Day 9, joBerg2c: Evans, George make winning debut at joBerg2c

Ariane Kleinhans. Photo: Luke Pallett

Kevin Evans and David George debuted in spectacular fashion at the third annual joBerg2c, taking five stage wins en route to overall victory at Scottburgh main beach on Saturday.

The Nedbank 360Life duo, who won the African leader jersey at the recent Absa Cape Epic, conquered both their rivals and the nine-day, 910km journey from Heidelberg in Gauteng to the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.

Their overall time of 32 hours 27 minutes and 39 seconds put them 17 minutes clear of defending champions Neil MacDonald and Waylon Woolcock of RE:CM, who recorded a total time of 32:44:43.

The final day’s racing over 71km ended in a dramatic sprint across the beach, with RE:CM cementing their runner-up spot in the overall standings with a second stage win in 2:27:59. Nedbank 360Life trailed in seven seconds later.

Itec Connect-Vodacom’s David Morison and Louis Bresler Knipe finished two minutes off the pace in 2:30:06 to take third on the day and the final step on the podium overall in 33:27:09.

The shortest of the nine stages commenced at a furious pace as the teams left Jolivet Farm in the Highflats region.

MacDonald and Woolcock rode hard upfront to force an early break on the single track, which the riders hit after 5km.

Only Evans and George, Morison and Knipe, and the Transact pair of Paul Cordes and Arno du Toit, were able to join them.

“Once the break was there, it was just a matter of consolidating to the end,” said Evans.

The hills towards the first waterpoint, after 33km, split the front group and the two top teams in this year’s race, RE:CM and Nedbank 360Life, were able to open up a gap of 1:20 on Itec-Connect Vodacom and Transact.

MacDonald and Woolcock continued to drive the pace up Heart Rate Hill, with Evans and George sitting on comfortably.

At the top, just 15km from Scottburgh, the fate of Knipe and Morison and Cordes and Du Toit was effectively sealed. 

“It played out pretty much as we thought,” said Evans.

Erik Kleinhans. Photo: Luke Pallett

“RE:CM wanted to win one more stage, so we had a free ride and just got to sit on. It was actually nice because it’s an easier way to end the tour.”

Evans said the event had exceeded his every expectation and that they had thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the 550-odd riders in the community-run race villages.

“They said it’s all about the riders and certainly the trails are testament to that. It’s one of the top races I’ve done; definitely in this country.

He said the two standout stages had been day four, when the riders dropped down the escarpment from Sterkfontein Dam into KwaZulu-Natal, and the penultimate stage through the Umkomaas River Valley.

“I’m sure it will become an important race for our team from now on.”

The Nedbank 360Life rider said he and George had gotten a lot out of the event but had also been proud to give something back.

They donated a wheelchair per stage win to the Cycling for Mobility initiative and an additional 14 from the proceeds of the auction of their African leader jersey.

Evans said they were now looking forward to their next big goal, the BOE sani2c, which traces the last three days of the Old Mutual joBerg2c.

“We’re spoilt to be able to come back and do this twice in the space of two weeks. We’ve checked out the tracks and I think we know where we’re going to make the racing.”

Ischen Stopforth and Catherine Williamson of bizhub-FCF took line honours in 2:57:17 to seal an almost uncontested victory in the women’s race in 38:33:27.

Contego 28E’s powerhouse couple, Erik and Ariane Kleinhans, also added the mixed category medal to their recent Epic title, completing the nine days of riding in 36:08:58.

For latest results – click here.

For all joBerg2c news updates, click here.

Day 8, joBerg2c: Bittersweet win for joBerg2c leaders

Overall leaders David George (left) and Kevin Evans of Nedbank 360Life win the eighth stage of the joBerg2c on Friday. Photo: Coetzee Gouws/Full Stop Communications

Kevin Evans and David George of Nedbank 360Life enjoyed a bittersweet triumph on the penultimate day of the  joBerg2c as they dedicated their fifth stage win on Friday to the memory of friend and former national rider Juan van Heerden.

“He was a talented cyclist and a good guy who battled depression for years,” said George. “We wanted to celebrate his life with a win.”

