Another Sprint, a Second Win for The Honeycomb 226ers at the Cape Pioneer

The mid-point of the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, was crossed somewhere in the wilderness of Kapteinskloof, on the 92-kilometre route from Louvain to Langenhoven Gimnasium on Thursday, 24 September. Fittingly for Heritage Day, the South African marathon champion, Marc Pritzen, and the former South African marathon champion, Samantha Sanders, ended the stage on top of the podium. Pritzen and his Honeycomb 226ers teammate, Felix Stehli, won from a four-team sprint, while Sanders and Sarah Maré soloed to their third straight victory.

Samantha Sanders (leading) and Sarah Maré climbed slightly faster and descended significantly quicker to establish an advantage over Chloé Hopf and Lilian Baber within the first 15 kilometres of Stage 3. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Stage 3, the second longest of the race, featured 1 400 metres of climbing, with one major ascent and lots of rolling hills accumulating the metres of climbing steadily. This provided the terrain for tactical rather than full-gas aggressive racing. Though the UCI Men still averaged 31 kilometres per hour.

“It was on and off,” Lood Goosen, of Toyota Specialized Imbuko, explained. “When we were going hard it was full-gas, but when we slowed, we were basically freewheeling.” “When the group swells from four or five to nine or ten teams, you know the pace is slow,” Jan Withaar, of Insect Science Safari Essence, added. “Every now and then I’d look back and see the group had grown really big, then we’d attack the next climb, and it would reduce again.”

Toyota Specialized Imbuko were unable to shake the Insect Science Safari Essence team on Stage 3 and thus gained no time in the fight for third. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Pritzen and Stehli, along with Goosen and Ignatius du Preez, attacked the first climb and summited with the narrowest of advantages. “The pace was really fast on the first climb; I got dropped and had to let go of my brakes on the descent to get back onto the leading group,” Withaar elaborated. “After that I decided I wasn’t dropping the wheel for the rest of the day!”

At its largest, the lead group was made up of ten teams. These included the established protagonists of the 2026 edition, the Honeycomb 226ers, Insect Science Safari Essence, and Toyota Specialized Imbuko, as well as the Cape Vulture Nature Reserve, Insect Science, Pump for Peace Abashovi, Pump for Peace Trailblazers, Tshenolo Pro Cycling, Absolute Motion/Kings of Neon, and Project Dream SA teams. Pritzen, Stehli, Withaar, Wessel Botha, Goosen, and Du Preez thus had Herman Fourie, Keegan Tullis, Keagan Bontekoning, Arno du Toit, Unathi Nxumalo, Thabiso Zindela, Damon Terblanche, Tumelo Makae, Alec Coleské, Halalisani Ndebele, André van Rooyen, Tayne Rudling, Jordan Boshoff, and Travis Rademan-Ludeke for company.

With the Stompdrift Dam overflowing due to rain in the Kammanassie Mountains on Tuesday night, the Olifantsrivier was bursting its banks. A compulsory portage 73 kilometres into the stage, where the route crossed the river, was the final reset before a high-speed finale. The pace lifted as the course climbed from the river valley into the hills overlooking Oudtshoorn, and soon it was just the top three general classification teams, as well as Fourie and Tullis, of the Cape Vulture Nature Reserve left in contention.

“Attacks were going left and right in the final 4 kilometres,” Stehli stated. “Then suddenly we were dropping down towards the fields and the finish line. I didn’t know this finish at all, so it came as a bit of a surprise. But we managed to be well positioned and take the stage win.”

UCI Men’s Podium after Stage 3 (from left to right): Jan Withaar, Wessel Botha, Marc Pritzen, Felix Stehli, Ignatius du Preez, and Lood Goosen. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Honeycomb 226ers victory is their second of the race, but the 1 second they added to their overall advantage will likely not factor into the final reckoning with any significance. Insect Science Safari Essence were second, ahead of Toyota Specialized Imbuko and Cape Nature Vulture Nature Reserve. Pritzen and Stehli lead Withaar and Botha by 8 minutes and 7 seconds, with Du Preez and Goosen a further 1 minute and 47 seconds down in third. Bontekoning and Du Toit finished Stage 3 in fifth, to maintain their fourth place in the general classification standings, 3 minutes and 22 seconds up on Pump for Peace Abashovi’s Nxumalo and Zindela.

Illness overnight for Roxanne Kemp shook up the UCI Women’s race before the Stage 3 start. With the Safari Essence Titan Racing team out of the battle for the podium places, Cycle Nation Enza Construction moved up into third before a pedal was pushed in anger. Bianca Botha and Rachel Seaman would not enjoy their best day on the bike, as they were unable to climb with Sanders, Maré, and the Hollard Summerplace Racing team of Chloé Hopf and Lilian Baber on the opening climb.

