Cape Town - Double defending champion Kim le Court, of Mauritius, completed a hat trick of Cape Town Cycle Tour wins on Sunday.
The Efficient Infiniti Insure rider had to work hard for her title after Candice Lill broke up a select group who had entered the finale together with an audacious attack in the final kilometre.
For the men, Chris Jooste won the 2023 race in emphatic fashion.
The TufoBMC rider showed his class to outsprint Andries Nigrini (TEG), Jaedon Terlouw (Honeycomb), and Daniel Loubser to claim the title in a time of 02:36:14 Le Court and her fellow sprinters had reeled Lill in before the winner out-sprinted Vera Looser, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, Hayley Preen, and Cherise Willeit to take the 2023 title.
Since 2018 the elite women have enjoyed their own start group. Starting in Fish Hoek, they complete 79km of the classic Cape Town Cycle Tour route, including the ascents of Smitswinkel, Chapman’s Peak Drive, and Suikerbossie.
A blustery South Easter affected the racing, which led to a bigger group staying together deeper into the race and re-groupings later in the piece.
“The wind, especially in the beginning, going towards Simons Town slowed the pace a bit,” Lill explained.
“But once it gets into the rolling terrain, it was full gas.”
A block headwind on Smitswinkel allowed a larger group than usual to get over the first ascent in contact with the leaders. Catherine Colyn, riding for Moolman-Pasio's Rocacorba Collective, did the bulk of the pace making but in the wheels behind her, riders were able to get swept along up the climb.
On the descent to Scarborough, Emma Pallant-Browne and various riders from the Reach for Rainbows and Custom Cycling teams tried their luck, but nobody was able to establish a significant gap.
By the foot of Chapman’s Peak Drive, 40 women remained in contention. Moolman-Pasio shred the field into splintered groups on the famous climb.
The 2012 winner was joined by Lill, Le Court, Preen, Willeit, and Pallant-Browne over the summit.
The descent, which is a sweeping drag initially before steepening into Hout Bay, allowed S'aanara Grove, Looser, Melissa Kretzinger, Tiffany Keep, Jo van de Winkel, and a handful of others to make it back to the leaders before Suikerbossie kicked uphill once more.
On Suikerbossie Moolman-Pasio attacked again, this time, only Preen, Lill, and Le Court could follow.
The British triathlete Grove, Willeit, and Van de Winkel then fought their way back to parity before the race reached Bakhoven.
In Camps Bay, the group swelled once more, with Keep and two of Grove’s Rennen Racing teammates also making contact. This set the women up for a likely sprint finish.
“It was a bit tense, to be honest,” Le Court reflected. "With most of the sprinters back in the bunch, I was pretty nervous going into the finale.
Then Candice (Lill) did a flier from the back, which was really a good move.
We struggled to bring her back, and as I did, I thought it was too early to start the sprint. But everyone else was sprinting too, and I just opened it up, and no one came past. I could see a wheel looming up on my left...
I know it was Vera [Looser] now. But I just hang on. And I'm really glad I could hang on to the end.”
Le Court's victory is her fourth in the Cape Town Cycle Tour, moving her to joint four alongside Anke Erlank on the all-time standings.
The 2023 women's winning time was 2 hours, 13 minutes, and 20 seconds.
The Men’s Elite racing category over the iconic 109km coastal route around the Cape Peninsula produced some intense and exciting moments.
The mint conditions made for a few characteristic early attacks, but all the big teams worked to bring it all back together.
Up the deceptively tough Smitswinkel climb, five riders got off the front and forged the break. The five stayed together until Hout Bay when Nick James (DMS) dropped back.
“That’s when the realisation kicked that we were going to go to the finish, and a podium was a potential,” said Nigrini (TEG), who finished second behind Jooste.
The breakaway didn’t always seem to work together in consistent fashion, with the youthful Loubser doing the bulk of the work.
With no other teammates in the break, he seemed to forge something of an allegiance with Jooste, whose experience was evident throughout.
“I am overjoyed to have had a smooth ride and crossed the finish line in one piece,” Cape Town native and fourth-place finisher, Loubser said.
Loubser's knowledge of the course proved invaluable to his fellow break-away riders, as he was able to read the ever-changing conditions and offer crucial insights.
He helps guide the four by sharing vital information about wind patterns and optimal feeding locations to help them maintain their lead.
The chasing bunch got organised up Chapman’s Peak, driven by DMS.
They were closely watched by the team of Honeycomb, who were represented by Terlouw up front. However, the bunch left it too late and couldn't bring back the breakaway.
Jooste expressed his delight at what is undoubtedly the biggest win of his career.
“This is an incredible feeling,” he said. “I’ve won every age category since u/12, so this is amazing.”
Cape Times