{"id":2735,"date":"2013-09-20T14:14:39","date_gmt":"2013-09-20T12:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thegremlin.co.za\/oudtshoorn-news\/wordpress\/?p=2735"},"modified":"2013-09-20T14:14:39","modified_gmt":"2013-09-20T12:14:39","slug":"bridge-cape-pioneer-trek-promises-fierce-mens-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thegremlin.co.za\/oudtshoorn-news\/wordpress\/2013\/09\/20\/bridge-cape-pioneer-trek-promises-fierce-mens-showdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek promises fierce men\u2019s showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kevin
Kevin Evans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With virtually every top South African male marathon racer entered, the 2013 Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek mountain bike stage race promises to deliver a fierce showdown when it rolls through its weeklong route in the Western Cape next month.<\/p>\n

The start list in the men\u2019s event includes the two South African teams that duked it out for the African Leader\u2019s Jersey at this year\u2019s Absa Cape Epic \u2013 the SCOTT Factory Racing pair of Philip Buys and Matthys Beukes and the Cannondale Blend duo of Darren Lill and Charles Keey.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Buys and Beukes claimed the title and finished sixth overall. Their battle was made easier when Lill fell ill, which saw the Cannondale Blend rider change his focus from trying to win the prestigious jersey to just trying to finish each of the last four stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cape Epic was obviously a huge disappointment for us, but the Cape Pioneer Trek is our major objective for the second half of the year and we are going there to try and win overall,\u201d said Lill, who had just been discharged from hospital after sustaining a back injury in a crash at the weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully I\u2019ll be fully recovered soon because I\u2019ve been in good form and in a good space mentally. I\u2019m looking forward to the new challenges of the Cape Pioneer Trek, which I\u2019ve not yet done before. It seems like all the top South African teams will be there so it will ensure some tight racing,\u201d added Lill.<\/p>\n

In the six months since the Cape Epic, Lill and Keey have only been training for and racing marathon and multi-day events, while Buys has been focussing on cross-country racing, competing on the World Cup circuit. Beukes, meanwhile, has raced most of the national marathon series events. Both Buys and Beukes represented South Africa at the recent XCO World Championships in Pietermaritzburg.<\/p>\n

Defending champions, Nico Bell and Gawie Combrinck (Bells Cycling Specialized) will return to defend their title. The pair weren\u2019t competitive in this year\u2019s Cape Epic due to Combrinck nursing painful injuries following a crash in the prologue. Both have had good marathon racing results this year though, with Bell the current leader of the MTN National Marathon Series and Combrinck in fifth place on the rankings.<\/p>\n

Brandon Stewart and Kevin Evans will team up for FedGroup Itec. Evans is a former Cape Pioneer Trek winner (2011) and is eagerly returning to form following a lengthy illness layoff, while Stewart, one of South Africa\u2019s most experienced stage racers, is also enjoying a good run of form, making this a potentially formidable team.<\/p>\n

Neil MacDonald will team up with Swiss racer, Konny Looser, to form a second FedGroup Itec team.<\/p>\n

After dominating Mixed Category stage racing with his wife, Ariane, in the past few years, Erik Kleinhans will compete in the Open men\u2019s category alongside his RE:CM teammate, Waylon Woolcock. The latter is the 2011 Old Mutual joBerg2c champion, while Kleinhans is currently in peak form following a three-month training and racing stint in Europe.<\/p>\n

Current South African marathon champion, James Reid, who has been focussing on racing the XCO Under-23 World Cup this year, will start the race with Belgian Jens Scheurmans in Team Asrin Cycling. Schurmans is a 20-year-old XCO racer who has been on a number of Under-23 World Cup podiums this year, including winning the opening round in the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe certainly aren\u2019t going into the Cape Pioneer Trek with much stage-race conditioning, but we\u2019re looking forward to the fresh challenge. We\u2019re keen to be competitive in a couple of the stages if we can\u2019t be competitive overall,\u201d said Reid.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to see more and more top South African riders on the Cape Pioneer Trek start list. The route, prizemoney and media exposure around the event are obviously the main drawcards. But I think we\u2019re going to see some of the closest racing in the event\u2019s history, which is really exciting,\u201d said Henco Rademeyer, of Dryland Event Management, the organisers.<\/p>\n

The Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek is a seven-day stage race, taking place in South Africa\u2019s Western Cape province from 20-26 October. It covers a total distance of 549 kilometres with a total of 11 657 metres of vertical ascent. The 2013 edition is full, but a waiting list has been established should any team places open up.<\/p>\n

\"Share<\/a>