![\"ccs-41808-0-66025200-1382515862.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-41808-0-66025200-1382515862.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe 85km stage (shortened from the original 92km due to a flooded river), started in Calitzdorp and finished on the summit of the Swartberg Pass, a 12km gravel road ascent that relentlessly winds it\u2019s up a total of 1100 vertical metres to a mountain-top finish. The cash prize for the stage for the overall winners is R112 000 (US $12 000), while the women\u2019s prize was R20 000 (US $2 000).<\/p>\n
Overall leaders, Brandon Stewart (RSA) and Konny Looser (SUI) of Team FedGroup Itec finished second and extended their overall lead, with defending champions, Westvaal Bells Cycling\u2019s Nico Bell (RSA) and Gawie Combrinck (RSA) rounding out the podium places.<\/p>\n
Team RE:CM\u2019s Waylon Woolcock and Erik Kleinhans finished fourth on the stage and hold onto their second place overall, 05 minutes 22 seconds down on FedGroup Itec, while Reid and Schuermans moved up to third overall after their good day out, 13 minutes 51 seconds of the race lead.<\/p>\n
Team RE:CM Davinci\u2019s Annika Langvad (DEN) and Ariane Kleinhans (SUI) continued their dominance of the women\u2019s category by claiming their third successive stage win in an impressive 12th place overall. They extended their overall race lead to almost 30 minutes over stage runners-up, Wheeler BMC\u2019s Esther Suss (SUI) and Jane Nuessli (GBR). The all-South African Biogen team of Robyn de Groot and Ischen Stopforth were third on the stage and maintain third place overall.<\/p>\n Put out of podium contention by the mud on Monday\u2019s stage, Reid and Schuermans were motivated from the start on Tuesday, slightly fresher than their rivals and eager to capture the race\u2019s queen stage, their primary goal for the event.<\/p>\n At 40km into the dry, sunny stage, on a steep, technical climb, Stewart and Looser put in an attack that only Schuermans and Reid were able to respond to. It was a long way out from the finish but the quartet decided to commit to the breakaway. The size of the chase group dwindled steadily to five, comprising RE:CM, Westvaal Bells Cycling and Solo male racer, Darren Lill (Cannondale Blend), and a pursuit ensued to the base of the final climb with the gap down to as little as 25 seconds between the two groups at one point.<\/p>\n Once on the Swartberg Pass, FedGroup Itec and Asrin Cycling began to trade subtle surges. But with four kilometres remaining where the gradient steepened, Reid, the current South African marathon champion, powered ahead and first Looser, then Stewart cracked. Schuermans, a cross-country specialist, was fighting a personal battle against cramps but managed to pull himself up to Reid and the pair charged ahead towards the finish line.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen James asked me to be his teammate for this race two months ago, he said our main goal was to win Stage 2. So I trained specifically with this stage in mind. It feels so good to achieve our goal,\u201d smiled Schuermans.<\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t keen to let any teams get away from us before the final climb today, which is why we went with FedGroup\u2019s early move,\u201d explained Reid. \u201cJens and I are both young and both cross-country specialists, so the overall win in a long stage race would be unrealistic. That\u2019s why we targeted this particular stage. We may be in with a chance of another stage win still.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n