GARDEN ROUTE GIRO LEAD CHANGES HANDS AS BEUKES, BONE WIN STAGE 2

The second stage of the Garden Route Giro saw dramatic racing in both the men’s and women’s categories on Tuesday, 14 April 2026. Stage winner Cronje Beukes climbed to an unassailable advantage on Rooiberg Pass, while Lisa Bone used the day’s biggest climb to build a buffer over the best descender in the women’s field, Mariëlle Trouwborst. This helped Bone retain parity on the descent, and from there she was able to sprint to stage victory, leapfrogging Trouwborst into yellow.

Stage 2 took riders from Oakdale Agricultural High School, outside Riversdale, to the Old Railway Station in Calitzdorp. In total, the day featured 119 kilometres of racing and 2 000 metres of climbing, with most of the climbing coming on Garcia’s Pass in the first 20 kilometres, and then on “Little” and “Big” Rooiberg Pass later in the day. Between the climbs, pristine gravel roads allowed for fast group riding. The climb to the highest point of the day – the summit of Rooiberg Pass – proved pivotal in both the men’s and women’s battles, as did the final drag to Calitzdorp into a stiff headwind.

Long before the decisive moment in the finale, Bone laid the groundwork for her success by getting into a powerful group for Garcia’s Pass. “It was a brutal headwind up Garcia’s,” she said. “I’d sit on the right, and I’d be in the wind, so I would move to the left, and I’d still be in the wind. There was nowhere to hide.”

Not that Bone needed to hide, because at the summit of Garcia’s Pass, she proved her strength by claiming maximum Sprint classification points ahead of Vera Looser and Trouwborst. Catherine Kruger had also made the front split and would also benefit from the strength of the men ahead of them.

“Vera [Looser] and I were actually chatting about how fast the guys were going and wondering if they were aware of how tough Rooiberg was going to be,” Bone laughed. “Then at the Van Wyksdorp water point [62 kilometres in], they stopped to refuel, and we pushed on. On ‘Little Rooiberg’, Mariëlle [Trouwborst] and I managed to distance Vera. Then, about 2 kilometres from the top of ‘Big Rooiberg’, I also managed to get a gap on Mariëlle.”

“She [Trouwborst] is so strong. Everything I try, she’s right there. So, to be able to gap her slightly on a long climb gives me confidence going into the rest of the week, because she’s definitely a better descender,” Bone admitted. “I had to get an advantage so I could ride the Rooiberg descent at my own pace, knowing she would catch and pass me. But I managed to get far enough down that I was able to bridge back to her on the flats.”

Once back together, Trouwborst and Bone worked well together to extend their advantage over Looser. In the finale, Bone got the jump on Trouwborst, reversing the Stage 1 result. “Yesterday she went around the outside of me, today I pulled the same move on her,” Bone said.

Bone’s sprint produced daylight between her rear wheel and Trouwborst’s front, allowing the South African to gain a vital two seconds on her Dutch rival. After finishing level on time on Stage 1, the 2-second gap was enough to earn Bone the yellow First Ascent women’s leader’s jersey going into Stage 3. She and Trouwborst also did enough to gain 7 minutes and 18 seconds on Looser. This means that the Efficient Infiniti Insure rider is now 8 minutes and 29 seconds back on the overall standings. After finishing fourth and fifth again, Cherise Willeit and Bianca Haw continue to hold those positions on the women’s general classification standings.

In the men’s race, Toyota Specialized Imbuko put Ignatius du Preez to work for the yellow jersey from the off. With Travis Stedman withdrawing from the race, following his Stage 1 crash, the Wellington-based team was down to two riders, and Du Preez would play a stellar super domestique role. After controlling the tempo on Garcia’s Pass, Du Preez launched a four-rider breakaway with Keagan Bontekoning, Keegan Tullis, and Dan Loubser once they reached the gravel. The quartet was never let fully off the leash, however, and just before Van Wyksdorp, Marco Joubert and Cronje Beukes worked with Wessel Botha to bridge across to the leaders.

It was not all smooth sailing in the men’s field, though. Herman Fourie endured a catastrophic puncture and lost an hour and a half before the 62-kilometre mark. The Cape Vulture Nature Reserve rider had to resort to stuffing his tyre with detritus from the road edge to limp to the Van Wyksdorp aid station, where he was able to get a new tyre from neutral support and complete the stage.

Leaving the Klein Karoo hamlet of Van Wyksdorp, the climbing began in earnest, and the battle at the sharp end of the men’s race intensified. Initially, Joubert, Botha, and Beukes shed Du Preez, Tullis, Bontekoning, and Loubser. Then Botha faltered. Sensing his opportunity, Beukes pushed on, distancing Joubert, in the yellow First Ascent jersey, and rapidly built up an advantage on the road.

