The Queen Stage of the Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, featured South African mountain biking’s most infamous climb, the Merino Monster. The ascent to 1 799 meters above sea level, challenged the teams to 1 000 metres of elevation gain over 20 odd kilometres. The victors on the day were also the teams who claimed the King and Queen of the Mountain hotspot prize, team Toyota Specialized and the KMC-Ridley women.
Along with the Merino Monster, the stage took in 96 kilometres of racing, with 2 200 metres of accumulated ascent. It was a day which suited the mountain goats and it was therefore no surprise that the lithe climbers, Janika Loiv and Yana Belomoina excelled. Neither the Estonian, nor her Ukrainian teammate are active on Strava however, so Isla Short retained her QOM crown. Sebastian Fini was less fortunate as Matt Beers bettered the Dane’s 2020 KOM effort, by 23 seconds. Alex Miller also went faster than the previous record, while Imbuko Pro Cycling’s Marco Joubert and Wessel Botha secured top five places on the Strava segment’s leaderboard.
In the race itself, Beers and Miller put in another commanding ride. The Toyota Specialized team controlled proceedings from the front and limited their risks. “The start was quite chaotic with riders puncturing and to avoid any issues we made sure we got to the front and led down the Old Gydo Pass descent,” Miller noted. “Imbuko [Pro Cycling] and the Bulls Heroes came with us, and we were then able to work well together to the foot of the climb.”
The trio of teams ascended out of the Ceres Valley and onto the Koue Bokkeveld plateau together, passing through Water Point 3 – at the 64 kilometre mark – in unison. On the steep, early, slopes of the Merino Monster proper, Urs Huber and Leon Kaiser were distanced by Toyota Specialized and Imbuko Pro Cycling. Within sight of the mast, at the summit of the Monster, Joubert faltered. Beers and Miller ground out a slight advantage, summiting 35 seconds ahead of Joubert and Botha.
“We wanted to take a lead to the summit, if only to ensure we had the time to have a glass or two of coke and compose ourselves for the descent,” Beers stated. “That trail from the top of Merino back down the mountain is treacherous and you don’t want to make an avoidable mistake while wearing the yellow jerseys.”
“We caught Toyota Specialized quite early into the descent,” Joubert explained. “Then raced with them back to Kaleo. In the final 5 kilometres Matt [Beers] really upped the tempo and we weren’t able to contest for stage victory. But we’re happy to have further strengthened our hold on second, and tomorrow is another day and another opportunity to race for stage victory.”
A little further back Team Bulls were having their best day of the 2024 race. Huber and Kaiser enjoyed a trouble-free stage and finished the day in third. Their Bulls Mavericks teammates, Simon Schneller and Axel Roudil-Cortinat finished just behind them in fourth and moved up to third overall, in part due to KMC-Ridley’s misfortune. Gunnar Holmgren and Martins Blums were forced into a stage long chase after Blums punctured early on. The Canadian/Latvian combination limited their losses and finished fifth on the day, dropping a single place on the general classification standings.
Their day was drama-free by Pyga Euro Steel standards. Jaeden Terlouw destroyed his rear wheel just 10 kilometres into the stage. Pieter du Toit rode ahead to the water point, 35 kilometres into the stage, to fetch Terlouw a spare wheel. Meanwhile the younger teammate began a long walk down the Old Gydo Pass, only meeting Du Toit near the 20 kilometre mark. The pair then continued on through the stage, completing the day in 130th position, 2 hours and 27 minutes down on the stage winners.
In the UCI women’s race, the Old Gydo Pass also led to early splits. “We decided to take it easy down the pass, in the dust and early morning light it’s very difficult to see and it’s easy to puncture by hitting a rock,” Candice Lill said. As a result, the Cannondale Factory Racing team found themselves 25 seconds behind the KMC-Ridley and Efficient Infiniti Insure teams at the foot of the descent.
Lill and Mona Mitterwallner closed the gap back to the leaders on the road within a kilometre or two and that neutralised the racing until the next climb. At Water Point 2, after 54 kilometres, KMC-Ridley and Cannondale Factory Racing upped the pace slightly, distancing Vera Looser and Danielle Strydom. The top two women’s general classification teams were inseparable for the next 15 kilometres.
