KNYSNA NEWS- Cronje Beukes and Mariëlle Trouwborst confirmed their dominance of the inaugural Garden Route Giro with commanding performances on the final stage from Knysna to Wilderness on Saturday 18 April.
Both cyclists used their climbing prowess to open early gaps, powering to commanding victories in stage 6 to put the finishing touches on their general classification triumphs.
Departing Knysna for the ANEW Resort Wilderness, the race followed the Seven Passes Road.
The 75km route, with 1 100m of climbing, appeared - on paper - to favour a sprint finish, but Trouwborst and Beukes had other ideas. Both were intent on ending their campaigns in emphatic fashion.
The pair had also claimed stage 5 honours on Friday 17 April, which concluded in Knysna.
Beukes won five of the six stages to underline his dominance in the men's race, while Trouwborst matched that tally in the women's competition.
Friday's Queen Stage delivered 127km of closely contested racing in the men's event. In the elite women's race, Trouwborst broke clear solo but was nearly caught out by a puncture in the final 37km.
On paper, stage 5 appeared the toughest of the race, but the front-runners made light work of the demanding 2 040m of climbing.
Trouwborst and Beukes earned R100 000 each for their overall victories, along with an additional R25 000 each for securing the Rosa First Ascent Climbers' jerseys. This takes their total earnings for the Garden Route Giro to R125 000 apiece.
Beukes is expected to use his winnings to help fund his ambition of racing in Europe during the South African winter.
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