2014 Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek - Report by Gawie Combrinck
Last week, Johann Rabie and I, Team EAI Cycling, lined up for
the Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek. This race is held over seven days and consists of
a short prologue followed by six stages. The total distance covered is 572 km,
with 11,958 m of ascent.
Although it is a really tough race, there are a few good reasons
to take part. The event offers the richest single-stage prize purse in the
world, with a R128,000 prize waiting for the first male and female team to make
it to the top of Swartberg Pass. Furthermore, this year's race was UCI
accredited, so it attracted more international riders and reached a record
field of more than 400 riders, so the competition was fierce. You get the
opportunity to ride through some of the most amazing and diverse regions in the
country, ranging from the desert in the Karoo to forests in George. And it's
also a bit more doable for the average rider than the Absa Cape Epic.
Prologue
The race kicked off on 12 October at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge,
with the #Buffelsbattle. This short 15.5 km prologue was still challenging
enough to get the legs and lungs burning on some amazing single tracks and a
few short, hard climbs. The route suited the cross-country riders with all the
tight and twisty single tracks. We decided to take it a bit more
conservatively, as the race could easily be lost with a crash, but certainly
not won here. With gaps not too big, Team Bulls set the fastest time with
locals Phillip Buys and Matthys Beukes in second. The podium was rounded off by
Asrin Cyling’s James Reid and Herman Persteiner.
Stage 1
This stage was from Oudtshoorn to Calitzdorp and the first real
test of the race. The fairly flat but rocky 100 km stage would see the main
group stay together for most of the day. The main split came at the 30 km mark
when Team Bulls and Scott Factory Racing opened a gap up the last climb. A lot
of teams suffered from mechanicals on this final rocky descent, including
Johann and I. Johann cut a brake hose, while I shredded my rear tire, which
resulted in us losing about 14 minutes on the day. Team Bulls won their second
consecutive stage, with Scott Factory racing in second again and the Spanish
team of ESMTB.com coming
in third.
Stage 2
Known as the Queen stage, this was the most eagerly anticipated
leg of the race, with R128,000 waiting for the first men and women teams to
reach the top of Swartberg Pass. Starting from Calitzdorp,
the stage was 86 km and had 2,789 m ascent, of which 1,100 m of
that came in the last 12 km. The stage flew by due to the pack setting a fierce
pace as they raced towards the mountain.
Battling a strong headwind for the majority of this stage, a
large group formed and stayed together all the way to the bottom of the
Swartberg Pass. As we hit the climb up Swartberg Pass, Herman Persteiner and
Asrin Cycling ripped the field to pieces as they powered away to ascend the
climb first. Unfortunately, Asrin made a tactical error and Persteiner crossed
the line more than two minutes ahead of his teammate James Reid. This error
earned them a 30-minute time penalty. Scott Factory Racing was the first team
home, followed by team ESMTB.com in
second and Asrin Cycling in third. Johann and I crossed the line in
fifth position.
Stage 3
The 107 km route from Prince Albert to De Rust promised to be a
bit more of a rest day after the tough climb up to Swartberg Pass. However,
from previous experience we knew that wouldn't be the case. Heading out on the
flat roads of the Great Karoo at high speed, the smooth, wide-open roads soon
turned into rocky, sandy jeep track and quickly ripped the field to
pieces.
The day's biggest obstacle was a short, rocky climb with a
treacherous rocky descent. We made the split over this rough section and were
in a small group of five teams. With the last 30 km being mostly open road and
facing a strong headwind all the way home, Johann and I saw the opportunity to
make up some time on the GC. Working well together, we flew through
Meiringspoort and managed to gain a lot of time on the teams behind us on the
stage. Scott Factory racing won the sprint, with Team Bulls in second and
Fairview Elite in third. Johann and I were fourth on the day, and had climbed
up to fourth overall on GC.
Stage 4
The 109 km route from Van Kervel High School, George, to De Rust
was the toughest stage of the entire race and proved to be a decider for the
overall race. Facing cold and rain, we set of on the 111 km journey through the
Kammanassie to George. It was one of the toughest days out on a bike, with
loads of mud, rain and cold. A number of teams pulled out on this stage and
there were also big time gaps at the finish. Team Bulls crossed the line first
and also claimed the overall race lead. Team Asrin was in second, followed by
Scott Factory Racing in third, who were now second overall in the race, Johann
and I came in fourth on the day and had climbed up to third overall.
Stage 5
This 71 km stage from Van Kervel High School, George, to Louvain
Guest Farm, Herold, had to be shortened a bit, due to the relentless rain from
the day before making some of the route impassable. Our legs welcomed the
shorter day, to recover from the hard effort the day before.
The racing was on from the gun, and as we headed up Montagu
Pass, Scott Factory Racing put in a massive attack to try and shake off the
Bulls. We lost a bit of time on the climb, but as soon as we were over the top,
I just had to hang on for dear life because Johann paced like a freight train
and closed the gap significantly. The stage was super fast, with small gaps and
little movement on the GC. Scott Factory Racing won the stage, with Team Bulls
in second and WMTBbe-Feenstra in third.
Stage 6
This 86 km stage, from Louvain Guest Farm to Oudtshoorn, was
flat and fast, and the first 50 km flew by on the open dirt roads. The bunch
kept the speed high, but as we entered the Chandelier Game Reserve and the
roads became narrow and rocky, the field began to split up. Team Bulls and
Asrin Cycling opened a gap on us as we headed out on the last 10 km to town.
Johann put the hammer down once more as we tried to close the gap down and
defend our third place from Asrin Cycling. With the two teams in front proving
too strong, we finished the last stage in third, but we had hung on to our
third overall on GC. Team Bulls won the stage and the tour, with Asrin claiming
second on the day. Scott Factory Racing came in fourth, and were second
overall in the race.
Results
1 Simon Stiebjahn (Ger) / Tim Bohme (Ger) - Team Bulls 22:08:19
2 Philip Buys (RSA) / Matthys Beukes (RSA) - Scott Factory
Racing 0:08:48
3 Johann Rabie (RSA) / Gawie Combrinck (RSA) - Eai South Africa 0:40:46
4 James Reid (RSA) / Herman Persteiner (Aut) - Asrin Cycling 0:42:35
5 Michiel Van Aelbroeck (Ned) / Robby De Bock (Ned) Wmtb.Be -
Feenstra 1:01:20
It has been an amazing week of racing and I have no doubt that
we will be back next year!
PCG Coach: Hunter Allen
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