Samantha Sanders (leading) and Sarah Maré decided to be greedy in their pursuit of time in the overall standings. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Hopf and Baber reached the summit with the Efficient Infiniti Insure team in their sights. A blistering descent by the race leaders increased that gap on the trails, and try as they might, Hollard Summerplace Racing could never regain parity with Sanders and Maré. The gap never ballooned out, however. Perhaps because Hopf and Baber were having so much fun racing as a team.

“I loved today’s route,” Baber praised. “It was a lot more engaging than last year’s course from Louvain to Oudtshoorn. The gravel road segments weren’t too long, and the dual tracks were fun to ride. It was also so beautiful. I managed to look around me a few times, and it was so pretty.”

Crossing the swollen Olifantsrivier provided extra excitement for Lilian Baber (leading), Chloé Hopf (second), and Co. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Baber and Hopf kept Maré and Sanders to 4 minutes and 24 seconds, the closest they have been to the pink First Ascent jersey wearers thus far in the race. Sanders is still unwilling to ease up. “In a stage race you can never be too greedy for time. Anything can happen, and it’s not over until you cross that final finish line. We’ll keep racing our own race to the end,” she cautioned.

Heading into the penultimate day of the race, Efficient Infiniti Insure has a 29-minute and 18-second buffer over Hollard Summerplace Racing. Cycle Nation Enza Construction’s Seaman and Botha are third, 1 hour and 47 minutes behind the leaders.

Rachel Seaman had to nurse Bianca Botha at times during Stage 3. Given that Botha only replaced the injured Frances Swanepoel in the Cycle Nation Enza Construction team 10 days before the race, their position in third overall should be praised. Photo by Oakpics.

Stage 4’s 1 100 metres of climbing looks unlikely to crack either of the race-leading teams, but the rugged Klein Karoo terrain is never to be underestimated. A 96-kilometre route awaits the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, campaigners on Friday, 25 September. Rocky, rutted, and rough dual tracks will sap tired legs and demand full focus from tiring minds. It is only by forcing a mistake that the chasers can hope to unseat the leaders now, but the terroir will be there, as the mercury is predicted to rise into the 30s once again, before afternoon thunderstorms can break the heat.

To follow the action on Stage 3, mountain biking fans can view @capepioneer’s Instagram stories or like the Cape Pioneer Facebook page to view photos and videos from the racing thus far. To find out more, visit www.capepioneer.co.za.

UCI Women’s Podium after Stage 3 (from left to right): Lilian Baber, Chloé Hopf, Samantha Sanders, Sarah Maré, Bianca Botha, and Rachel Seaman. Photo by Oakpics.com.

2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, Results

UCI Men’s Stage 3 Results:

1. ⁠⁠⁠Honeycomb 226ers: Marc Pritzen & Felix Stehli (2:57:31)
2. ⁠⁠Insect Science Safari Essence: Jan Withaar & Wessel Botha (2:57: 32 | +1)
3. ⁠Toyota Specialized Imbuko: Ignatius du Perez & Lood Goosen (2:57:33 | +2)
4. ⁠⁠CVNR: Herman Fourie & Keegan Tullis (2:57:34 | +3)
5. ⁠Insect Science: Arno du Toit & Keagan Bontekoning (2:59:10 | +1:39)

UCI Women’s Stage 3 Results:

1. Efficient Infinity Insure: Samantha Sanders & Sarah Maré (3:37:07)
2. Hollard Summerplace Racing: Chloé Hopf & Lilian Baber (3:41:31 | +4:24)
3. ⁠Cycle Nation Enza Construction: Rachel Seaman & Bianca Botha (3:53:04 | +15:56)

UCI Men’s General Classification Podium after Stage 3 (from left to right): Jan Withaar, Wessel Botha, Marc Pritzen, Felix Stehli, Ignatius du Preez, and Lood Goosen. Photo by Oakpics.com.

UCI Men’s General Classification Standings after Stage 3:

1. ⁠⁠Honeycomb 226ers: Marc Pritzen & Felix Stehli (8:48:15)
2. Insect Science Safari Essence: Jan Withaar & Wessel Botha (8:56:22 | +8:07)
3. Toyota Specialized Imbuko: Ignatius du Perez & Lood Goosen (8:58:09 | +9:54)
4. ⁠⁠Insect Science: Arno du Toit & Keagan Bontekoning (9:01:23 | +13:08)
5. Pump for Peace Abashovi: Unathi Nxumalo & Thabiso Zindela (9:04:46 | +16:30)

UCI Women’s General Classification Standings after Stage 3:

1. Efficient Infinity Insure: Samantha Sanders & Sarah Maré (11:03:23)
2. Hollard Summerplace Racing: Chloé Hopf & Lilian Baber (11:32:41 | +29:18)
3. ⁠Cycle Nation Enza Construction: Rachel Seaman & Bianca Botha (12:50:50 | +01:47:27)

For the full results from the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, click here.

UCI Women’s General Classification Podium after Stage 3 (from left to right): Lilian Baber, Chloé Hopf, Samantha Sanders, Sarah Maré, Bianca Botha, and Rachel Seaman. Photo by Oakpics.com.