three major climbs, the first of which came 15 kilometres into the stage. The next two effectively ran into each other, with only a short downhill respite, ensuring that kilometres 35 to 58 were virtually all uphill, resulting in 1 800 metres of accumulated elevation gain.
This suited the favourites, Sanders and Maré. “We hadn’t planned on attacking so early,” Sanders revealed. “At the summit of the first climb we looked around and saw the other teams were a bit disjointed. Not all the teammates were together, and we decided to attack and see what happened. We thought we could get into the singletrack first and then if anyone rode back to us, we’d reevaluate, but nobody did.”
Sanders and Maré powered through the first trail segment and by the time the Efficient Infiniti Insure team reached Water Point 1 at the 35-kilometre mark, they held a 4-and-a-half-minute advantage. Behind them, Hollard Summerplace Racing’s Chloe Hopf and Lilian Baber kept the pressure on Safari Essence Titan Racing’s Danielle du Toit and Roxanne Kemp. On the lower slopes of the second climb, shortly after the water point, Hopf and Baber accelerated.
“I like rocky, steep climbs,” Baber acknowledged. “It was tough, but I think my cross-country background helps me with climbs like that. We got away from the Safari Essence Titan Racing team near the bottom of the singletrack climb, and then rode our own pace to the summit.”
That pace was enough to comprehensively distance Du Toit and Kemp, as well as the chasers Silke Bester and Luzaan Durand of Absolute Motion, and the Cycle Nation Enza Construction team of Rachel Seaman and Bianca Botha. The Hollard Summerplace Racing combination could not reel in Sanders and Maré as the Efficient Infiniti Insure pair continued to extend their advantage to 16 minutes and 32 seconds by the finish line.
Hopf and Baber were second, nearly 21 minutes up on Safari Essence Titan Racing’s Du Toit and Kemp. “Both Roxy [Roxanne Kemp] and I struggled today.” Du Toit confessed. “But we kept going and tried to minimise our losses as best we could. There are still four big days ahead, and despite today being tough, we are looking forward to Stage 2 tomorrow. The race is far from over.”
Pritzen and Stehli’s attack in the UCI Men’s category came only 5 kilometres later in the stage than Sanders and Maré’s in the UCI Women’s race. On the first climb of the day, Jan Withaar, of Insect Science Safari Essence, dropped his chain. His teammate Wessel Botha remained with the Honeycomb 226ers group, while Arno du Toit and Keagan Bontekoning helped pace Withaar back. They caught the leaders as they entered the first singletrack, but were caught at the back of the pack and were therefore unable to follow Pritzen and Stehli’s move.
“I went super hard on that singletrack,” Pritzen grinned. “It was wet and grassy, so it was hard to keep momentum. Once we got away, we just went all in. The main climb of the day was tough, and because there was so little grip you couldn’t really ride it hard. You had to work for traction all the time.”
With Honeycomb 226ers up the trail, the Toyota Specialized, Pump for Peace Abashovi, and Tshenolo Pro Cycling teams were second, third and fourth on the road. Du Toit and Bontekoning helped pace Withaar and Botha up to that group, then fell back slightly to recover from their efforts. At Water Point 1, 35 kilometres into the stage, Pritzen and Stehli led Withaar, Botha, Ignatius du Preez and Lood Goosen, Unathi Nxumalo and Thabiso Zindela, as well as Alec Coleské and Halalisani Ndebele, by 98 seconds. Du Toit and Bontekoning were a further 20 seconds adrift.
On the singletrack climb that followed, Botha and Du Preez proved to be the strongest climbers in the chase group. Their teammates, Withaar and Goosen, could not match their speed, however, and Honeycomb 226ers’ advantage ballooned. Goosen struggled more than Withaar as the climb wore on, and Insect Science Safari Essence solidified their second position in the trails.
By the summit, Pritzen and Stehli were over 6 minutes ahead; Withaar and Botha were followed over the top by Toyota Specialized Imbuko, Pump for Peace Abashovi, and Insect Science’s Du Toit and Bontekoning. In the remaining kilometres, the Honeycomb 226ers added to their advantage. “The 32-inch wheels were an advantage today,” Pritzen stated. “They roll over obstacles so easily and provided lots of grip on the loose terrain on the climb and on the descent to the finish.”
Crossing the line 8 minutes and 5 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals, Pritzen and Stehli earned yellow and a significant advantage to take into Stage 2. Botha and Withaar gained 1 minute and 47 seconds over Du Preez and Goosen in the battle for second and third. Du Toit and Bontekoning finished strong, passing Nxumalo and Zindela, of the Pump for Peace Abashovi team, in the closing kilometres to claim fourth.
The gaps behind the men’s race leaders are tighter, and that augurs well for a captivating tussle over the coming days. Stage 2 presents the next opportunity for teams to gain places. It features a 73-kilometre route, with 1 500 metres of climbing. Starting and finishing at Louvain, it is front-loaded with climbing and could end in a sprint finish.
To see if the challengers can gain time on Efficient Infiniti Insure or the Honeycomb 226ers, cycling fans can view live updates from the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, on the @capepioneer Instagram handle or by liking the Cape Pioneer Facebook page. For more information, visit www.capepioneer.co.za.
2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, Leading Results
UCI Men’s Stage 1 Results:
- Honeycomb 226ers: Marc Pritzen & Felix Stehli (2:59:27)
- Insect Science Safari Essence: Jan Withaar & Wessel Botha (3:07:32 | +8:05)
- Toyota Specialized Imbuko: Ignatius du Preez & Lood Goosen (03:09:19 | +9:52)
- Insect Science: Arno du Toit & Keagan Bontekoning (03:10:42 | +11:09)
- Pump for Peace Abashovi: Unathi Nxumalo & Thabiso Zindela (03:11:15 | +12:48)
UCI Women’s Stage 1 Results:
- Efficient Infinity Insure: Samantha Sanders & Sarah Maré (3:49:14)
- Hollard Summerplace Racing: Chloé Hopf & Lilian Baber (4:05:47 | +16:32)
- Safari Essence Titan Racing: Danielle du Toit & Roxanne Kemp (4:26:30 | +37:15)
- Absolute Motion: Silke Bester & Luzaan Durand (4:49:10 | +59:56)
- Cycle Nation Enza Construction: Rachel Seaman & Bianca Botha (5:08:07 | +01:18:53)
For the full results from the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, click here.
Source: Seamus Allardice
