![\"ccs-62657-0-69532900-1488991864.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-69532900-1488991864.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>RoadCover\u2019s Kent Main wins the Bestmed Tour of Good Hope\u2019s queen stage between La Paris Estate and Du Toitskloof Pass today. Photo: Robert Ward<\/span><\/p>\nThe 21-year-old from Linden in Johannesburg led the way to the finish line of the 133km queen stage of South Africa\u2019s premier road race in 3:19:12.<\/p>\n
He was followed home three seconds later by teammate Eddie van Heerden, with Dimension Data\u2019s Hafetad Weldu third in 3:19:18.<\/p>\n
Pro Touch\u2019s Myles van Musschenbroek took over the yellow jersey from defending champion Stefan de Bod after ending fourth on the stage.<\/p>\n
After 6:15:47 of racing, he provisionally leads Main (6:16:38) and Van Heerden (6:17:00) in the overall standings.<\/p>\n
Main, who was part of a group of eight leaders that also included teammate Eddie van Heerden, said he knew they needed to make it hard at the start of the final climb.<\/p>\n
\u201cEddie and I knew if it was too easy the guys would just follow. I don\u2019t really have a big kick at the end so knew I had to go long,\u201d said Main.<\/p>\n \u201cI went a few times and Eddie did as well, but we were closed down each time.<\/p>\n \u201cLuckily we caught them off guard with about two and half kilometres to go and managed to ride away. But it was a big effort and I\u2019m a bit broken now.\u201d<\/p>\n Given his climbing ability, Main said this was a stage he had always dreamt of winning.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, this is a stage I targeted from last year and I was really happy to get the win.\u201d<\/p>\n With African continental champion Willie Smit their general classification pick, he said they would reassess the situation overnight. Main said there had been a number of attacks in the first half of the race with Franschhoek Pass \u201cbeing quite hard\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cDimension Data set the pace early on and there were a few attacks up the pass for the King of the Mountains points.<\/p>\n \u201cThe descent was quite fast with guys trying to break clear but everyone came together at the bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n The RoadCover climber said he did not follow any of the early moves.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the end, the one move I did follow was the one that got away, so I was possibly quite lucky in that respect.\u201d<\/p>\n He said at one stage their lead had shrunk to 45 seconds before another surge broke the elastic and their advantage shot up to around four minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom that point we kind of knew we would stay away and as Eddie and I are both strong on the climbs we used that to our advantage.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a bit nervous about my legs after the lengthy effort building up to the pass, but I knew my form was good and that I would be able to stay clear if I committed myself to the attack.\u201d<\/p>\n In the women\u2019s race, Bestmed-ASG\u2019s An-Li Kachelhoffer won her second stage to claw a handful of seconds back in the overall standings.<\/p>\n Her time of 4:07:40 was 12 seconds faster than that of second-placed Brit Chanel Mason.<\/p>\n Third went to Dorma Karma\u2019s Candice Lill (4:07:57), who took the lead in the general classification after yesterday\u2019s Buffet Olives individual time-trial.<\/p>\n Lill provisionally heads the standings on 7:48:56, followed by Mason (7:51:08) and Luthi (7:52:13), who finished fourth on the stage.<\/p>\n After a tactical race for much of the day, Kachelhoffer said she had gone clear in a small group with about 10km to go.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were four of us and I decided to take a bit of a flyer,\u201d said the 29-year-old from Paarl.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew I had to put in some speed so they couldn\u2019t just climb on my wheel and I kept on driving it for a solo win in the end.<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly felt the pain and will just spend most of the day sleeping and recovering for tomorrow\u2019s stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>The queen stage of the Bestmed Tour of Good Hope took riders on a scenic route through the Cape Winelands between La Paris Estate and Du Toitskloof Pass today. Photo: Robert Ward<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Photo: Robert Ward<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Bestmed-ASG\u2019s An-Li Kachelhoffer wins the Bestmed Tour of Good Hope\u2019s queen stage between La Paris Estate and Du Toitskloof Pass today. Photo: Robert Ward<\/span><\/p>\n