The Nedbank 360Life riders consolidated their overall lead, which now stands at 17 minutes, on the 99km eighth stage from McKenzie Club near Ixopo to Jolivet Farm in the Highflats region of KwaZulu-Natal.

They clinched the Umkomaas River Valley leg, which traces the second day of the well-known BOE sani2c route, in a time of 3:48:07 to finish more than eight minutes clear of RE:CM’s Neil MacDonald and Waylon Woolcock, who crossed the line in 3:56:30.

Itec Connect-Vodacom’s David Morison and Louis Bresler Knipe put in another big effort to take third in 4:00:37.

The stage eight podium finishers lead the overall standings in the same order.

George said the top teams had started the day at a flying pace on a 7km stretch of district road before heading into the first technical section.

”We tried to get into the single track first but then Kevin dropped his chain, so he was stuck a couple of places back and I had to wait for him.”

Overall leaders David George (left) and Kevin Evans of Nedbank 360Life dedicate their win in the eighth stage of the joBerg2c on Friday to former national cyclist Juan van Heerden who passed away yesterday. Photo: Coetzee Gouws/Full Stop Communications

With the problem solved, the two made up time to catch and pass frontrunners MacDonald and Woolcock on the descent into the valley. “Neil was alright but I could see Waylon was battling a bit behind him.

“Obviously as soon as Kev and I got past, we gassed it down the rest of the descent towards the floating bridge.

“I think we had gained enough time by the first waterpoint (at around 40km) to demotivate the chase.”

Having lost his partner due to illness, solo rider Brandon Stewart of FedGroup-Itec Connect sat on as the Nedbank 360Life duo opened up a two-minute gap on the chasing group that included Woolcock and MacDonald, Morison and Knipe and the Transact pair of Paul Cordes and Arno du Toit.

By the time the leaders stopped to refuel at the second waterpoint after 62km, they were seven minutes ahead of RE:CM’s defending champs. Morison and Knipe were a further 90 seconds adrift with Cordes and Du Toit also losing ground.

Nedbank 360Life maintained their lead through waterpoint three and continued to push the pace through the Sappi plantations to take line honours at Jolivet.

George said they had achieved much more than they had expected to in their first outing at the event, which included pledging a wheelchair per stage win to the Cycling for Mobility initiative. 

“With prize-money on each stage, we obviously would like to seal overall victory with another win.”

However, he acknowledged that anything could happen on the closing leg towards Scottburgh. “It’s never a done deal but our margin for error is obviously a lot better now.”

According to MacDonald, he and Woolcock had done their utmost but the leaders had shown they were strongest on the day. “I think the Epic’s taking its toll on us now but we’re still happy with our second overall and stage victory.”

Erik Kleinhans celebrated his 30th birthday with a seventh consecutive stage win in the mixed category alongside wife Ariane. The Contego 28E pair stopped the clock on 4:27:39, almost 10 minutes in front of nearest rivals Johan Labuschagne and Yolande de Villiers of Cycle Lab KTM.

Rampant bizhub-FCF riders Ischen Stopforth and Catherine Williamson remained in complete control of the women’s race as they took the win in 4:46:07, once again ahead of Sarah van Heerden and Jackie Church of Itec Connect-Vodacom .

Having built up comfortable margins on the general standings, the respective category leaders are also expected to claim the overall honours when the 910km race wraps up with a swift 75km stage to Scottburgh on Saturday.

For latest results – click here.

For all joBerg2c news updates, click here.

Day 7, joBerg2c: Only two in it to win it!

Overall leaders Kevin Evans and David George of Nedbank 360Life win their fourth stage of the 2012 joBerg2c on Thursday. Photo: Coetzee Gouws/Full Stop Communications

After seven days of racing, the joBerg2c is coming down to a two-horse race between defending champions Neil McDonald and Waylon Woolcock of RE:CM and overall leaders Kevin Evans and David George of Nedbank 360Life.

On Thursday, Evans and George notched up their fourth stage victory as they outsprinted Woolcock and MacDonald after 86km of racing between Hazeldene Farm near Underberg and McKenzie Club in the Ixopo region of KwaZulu-Natal.

The Nedbank 360Life outfit completed the stage in 2:53:19, five seconds ahead of RE:CM, who had moved into second place in the general classification the previous day.

