![\"ccs-62657-0-09452800-1520764365.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-09452800-1520764365.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nHoffman and his team rode textbook bunch sprint, which saw him appearing out of the group in perfect fashion to deny Gaze \u2013 who won his first elite UCI Mountain Bike World Cup race the previous day and took the Cape Town Cycle Tour MTB Challenge title the week before \u2013 what would\u2019ve been a unique hat trick.<\/p>\n
The race, billed as #40Take2, effectively the second running of the 40th edition after the 2017 event was cancelled due to wind \u2013 was exciting from the gun.<\/p>\n
A group of five riders went up the road shortly after the start. Craig Boyes (Investec-Songo-Specialized), Steven Van Heerden (BCX), Myles Van Musschenbroek (Pro Touch), Nicol Carstens (Alfa Bodyworks\/Giant) and Chris Cronje (Alfa Bodyworks\/Giant) worked well together and built up a gap that stretched up to three minutes at one stage. The five managed to stay away for the majority of the race and were reeled in only up the Suikerbossie climb, after a strong effort spearheaded by Dimension Data for Qhubeka\u2019s Continental outfit who had missed out on the break.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team was incredible today,\u201d Hoffman commented after the finish. \u201cThis has been our biggest objective for the year and going away with the win was just incredible. The boys rode out of their skins and I\u2019m just really pleased how it all played out,\u201d he said, explaining that after the catch they knew exactly how to take it home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe played poker face game,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had Steven van Heerden in the break, so we knew we didn\u2019t have to work too hard in the bunch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe DiData boys panicked because they didn\u2019t have anyone in front and when they brought it back on Suikerbossie we knew exactly what to do in the last 10 kilometres.\u201d<\/p>\n
BCX controlled the bunch through Camp\u2019s Bay and the tricky twists and turns through Clifton and Sea Point to go into the final sprint perfectly positioned.<\/p>\n
\u201cSteven took us right into the final 500 metres and then Clint (Hendricks) \u2013 the 2016 defending champion \u2013 lead from there. He knows exactly where to go, knows every metre of this finish and he took me to about 180 metres to go. From there all I had to do was go flat-out to the finish. Very happy it worked out\u201d<\/p>\n
The women\u2019s race saw a pioneering first when they started in Glencairn to have 76 kilometre race. This ensured a clear run all the way to the finish and it was epic.<\/p>\n In the end, Kim Le Court (Demacon) took the bunch sprint ahead of Namibia\u2019s Vera Adrian (DormaKaba) and track star Maroesjka Matthee (Ciovita).<\/p>\n \u201cWow, such an emotional day,\u201d Le Court, who hails from Mauritius said after the finish. \u201cThis is the one race that everyone wants to win, I\u2019ve had a year of podiums and it\u2019s great to finally stand on the top step,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Le Court couldn\u2019t say enough about how good it was for the women to have their own race and how positive it was for the team tactics and racing.<\/p>\n<\/a>Sam Gaze (2nd), Nolan Hoffman (1st) and Reynard Butler (3rd).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n