HEIDELBERG – The hills of Midvaal came alive on Sunday morning with the sound of whirring wheels and the unmistakable rush of competitive cycling as riders took on the 2026 N3TC Meals on Wheels Cycle Challenge at Sedaven outside Heidelberg.

The annual event is about more than racing for podium places and fast times. It combines competitive cycling with support for the work of Meals on Wheels, bringing riders together for a day of racing with a charitable cause at its heart.

Cyclists took on several distances and categories, with the 108km race providing the main competitive attraction of the day.

At the sharp end of the men’s race, Kent Main emerged victorious after an aggressive day in the saddle.

Main formed part of an early two-man breakaway with Jordan Boshoff, with the pair maintaining their advantage for much of the race. On the penultimate climb back towards Heidelberg, Main made the decisive move, dropping Boshoff and riding clear to a solo victory in 2:20:38.

Teammate and former Tour de France rider Ryan Gibbons broke clear of the chasing group to finish second in 2:22:35. Boshoff completed the podium in 2:22:38.

The women’s 108km race produced an equally tight contest.

Triathlete Magda Nieuwoudt claimed victory in 2:28:48 after a closely fought battle with Cycle Nation’s Lisa Bone and Marzaan Mellett.

With several attacks failing to produce a decisive gap, the race came down to the closing stages. Nieuwoudt launched her final effort to take the win, with Bone finishing just eight seconds behind in 2:28:56 and Mellett third in 2:29:01.

The event also featured a 53km race, giving cyclists across a range of categories the opportunity to take part.

N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), which manages the 415km N3 Toll Route between Heidelberg in Gauteng and Cedara in KwaZulu-Natal, is the longstanding title sponsor of the Meals on Wheels Cycle Challenge.