The Itec Connect-Vodacom pairing of David Morison and Louis Bresler Knipe were also in the mix but slipped off the pace to finish 14 seconds adrift.

“I suppose we all knew that it would come down to a sprint up that nasty climb to the finish,” said Evans.

“Neil was probably the strongest but went a little too early and Waylon came over him too hard while he was trying to recover, which gave us the win.”

A big lead bunch reached the start of the Oak Lane dual single track after 20km, where the top three teams split off the front.

“Dave and I were half-wheeling each other on the tracks,” said Evans. “Then we came out and it was the usual hard pull out of there.

“When we looked back it was just the two other teams and us.”

RE:CM and Nedbank 360Life dropped Itec Connect-Vodacom shortly afterwards and built up a lead of around 40 seconds by the time they reached the floating bridge after 31km.

Morison and Knipe then took full advantage of the leaders’ refuelling stop at the first waterpoint after 38km to make up lost ground. They opted not to stop and were briefly able to latch onto the two leading teams before being detached for a second time.

They fell back by 30 seconds but rallied gamely to close the gap again by the final waterpoint.

“Louis and Dave rode really well to catch us after about 60km and then it was just the three teams to sprint it out. It was very close in the end.”

JoBerg2c overall leaders Ischen Stopforth (left) and British partner Catherine Williamson.Photo: Coetzee Gouws/Full Stop Communications

Evans, a four-time BOE sani2c winner, said he felt at home on the last three days of the Old Mutual joBerg2c, which traced the popular three-stager’s route.

“Tomorrow suits us and we’ve won sani2c on that stage before but getting there with 800km in the legs is a different story.

“We keep thinking it’s only six-and-a-half hours of racing left but anything can happen so we won’t take anything for granted just yet.”

He said their strategy would be to race conservatively and consolidate their almost nine-minute lead. “I’d really like one of those little tractor trophies for my mantelpiece.

“I think we would also like to donate one more wheelchair but the RE:CM guys are strong and if it comes down to a flat sprint tomorrow I think we’re going to battle a little.”

In the women’s race, bizhub-FCF’s Ischen Stopforth and her British partner Catherine Williamson once again swept to victory, in 3:24:01, ahead of the Itec Connect-Vodacom team of Sarah van Heerden and Jackie Church, who were nine minutes behind.

Williamson said they were still determined to ride aggressively even though they were not under serious pressure given their seemingly unassailable lead of around 83 minutes.

“I think the main thing is just to get safely through the next two days. Tomorrow’s a really enjoyable stage and you want to get a good position in the single track.”

Taking their sixth straight win in as many racing stages, mixed category leaders Erik and Ariane Kleinhans of Contego 28E sailed home in 3:10:33, just less than a minute ahead of Johan Labuschagne and Yolande de Villiers of Cycle Lab KTM.

Day seven saw no change among the overall leaders in the three main categories.

Friday’s penultimate stage covers 96km from McKenzie Club to Jolivet Farm in the Highflats region, a ride famous for its unique crossing of the Umkomaas River on a semi-suspended floating bridge.

The third edition of the Old Mutual joBerg2c finishes at Scottburgh on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on Saturday.

For latest results – click here.

For all joBerg2c news updates, click here.

Day 6, joBerg2c: Evans, George win with purpose

Kevin Evans and David George on day six of the nine-day joBerg2c on Wednesday

Kevin Evans and David George had more than winning on their minds as they extended their already comfortable overall lead to almost nine minutes on day six of the nine-day Old Mutual joBerg2c on Wednesday.

The Nedbank 360Life riders were racing for a greater purpose as they sealed their third stage victory in 3:17:13 on the gruelling 94km route from Glengarry resort in the Kamberg district to Hazeldene Farm near Underberg.

They were followed home by RE:CM’s stage five winners Neil MacDonald and Waylon Woolcock in 3:21:08, while the Itec Connect-Vodacom team of David Morison and Louis Bresler Knipe took the final podium spot in 3:29:45.

Evans and George claimed the R10 000 prize money and made good on their promise to donate a wheelchair per stage win to the Cycling for Mobility cause.

“We wanted to give away another wheelchair so we weren’t going to mess around with it today,” said Evans.

