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GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - With the favourites staying together on the queen stage, race leaders HB Kruger and Stuart Marais took advantage of a late surge to collect their third successive stage win in the Liberty TransCape MTB Encounter on Tuesday 6 February.
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The 614km seven-day race kicked off in Knysna on Sunday 4 February and will end at La Couronne Wine Estate in Franschhoek on Saturday 10 February.
DAY 1
Kruger and Marais delivered a strong statement on day 1 as they led the field home in the opening stage of the Liberty TransCape MTB Encounter.
The ASG-Ellsworth outfit drew first blood in , but Kruger was quick to acknowledge they still had a long way to go.
They covered the 71km stage from the Western Cape town of Knysna to Wilderness in 2:23:47, about three-and-a-half minutes ahead of Norway’s Eirik Fiskvik and Thomas Engelsgjerd (Team Happysalmon) in the UCI men’s category.
DAY2
Kruger and Marais consolidated their overall lead after breaking away on Outeniqua Pass and racing to their second consecutive stage win in the Liberty TransCape MTB Encounter on Monday 5 February.
The 86km second stage took riders from Wilderness to Mossel Bay and also included two other mountain passes at Silver River and Kaaimansgat.
Riding together for the first time, Kruger and Marais came home in a time of 3:15:01, three minutes ahead of the French-German pairing of Antonin Marecaille and Julian Biefang (Chiru-Magura-Canyon).
Norwegian professionals Eirik Fiskvik (front) and Thomas Engelsgjerd lead the bunch, with HB Kruger on their shoulders, on the 102km third stage of the Liberty TransCape MTB Encounter from Hartenbos to Riversdale on Tuesday 6 February. Photo: Robert Ward
DAY3
The 102km leg from Hartenbos to Riversdale was only decided in the final kilometre through the Western Cape town’s twisting streets as Kruger and Marais edged ahead in sight of the finish.
They crossed the line in 4:09:01, seven seconds clear of Norwegians Eirik Fiskvik and Thomas Engelsgjerd (Happysalmon), with the French-German pair of Antonin Marecaille and Julian Biefang (Chiru-Magura-Canyon) two seconds further adrift.
The general classification remains unchanged, with the South Africans holding a nine-minute advantage over Marecaille and Biefang.
The Norwegians are two minutes further back.
Although they have a decent buffer, Kruger said he and Marais would continue to take a cautious approach while looking for chances to build on their lead.
Norwegian professionals Eirik Fiskvik (left) and Thomas Engelsgjerd cross the finish line in second place on the 102km third stage of the Liberty TransCape MTB Encounter from Hartenbos to Riversdale on Tuesday 6 February. The 614km seven-stage races finishes at La Couronne Wine Estate in Franschhoek on Saturday 10 February. Photo: Full Stop Communications
“We look at the next day’s route the night before and make sure we try to ride to our strengths,” he added.
In the mixed category Belgium’s Kristof de Neys and Britain’s Catherine Williamson, the defending champion, continued to dominate, winning the stage in 4:35:54.
“I am very happy now that I am at the finish,” said De Neys, who spends half his year living in Knysna.
Wednesday's stage will see the riders tackle a distance of 106km with 1 500m of vertical ascent from Riversdale to Swellendam.
* At the time of going to press on Wednesday morning 7 February, coinciding with the start of day 4 of the race, this was the most up to date info regarding the TransCape.
By the time the Knysna-Plett Herald hits the shelves on Thursday 8 February, day 5 would have kicked off.
Read a previous article: Aciton-packed first day of Transcape
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