It was only within the final kilometre of the Merino Monster climb that Loiv and Belomoina edged ahead. “I enjoyed the Merino Moster far more this year than last,” Belomoina laughed. “I did some proper climbing training for the race, knowing how important this climb would be, and that – as well as the cooler temperatures today – meant that I could enjoy the climb. We reached the top just ahead of Candice [Lill] and Mona [Mitterwallner], but stopped at the water point at the summit for a drink before descending. They then caught us on the descent and we rode the rest of the stage together.”
The KMC-Ridley team reinforced their superiority on the day by earning the stage victory. Cannondale Factory Racing were forced off the top step for the first time in the race as they ceded five seconds to Loiv and Belomoina. The result means that Lill and Mitterwallner take a 6 minute and 52 second lead into the final stage. Looser and Strydom, who finished third on the day, hold the final general classification podium position too. The Efficient Infiniti Insure team are 14 minutes and 47 seconds behind the women in the pink First Ascent jerseys
Behind them the battle for fourth in the UCI women’s category will come down to the last day. E-Fort’s Lena Gerault and Margot Moschetti hold prime position over the Freewheel Cycology Absolute Motion combination. Frances Janse van Rensburg and Hayley Preen are 16 seconds behind the French team.
They and the rest of the Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, field have 57 kilometres, and 940 metres of climbing, in which to make up general classification places. Or simply to survive in order to earn a finisher’s medal. Mountain biking fans can tune into the racing action, on the race’s Instagram and Facebook stories, from 06:30. Follow @tankwatrek on Instagram and Tankwa Trek on Facebook. Further information can be found at www.tankwatrek.co.za.
Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, Results:
Men’s Stage 3 Results:
- Toyota Specialized: Alex Miller & Matthew Beers (04:00:44)
- Imbuko Pro Cycling: Marco Joubert & Wessel Botha (4:00:54 | +10)
- Bulls Heroes: Urs Huber & Leon Kaiser (04:02:16 | +1:32)
- Bulls Mavericks: Simon Schneller & Axel Roudil-Cortinat (4:04:45 | +4:01)
- KMC Ridley: Gunnar Holmgren & Martins Blums (04:10:04 | +9:20)
Women’s Stage 3 Results:
- KMC Ridley: Janika Loiv & Yana Belomoina (04:56:27)
- Cannondale Factory Racing: Candice Lill & Mona Mitterwallner (04:56:32 |+5)
- Efficient Infiniti Insure: Vera Looser & Danielle Strydom (05:03:47 | +7:20)
- E-Fort: Lena Gerault & Margot Moschetti (5:20:52 | +24:25)
- Freewheel Cycology Absolute Motion: Frances Janse van Rensburg & Hayley Preen (5:24:19 | +27:46)
Men’s General Classification Results after Stage 3:
- Toyota Specialized: Alex Miller & Matthew Beers (08:14:29)
- Imbuko Pro Cycling: Marco Joubert & Wessel Botha (08:17:53 | +3:24)
- Bulls Mavericks: Simon Schneller & Axel Roudil-Cortinat (08:23:48 | +9:19)
- KMC Ridley: Gunnar Holmgren & Martins Bluma (8:27:38 | +13:09)
- Bulls Heroes: Urs Huber & Leon Kaiser (08:31:48 | +17:19)
Women’s General Classification Results after Stage 3:
- Cannondale Factory Racing: Candice Lill & Mona Mitterwallner (10:03:19)
- KMC Ridley: Janika Loiv & Yana Belomoina (10:10:11 | +6:52)
- Efficient Infiniti Insure: Vera Looser & Danielle Strydom (10:18:06 | +14:47)
- E-Fort: Lena Gerault & Margot Moschetti (10:57:58 | +54:39)
- Freewheel Cycology Absolute Motion: Frances Janse van Rensburg & Hayley Preen (10:58:14 | +54:55)
For the full results from the Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, click here.
Source: Seamus Allardice Media