“My boss just said to think about the kids who would love to ride a bike and can’t because they are confined to a wheelchair – or don’t even have one. That makes you dig a little deeper.”

It was a bittersweet day for him as he helped one of these disabled children but missed his daughter Ruby’s first day at school.

With the FedGroup-Itec Connect team of Brandon Stewart and Jacques Rossouw slipping from third to ninth overall due to Rossouw’s illness, Evans said only the defending champions RE:CM now posed a serious threat.

“But it seems they’re also happy to give a bit of money away to charity, so if they want to work and take another stage win, we won’t object.”

According to Evans, day six’s challenging mix of district roads and nearly 2 000 metres of climbing had suited him and George. “We’d marked it off as a stage that we could win.”

The day’s racing started out with all the top teams present in the big lead bunch.

As the first of the big climbs approached, Evans and his team-mate set a hard tempo, with only the RE:CM riders able to follow.

George launched a second attack after the 30km mark on the long ascent up Snow Top Mountain, which at 1 850m is the highest point on the 910km race route.

They built a lead of almost two minutes but MacDonald and Woolcock, accompanied by Transact’s Nico Bell and Stewart riding solo, gained time on the 12km descent to narrow the gap to 50 seconds by the time they reached the river crossing at the bottom.

However, at the 60km mark, the leaders showed their skill once again on the next rocky climb, the ominously named Death Valley Road, and increased their lead to just under two minutes.

“We looked back on the last climb to check if they were coming but I think by that time the elastic had snapped and the guys had probably just decided to race for second and third.”

The four-time BOE sani2c champion said he was looking forward to riding the next three stages, which cover the same route.

“Knowing the next couple of days, the riding really suits us. Tomorrow ends in a bit of an uphill drag, so if there’s a sprint it could be good for us.”

There was some excitement in the mixed category as Johan Labuschagne and Yolande de Villiers of Cycle Lab KTM made an early break, but they were eventually hauled in by overall leaders Erik and Ariane Kleinhans of Contego 28E.

The husband and wife team once again crossed the line first (3:52:24), followed by the Cycle Lab KTM duo (3:56:27) and the PeptoPro-bizhub pairing of Carel Bosman and Leana de Jager (4:17:07).

Bizhub-FCF’s Ischen Stopforth and Catherine Williamson had a tough stage but still took the win in the women’s category in 4:14:00, ahead of Itec Connect-Vodacom’s Sarah van Heerden and Jackie Church, who finished in 4:27:08.

The men’s, ladies’ and mixed teams who podiumed on day six occupy the same positions on the overall standings.

The 86km seventh stage takes participants from Underberg to the MacKenzie Country Club near Ixopo.

For latest results – click here.

For all joBerg2c news updates, click here.

Day 5, joBerg2c: Champs sprint to stage win

Defending champs Waylon Woolcock and Neil MacDonald of RE:CM take their first stage win on day five of the joBerg2c, which played out over 102km from Winterton to Kamberg in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Photo: Full Stop Communications

Defending champions Neil MacDonald and Waylon Woolcock proved they were well and truly in the mix as they chalked up their first stage win to move into second overall on day five of the joBerg2c on Tuesday.

The 102km stage from Winterton to Kamberg in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands ended in a thrilling sprint finale against overall leaders Kevin Evans and David George.

RE:CM stopped the clock on 3:34:21, two seconds ahead of Nedbank 360 Life and almost five minutes quicker than the 3:39:13 of Brandon Stewart and Jacques Rossouw of Fedgroup-Itec Connect, who started the day in second.

MacDonald and Woolcock’s speed over the final metres was reminiscent of their showing in last year’s race when they won six of the eight racing stages in a similar manner.

It also shows what might have been had MacDonald not suffered mechanical problems in sight of the finish on stage three when the same two teams were in contention.

MacDonald said their knowledge of the course had given them an advantage over first-time entrants Evans and George at the end.

“We knew that if we took the single track from the front there would be a good chance that they wouldn’t be able to come over us.”

According to Woolcock, racing had started at a steady pace as the teams recovered from yesterday’s gruelling climbing stage between Sterkfontein Dam and Winterton.

“Then Kevin and David started putting on the gas on the climbs, which whittled down the bunch.”