Over the Rooiberg summit, Beukes held a one-minute and 33-second advantage on Joubert, with Botha a further one-minute and 20 seconds adrift. On the nine-kilometre descent, Joubert brought back the gap to just over a minute, but try as he might, he could never reel Beukes in. A headwind made the 20-kilometre flat road to Calitzdorp agonisingly slow, and Joubert was only able to reduce Beukes’ lead to 52 seconds.

Crossing the line, Beukes celebrated knowing that he would wear yellow on Wednesday’s Stage 3. Joubert had to settle for second, and Botha third. Behind the podium places, Loubser was fourth and Bontekoning fifth, both moving up at the expense of Du Preez and Jan Withaar.

“I felt strong all day today, and I knew that Rooiberg Pass would suit me,” Beukes said. “I hope that this is a good sign for the rest of the week, especially because Swartberg Pass tomorrow is also near the end of the stage.”

After two days of racing, Beukes leads Joubert in General Classification by 44 seconds and Botha by just under four minutes. Loubser and Bontekoning are separated by 42 seconds in fourth and fifth, but are 10 minutes and nearly 11 minutes down, respectively.

 Stage 3 will provide Beukes with an opportunity to copy and paste his Stage 2 tactics. After departing Calitzdorp, the route climbs gradually along the foothills of the Swartberg Mountain. The first 27 kilometres, following the Nels River, is one of the most beautiful segments of the entire Garden Route Giro course. Then becomes one of the most demanding. From the 56-kilometre mark to Die Top, at 68 kilometres, it is relentlessly uphill on the Swartberg Pass. A second summit, seven kilometres later, is followed by a high-speed descent to Prince Albert, though the run into town is nine kilometres long, rather than 20 as was the case on Stage 2. In total, Stage 3 features 89 kilometres of racing, with 2 100 metres of climbing.

To follow the action, as it unfolds, like the Garden Route Giro Facebook page and follow @gardenroutegiro on Instagram. Cycling fans can also tune in for daily highlights on the Dryland Event Management YouTube channel and read the daily news releases on their favourite cycling platform.

For more information, visit www.gardenroutegiro.co.za.

2026 Garden Route Giro Results

Men’s Stage 2 Results:

1. Cronje Beukes: Specialized George Coimbra (3:35:33)
2. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (3:36:25 | +52)
3. Wessel Botha: Insect Science (3:39:32 | +3:59)
4. Dan Loubser: Freewheel Cycology (3:41:44 | +6:11)
5. Keagan Bontekoning: Insect Science (3:42:33 | +7:00)

Women’s Stage 2 Results:

1. Lisa Bone: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (4:09:07)
2. Mariëlle Trouwborst: KMC (4:09:09 | +2)
3. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (4:16:25 | +7:18)
4. Cherise Willeit: Toyota Specialized (4:23:32 | +14:25)
5. Bianca Haw: sani2c (4:23:38 | +14:31)

Men’s General Classification after Stage 2:

1. Cronje Beukes: Specialized George Coimbra (5:32:43)
2. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (5:33:27 | +44)
3. Wessel Botha: Insect Science (5:36:41 | +3:58)
4. Dan Loubser: Freewheel Cycology (5:42:42 | +9:59)
5. Keagan Bontekoning: Insect Science (5:43:24 | +10:41)

Women’s General Classification after Stage 2:

1. Lisa Bone: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (6:23:46)
2. Mariëlle Trouwborst: KMC (6:23:48 | +2)
3. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (6:32:15 | +8:29)
4. Cherise Willeit: Toyota Specialized (6:41:59 | +18:13)
5. Bianca Haw: sani2c (6:42:55 | +19:09)

Garden Route Giro Points Competitions

Men’s KOM Points after Stage 2:

1. Cronje Beukes: Specialized George Coimbra (14 points)
2. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (13 points)
3. Dan Loubser: Freewheel Cycology (8 points)

Men’s Sprint Points after Stage 2:

1. Ignatius du Preez: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (12 Points)
2. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (6 points)
3. Dan Loubser: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (6 points)

Women’s KOM Points after Stage 2:

1. Lisa Bone: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (16 points)
2. Mariëlle Trouwborst: KMC (9 points)
3. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (8 points)

Women’s Sprint Points after Stage 2:

1. Lisa Bone: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (10 points)
2. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (10 points)
3. Mariëlle Trouwborst: KMC (4 points)

For the full results from the Garden Route Giro, click here.