The final stage of the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, on Sunday, 8 February, saw Greta Seiwald and Sara Cortinovis wrap up a perfect overall victory. The Decathlon Ford | Unno pairing completed their fourth stage win of the race to underline their dominance in the Anderson Transport UCI Women’s competition. The UCI Men’s champions, Andreas Seewald and Jakob Hartmann, endured a nervy final stage, punctuated by a pair of punctures, but with the assistance of their Singer KTM teammates, Simon Stiebjahn and Martin Frey, rolled home worthy winners. Ahead of them, Travis Stedman and Jaedon Terlouw won the stage to leapfrog into third on the final general classification standings.
Over the 280 kilometres and four days of racing, the First Ascent pink jersey wearers were never in trouble. On Stage 1, they established a 1-minute and 27-second advantage over Vera Looser and Samantha Sanders; the following day, they were patient and only attacked the Efficient Infiniti Insure team in the closing kilometres, adding 47 seconds to their lead. The Queen Stage and the Merino Monster offered Seiwald and Cortinovis the opportunity to all but secure their title, and they seized it, winning the stage and claiming the Queen of the Mountain hotspot prize. Going into the final stage, the Decathlon Ford | Unno team had a 6-minute and 13-second buffer to Looser and Sanders.
They could have raced Stage 4 cautiously, but opted for an attack as the best form of defence. “Sam [Samantha Sanders] set a really fast pace in the opening kilometres,” Seiwald noted. “From the cross-country circuit we’re used to that, so when she eased off just a bit, I went to the front and kept the speed up.”
“We had to try something,” Sanders smiled. “It didn’t work, but I’m happy with our race. We raced hard and worked well as a team.”
Once Seiwald had forced a split, the Decathlon Ford | Unno pair kept putting power through the pedals and added another 7:15 to their final margin of victory. “Greta basically rode in front for four days,” Cortinovis praised. “Today, she set the pace throughout the stage.”
Behind them, the Efficient Infiniti Insure combination had to settle for second for the fourth time. The final podium place on the day went to Safari Essence Titan Racing. “Roxy [Roxanne Kemp] had some stomach issues coming into the race, but she managed to get over those yesterday. Today, she had more energy, and we were able to race closer to our level,” Danielle du Toit stated. “It’s a nice positive way to end the race, and gives us confidence to take into the upcoming events.”
Du Toit and Kemp outsprinted the Fortress Toyota team, but Cherise Willeit and Ila Stow comfortably retained their general classification podium position. 1Of1 x Summerplace Racing’s Lilian Baber and Malena Seer were fifth on the day, and fourth overall, ahead of Safari Essence Titan Racing in fifth.
The UCI Men’s race was a more tense affair, with just 50 seconds separating second and third, and 2:18 between third and fourth. Seewald and Hartmann held a significant, but not insurmountable, 5 minutes and 23 seconds’ advantage. The final stage has been the scene of drama before, with crashes and mechanicals playing their part in determining the final general classification standings. Hence, Singer KTM were cautious in their approach.
“Maybe we were too cautious,” Seewald allowed. “Because we made life difficult for ourselves with me puncturing twice. Fortunately, our teammates were right there to help. The first time we got back to the group and the second, though it was a worse puncture, we never panicked.”
“The first time we plugged the hole, and the second time we had to put two plugs in,” Simon Stiebjahn, of Singer KTM 1, recounted. “The last puncture was 10 kilometres from the finish, so we knew we weren’t going to catch the group again,” Seewald concluded.
“It was a strange stage,” Wessel Botha said. “Marc [Pritzen] drove the pace so hard on the open roads, then sat up in the trails. This meant that there was always a fight for the singletracks, and the pace was constantly on and off, making it a tough final stage after three hard days.”
Botha and his Insect Science teammate, Johan van Zyl, were able to distance the Honeycomb 226ers D2mont Merida squad, with the help of Toyota Specialized Imbuko and the two Singer Racing teams. Sensing that third place on the general classification was up for grabs, Stedman and Terlouw increased the speed. The South Africans did not let off when Seewald punctured, focusing on the race for the podium places and battling for stage honours.
Insect Science and Toyota Specialized Imbuko were inseparable until the final bend, when they thundered into the finishing straight. Stedman crossed the line first, with Terlouw splitting Botha and Van Zyl, handing Toyota Specialized Imbuko the victory. They then began counting the seconds to see what the final general classification standings would be.
1 minute and 58 seconds later, the two KTM Singer teams crossed the line, securing the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, title for Seewald and Hartmann. Pritzen and Pernsteiner finished 2 minutes and 28 seconds after the day’s victors, ceding third place overall to Stedman and Terlouw.
Along with the stories of success in the event and the tales of form building for the season, the most heartwarming takeaway was Hartmann’s elation at securing the victory. “This victory is an emotional one for me,” Hartmann had confessed after winning Stage 2. “When I was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism last year, I was told by my doctors that I would perhaps never race again and probably never regain my best level. To feel so strong today, to win the stage, and to take yellow in such a significant stage race is big for me.” Sunday’s emotions were even deeper for the 30-year-old German and augur well for the year ahead.
2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, Results:
Stage 4 | UCI Men’s Results:
- Toyota Specialized Imbuko B: Travis Stedman & Jaedon Terlouw (2:20:56)
- Insect Science: Johan van Zyl & Wessel Botha (2:20:56)
- Singer KTM Racing 1: Simon Stiebjahn & Martin Frey (02:22:58 | + 1:58)
- Singer KTM Racing 2: Jakob Hartmann & Andreas Seewald (02:22:58 | + 1:58)
- D2Mont Merida Honeycomb 226ers: Marc Pritzen & Hermann Pernsteiner (02:23:24 | + 2:28)
Stage 4 Anderson Transport UCI Women’s Results:
- Decathlon Ford | Unno: Greta Seiwald & Sara Cortinovis (2:45:05)
- Efficient Infiniti Insure: Vera Looser & Samantha Sanders (2:52:20 | +7:15)
- Safari Essence Titan Racing: Danielle du Toit & Roxanne Kemp (02:56:50 | +11:45)
- Fortress Toyota: Cherise Willeit & Ila Stow (2:56:51 | +11:46)
- 1Of1 x Summerplace Racing: Lilian Baber & Malena Seer (3:04:55 | +19:50)
UCI Men’s General Classification after Stage 4:
- Singer KTM Racing 2: Jakob Hartmann & Andreas Seewald (10:49:24)
- Insect Science: Johan van Zyl & Wessel Botha (10:52:44 | + 3:20)
- Toyota Specialized Imbuko B: Travis Stedman & Jaedon Terlouw (10:55:52 | +6:28)
- Honeycomb 226ers D2mont Merida: Marc Pritzen & Hermann Pernsteiner (10:56:02 | + 6:38)
- Singer KTM Racing 1: Simon Stiebjahn & Martin Frey (11:03:07 | + 13:43)
UCI Anderson Transport Women’s General Classification after Stage 4:
- Decathlon Ford | Unno: Greta Seiwald & Sara Cortinovis (13:00:48)
- Efficient Infiniti Insure: Vera Looser & Samantha Sanders (13:14:20 | +13:32)
- Fortress Toyota: Cherise Willeit & Ila Stow (14:07:19 | +1:06:31)
- 1Of1 x Summerplace Racing: Lilian Baber & Malena Seer (14:21:40 | +1:20:52)
- Safari Essence Titan Racing: Danielle du Toit & Roxanne Kemp (14:25:40 | +1:24:52)
For the full results, please click here. For more information, visit www.tankwatrek.co.za.
Source: Seamus Allardice Media