Defending champs Waylon Woolcock and Neil MacDonald. Photo: Full Stop Communications

Approaching the Dalton climb, after 53km, the leading group consisted of the podium finishers, David Morison and Louis Bresler Knipe of Itec Connect-Vodacom, Kenyans Davidson Kamau and Somson Gichuru of Old Mutual Simbas and Gawie Combrinck and Nico Bell of Transact.

Aggressive ascending saw the top three teams splinter off the front and at the base of the steep hill up to waterpoint two Rossouw was next to falter.

This forced Stewart to fall back to his partner in the chasing group, which also comprised Kamau and Gichuru and Morison and Knipe.

The FedGroup Itec-Connect duo soon left their companions behind as they tried to preserve their second place in the general classification, but, despite their best efforts, the gap ballooned to over four minutes.

Woolcock said Evans and George made one last push on the final climb and were able to establish a small lead. “We caught them in the forest and were left to make the pace for the last 30 kilometres as we needed to gain time over Stewart and Rossouw.”

The former road rider said he and his partner had been pleasantly surprised by how well they were climbing and were looking forward to stage six, which would offer similar terrain.

Mixed category leaders Erik and Ariane Kleinhans of Contego 28E maintained their stranglehold on the race by winning the stage in 3:59:11, a little over five minutes ahead of Johan Labuschagne and Yolande de Villiers of Cycle Lab KTM.

The bizhub-FCF pairing of Ischen Stopforth and Brit Catherine Williamson continued to be unchallenged as they added their fourth stage victory in 4:13:13. The Itec Connect-Vodacom combination of Sarah van Heerden and Jackie Church were second in 4:28:31.

Stage six covers 94km between Glengarry resort in Kamberg and Hazeldean farm in the Underberg region.

For latest results – click here.

For all joBerg2c news updates, click here.

Day 4, joBerg2c: Stewart, Rossouw snatch one back

Brandon Stewart of FedGroup-Itec Connect is congratulated by his family after winning the fourth stage of the joBerg2c between Sterkfontein Dam and Winterton on Monday. Photo: Full Stop Communications

Brandon Stewart and Jacques Rossouw came good on the first of the climbing stages when they snatched the win from overall leaders Kevin Evans and David George on day four of the nine-day Old Mutual joBerg2c on Monday.

The 122km stage from Sterkfontein Dam to Winterton in KwaZulu-Natal came down to a nail-biting sprint finish, with the FedGroup-Itec Connect team crossing the line a mere second ahead of Nedbank 360Life in 4:41:42.

RE:CM’s defending champions Waylon Woolcock and Neil MacDonald struggled on the technical sections and dropped off the pace in the closing stages to take third in 4:43:58.

Stewart and Rossouw’s result puts them less than a minute and a half behind Evans and George in the general classification. The latter had won the first two racing stages after the neutral first day.

According to Stewart, the technical nature of the course, which included 2 200m of climbing, had suited them perfectly after the relatively flat terrain through the Free State.

Jacques Rossouw of FedGroup-Itec Connect crosses the line first on the fourth stage of the joBerg2c between Sterkfontein Dam and Winterton on Monday. Photo: Full Stop Communications

“It was so good to be in the trails. Today we pushed hard and took risks, so to get a stage win was just fantastic.”

The attacks started on the first major climb up Retief Klip where the top four teams, including Transact’s Gawie Combrinck and Nico Bell, got away.

The quartet was bunched closely together until after the second waterpoint at around 80km. Transact gambled with an attack leading up to Spioenkop, but were hauled in and left behind on the climb’s steep slopes.

Although Combrinck and Bell made up half a minute by the third waterpoint at the Tugela River crossing after a fast descent, they paid for their earlier efforts and were unable to reintegrate the leading group.

Woolcock and MacDonald also started to show signs of faltering and, with the two lead teams attacking the single track, they were left behind. By the start of the day’s final ascent, up Puff Adder Pass, they were about 30 seconds adrift and that was effectively game over for them.

Stewart said the race was still anyone’s game and that, with the terrain finally to their liking, they would continue to work at closing the gap over the next five days.

“Anything can happen; even to us. Last year we were leading until the second last stage and then lost 27 minutes with a cut sidewall.”

