Local duo secures third in Cape adventure race
From the arid desert landscapes of the Groot Karoo to the great mountains of the Klein Karoo and the aboriginal forests of the Garden Route, the Bridge Cape Pioneer attracted quite a few local riders to this seven-day adventure.
Well-known non-pro cyclists, Igna de Villiers and Dalene van der Leek of team LGE-Midas-Bells, placed third in the mixed category in a time of 27:49:19. This was only their second race as a team and they managed to win one of the stages. “We won stage five of which we are very proud. The next stage of the race went very well, but as we continued we got very unlucky as we had to use 15 bombs and lost more than 30 minutes.” The Bridge Cape pioneer has Union Cyliste Internationale (UCI) status and is regarded as the second largest race in South Africa. It takes place over
574,2 kilometres and boasts a 11,958-metre change in gradient.
Their very first race, the Sani2c, took place early May and here they also secured third place. They don’t have any races planned for the future as yet, but will keep practicing for next year’s season. “We are not only race partners, but very good friends as well and we get along well. Igna is a very strong climber and very patient during a race. He has a lot more miles behind him as a rider, but we don’t have to talk much during a race. We both know that each of us will ride our heart out,” said Dalene.
Igna says that his partner doesn’t complain at all during a race. “She hangs tough. Her technical skills are very consistent.”
Dalene and Igna’s most scenic route was the Swartbergpas, but they had a hard time on the Kammanassie (stage four). “It’s a 2 800 metre climb and very technical. It is also known as the Blue Flag which is an indication of the difficulty of the stage.”
More about them
Dalene will hopefully participate in her first Cape Epic in 2015. She came fourth in the elite ladies in the TRACN4 and she won the MTN Panorama with teammate, Yolandi du Toit and also the Lowveld Quest with Vanessa Bell.
This 30-year-old mother also came second in the Rainbow Challenge and second in the Clover Challenge. She qualified for the South African Championships for the first time this year and was the category winner for sub-veteran ladies.
Igna has done the Cape Epic thrice since 2012 and he and partner Pierre Griffioen placed fifth out of 250 teams. He came 10th in both the Rainbow Challenge and in the South African Championships. He was second in the MTN series this year.
These locals also participated
• Gawie Combrinck
• Nico, Vanessa and George Bell
• Roger Rusch and Carl van Maanen.