The international combinations once again dominated the women’s and mixed categories to cement their respective leads in the overall standings.

Ischen Stopforth and her British partner Catherine Williamson, riding in bizhub-FCF colours, were the first women across the line in 5:52:55. 

Erik Kleinhans and his Swiss wife Ariane, riding for Contego 28E, romped home in 5:43:50.

The fifth stage covers 102km between Winterton and Kamberg in the Central Drakensberg.

Day 3, joBerg2c: Champs suffer heartbreak

Nedbank 360Life’s Kevin Evans leads RE:CM’s Waylon Woolcock and Neil MacDonald, and partner David George. Photo:Coetzee Gouws

Overall leaders Kevin Evans and David George were gifted the third stage of the Old Mutual joBerg2c when defending champions Neil MacDonald and Waylon Woolcock suffered mechanical problems in the final kilometre of the 125km ride between Reitz and Sterkfontein Dam in the Free State on Sunday.

The RE:CM duo looked set to challenge Nedbank 360Life, yesterday’s winners, for line honours when MacDonald lost his chain on the last single track bend.

MacDonald was forced to dismount, handing Evans and George an uncontested victory in 4:21:24 and another R10 000 in stage prize money.

Brandon Stewart and Jacques Rossouw from FedGroup Itec-Connect also made hay while the sun shone to cross the line second in 4:22:02. MacDonald and Woolcock recovered to finish third in 4:23:11.

Evans and George retain the overall lead with a combined time of 11:44:48. Stewart and Rossouw are second on 11:46:09 and MacDonald and Woolcock third with 11:47:23.

“It’s soul-destroying but at least we’re on the podium,” said MacDonald. “We were virtually guaranteed a second place today, maybe even the win, that’s why it’s so disappointing.”

Nedbank 360Life’s. Photo: Coetzee Gouws

According to George, he and Evans had not been gunning for the win after their breakaway of 60km the previous day. “Our plan was to stay on the others’ wheels and just recover from yesterday.”

George said the pace had been fairly steady throughout, with the top five teams – which included Gawie Combrinck and Nico Bell of Transact and Dave Morison and Louis Bresler Knipe of Itec-Connect Vodacom – staying together until after the third waterpoint.

About 90km into the stage, Stewart started setting a relentless pace on a stretch of single track that put the group under severe pressure. When Evans countered, the bunch split into pieces.

According to Stewart, the top three teams were together with around 10km to go. “We knew we had to just roll through together to stay clear of the other guys and let it come down to a sprint.”

However, on the final climb, Evans led another attack which the RE:CM riders immediately countered, followed by George. This proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Stewart and Rossouw.

Yesterday, the Nedbank 360Life pair pledged 10 percent of their daily winnings to purchase wheelchairs for the Cycling for Mobility initiative.

The overall standings in the mixed section remain unchanged with Erik and Ariane Kleinhans of Contego-Giant taking their second stage in a row in 4:39:50 (combined time 12:24:19).

Johan Labuschagne and Yolande de Villiers of Cycle Lab KTM followed in 4:55:32 (12:49:35) with Carel Bosman and Leana de Jager from PeptoPro-bizhub third in 5:02:17 (13:06:26).

The bizhub-FCF team of Ischen Stopforth and Catherine Williamson continued to dominate the women’s race, taking the stage win in 5:02:15 (13:05:54). Sarah van Heerden and Jackie Church of Itec-Connect Vodacom were next home in 5:17:06 (13:37:08).

Transact riders Nic White and Grant Usher, who are participating on single-speed machines to raise awareness for the world champs in Winterton in September, placed eighth on the day in 4:33:34 (12:15:26) and are in the same position overall.

Day four over 122km from Sterkfontein Dam to Winterton in KwaZulu-Natal marks the start of the climbing stages. The race finishes at Scottburgh on May 5. 

For latest results – click here.

For all joBerg2c news updates, click here.

Day 2, joBerg2c: Evans and George throw down gauntlet

Kevin Evans (left) and David George.Photo:Coetzee Gouws

David George and Kevin Evans threw down the gauntlet in their first appearance at the nine-day Old Mutual joBerg2c as the serious mountain bike racing got underway on Saturday.

The Nedbank 360Life duo set a blistering pace on the 93km second stage from Frankfort to Reitz in the Free State to cross the line first in 3:01:32 and scoop the R10 000 daily prize as well as the overall lead.

They were followed home by Brandon Stewart and Jacques Rossouw (FedGroup Itec-Connect) in 3:02:15, who bested defending champions Waylon Woolcock and Neil MacDonald (RE-CM) by five seconds in a sprint finish.

George and Evans’ overall time of 7:23:24 puts them just short of a minute ahead of Stewart and Rossouw (7:24:07) going into tomorrow’s 125km third stage between Reitz and Sterkfontein Dam. Woolcock and MacDonald (7:24:12) lurk in third.

After the neutral zone out of Frankfort, the top names rode closely together along the banks of the Wilge River. The action started at the 15km mark when Stewart made an early break on the first technical section.

Capetonian George followed quickly while Evans, from Plettenberg Bay, shadowed Stewart’s partner Jacques Rossouw, who was third on the road.

“I was waiting for Jacques to close the gap but he didn’t have the legs,” said Evans. “So I went across and when Dave saw me he just put the hammer down.” 

Team 360Life’s Kevin Evans (left) and David George. Photo: Coetzee Gouws

The two opened a gap on the chasing group that also included David Morison and Louis Bresler Knipe (Itec Connect-Vodacom) as well as stage one winners Nico Bell and Gawie Combrinck (Transact).

By the first water point at around 32km, the Absa Cape Epic runners-up had a minute’s lead, which shrank by 20 seconds as the chasers turned up the heat on the farm roads.

“We turned off into a cross wind and Dave pulled really hard there when we noticed the group starting to battle, so it opened up again to about a minute and 10 seconds.”

On the next stretch of single track, the pursuers had them in sight but were unable to close the gap. 

Evans said they decided not to stop at the final water point to gain an extra few seconds in an effort to avoid a sprint finish on the final drag towards the Reitz showgrounds.

“It’s always a risk to go hard early on but it’s better than gambling on the sprint. It was a good day but we made it hard for ourselves.”

Epic champions Erik and Ariane Kleinhans (GMAC) stamped their authority on a strong mixed field with an impressive time of 3:22:38, which saw them place seventh overall. 

Johan Labuschagne and Yolande de Villiers (Cycle Lab KTM) finished 10 minutes off the pace in 3:32:11, with Carel Bosman and Leana de Jager (PeptoPro-bizhub) claiming third in 3:42:17.

The Kleinhans pair’s overall time of 7:44:29 gives them the lead in the mixed section, followed by Labuschagne and De Villiers in 7:54:03. Bosman and De Jager are third on 8:04:09.

In the women’s race, reigning champions Ischen Stopforth and Catherine Williamson (bizhub-FCF) took line honours in 3:41:47. Sarah van Heerden and Jackie Church (Itec-Connect Vodacom) were second in 3:58:10. 

Stopforth and Williamson’s combined time of 8:03:39 puts them an impressive 16 minutes ahead of Van Heerden and Church in the women’s overall standings.

For latest results – click here.

For all joBerg2c news updates, click here.

Day 1, joBerg2c: Favourites off to cautious start

Nico Bell and Gawie Combrinck set the pace on a day when most of the pre-race favourites erred on the side of caution as the third Old Mutual joBerg2c got underway with a neutral stage on Freedom Day.

The Transact pair clocked 4:21:52 as they crossed the line first on the 115km ride between Heidelberg in Gauteng and Frankfort in the Free State.

They were followed home three seconds later by Kenya’s former runners-up David Kinjah and Davidson Kamau (Old Mutual Simba), with Kevin Evans and David George (Nedbank 360Life) a further three seconds adrift.

Defending champions Neil MacDonald and Waylon Woolcock (RE-CM) finished outside the top 20, alongside Brandon Stewart – who was second last year – and new partner Jacques Rossouw (FedGroup Itec-Connect).

MacDonald said they had opted for an easy start to the non-racing stage in order to warm up the legs and settle the nerves.

“There’s a lot more competition this year, so we decided not to push too early. The guys will go hard tomorrow and then we’ll see how everyone’s looking.”

The former road cyclist said he expected the 93km second stage towards Reitz to culminate in a bunch sprint, which would suit his team’s strengths. “If it does, Waylon and I will definitely be up for it.”

Karkloof Classic winner Rossouw echoed his sentiments, saying that the pace would be erratic on the flattish Free State stages as the teams started testing one another.

“You’ll see the real tactics come out later on in the climbing stages. I’m a guy who likes the climbs so I’m really looking forward to the Drakensberg.”

Evans, who won the African jersey at the recent Absa Cape Epic with George, said they were enjoying their first outing in the 910km race.

“There was a great spirit out there today. A couple more days like this and my legs will be feeling really good.”

He admitted however that his back muscles had taken strain during the Vaal crossing, which saw riders rowing across the dam in Chinese dragon boats. “This body wasn’t made for paddling!”

In the women’s category, reigning champions Ischen Stopforth and Catherine Williamson (bizhub-FCF) finished first in 4:43:14, comfortably ahead of second-placed Sarah van Heerden and Jackie Church (Itec-Connect Vodacom), who set a time of 4:50:52.

Stopforth, who is just back from injury, said she was looking forward to testing her body and overall fitness.

“It’s difficult after a neutral stage to suddenly shift your mind to racing. But both of us are really competitive so we’re going to ride hard and stick with the mixed teams for as long as possible.”

Cycle Lab KTM’s Johan Labuschagne and Yolande de Villiers took line honours in the latter category (4:23:04), followed by Carel Bosman and Leana de Jager of PeptoPro/bizhub (4:31:25) and Epic champions Erik and Ariane Kleinhans of GMAC (4:53:53).

The 550-strong field will finish the race in Scottburgh on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on May 5.

For latest results – click here.

For all joBerg2c news updates, click here.

Champs aim to silence critics at joBerg2c

Reigning champions Waylon Woolcock (left) and Neil MacDonald. Photo: Kelvin Trautman

Last year’s surprise winners Neil MacDonald and Waylon Woolcock will be out to silence their critics at the joBerg2c mountain bike race, which starts at Heidelberg in Gauteng on Friday.

The former road cyclists are determined to prove that their victory in the second edition of South Africa’s longest paired stage race was no flash in the pan.

This year, the Team RE-CM riders will be up against a formidable field that includes the likes of Kevin Evans and David George (Nedbank 360Life), Brandon Stewart and Jacques Rossouw (FedGroup Itec-Connect) as well as Gawie Combrinck and Nico Bell (Transact).

MacDonald acknowledged that the competition would be tough but said they were both looking forward to the nine-day event. “As our first serious mountain bike race, it holds a special place for Waylon and I.”

The pair has had a good season thus far with a top-five finish in the Columbia Grape Escape and a fourth place in the African jersey category at the recent Absa Cape Epic.

Despite some bad luck and a few setbacks in their first outing in the latter last month, MacDonald said they had emerged relatively unscathed and without injury or illness to finish 14th overall.

“We’re happy with our conditioning at the moment and things are looking good for joBerg2c.”

The Randburg resident said he and Woolcock, who lives in Sandton, tended to favour a more conservative approach to racing.

“Last year, our goals were to win one of the stages and finish on the podium but we achieved a lot more than that in the end. 

The duo won six of the nine stages en route to overall victory.

“Our goal now is obviously to defend the title and win as many stages as possible, so we’ll see what we can do.”

He said the change in the structure of the R330 000 prize purse to include financial rewards for stage wins could affect the dynamics of the race.

“But when you’re focusing on the stages, the general classification normally comes along with it, so we’ll be trying to win as many as possible.”

With two of the country’s longest endurance races under their belts, MacDonald said he and Woolcock felt they had now earned the title of “real” mountain bikers.

“After last year, when we won joBerg2c and the final stage of sani2c, we had a lot of the guys saying, ‘well, you’re not roadies anymore’.”

The 35-year-old said the off-road discipline had extended his career and he was pleased with the good results he and his 29-year-old partner were getting.

“I’m like an old diesel at the moment. Mountain bike racing offers prolonged intensity, which suits us much better.” 

The 910km race finishes in Scottburgh in KwaZulu-Natal on May 5.