An Incredible Race Comes To An End

What an end to an incredible race that will live in the memories of the riders for years to come! The Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek 2012 continued to surprise riders this year with breathtaking scenery, great single tracks and rewarding passes.

Team Wilde had a superb race with Team Wilde 1 (Kabous Marra and Robert King) and 2 (Sarah van Heerden and Jackie Church) finishing with a total time of 31:28:56 and 28:09:38 respectively.  Diana Carolin also performed very well by attaining 2nd place in the Solo Women category with a total time of 29:19:10. Well done everyone! We can't wait for next year!

Wilde Team 1 - Robert King and Kabous Marra

Wilde Team 2 Sarah van Heerden and Jackie Church

Team Wilde - Diana Carolin

Team Wilde

David George and Kevin Evans won stage 6 and were officially announced as winners of the massive R100 000 prize from Bridge!

Nedbank 360Life - David George and Kevin Evans

If you think you have what it takes to conquer the Cape Pioneer Trek next year,  please click here for details.  For a list of results please click here.

Stage 5 Finish - Diana Carolin's Diary

The day started off fresh and chilly. Due to heavy rains the route was shortened and the start was delayed by an hour. At last we started and as I had some time to make up, I made an aggressive start. We raced through the mud and straight up the mountain. After a good slog to the top, where the views were quite spectacular, there was a treacherous descent and a chase along district roads to waterpoint 2. 

A quick washing off of chains and derailers and we were off again onto the Hoekwil road and into a head wind. Then right onto the old George road and into Saarsveld to waterpoint 3. A quick refuel with a couple of potatoes and onto the single track with 7kms to go. A final chase to the finish at George High School where a great welcome awaited us. At last I had claimed back the leaders jersey after 4 days.   I completed stage 5 with a great lead of 00:11:34 with a total time of 03:09:10.

For a detailed list of results, please click here.  For additional information about the race, please click here.  Follow me on twitter here.

Stage 3 Finish - Diana Carolin's Diary

Started off in Prince Albert this morning with cloudy and overcast weather. The first 30km was a hard slog along district road desperately clinging to the back of a group. Until, at last, we hit REAL Mountain biking territory. A lovely climb up the pass after water point 1 led into a fast technical down that rocked!!!! 

Water point 2 was the start of another long slog on the tar on my own. At last we turned off back onto district road. Then the storm hit and we got hailed on. There was some awesome single track to finish off. I finished first today, what an amazing ride!

For a detailed list of results, please click here.  For additional information about the race, please click here.  Follow me on twitter here.

Stage 2 Finish - Diana Carolin's Diary

Carlitzdorp to Prince Albert was a Journey into some of the darker places I have been in my cycling career. The first 75km's was a good ride and then we hit the bottom of the pass. At first I thought, what is all the fuss about? And then it slowly began to dawn on me as we started to climb steeper and steeper slopes. 

Each corner I thought this had to be the last one but it wasn't. At one stage I had to stop and have a pep talk with myself. At last a camera man said one more corner to go and there were the banners! A happy sight. Finished second in solo female group with a time of 05:46:14, just 4 mins behind the winner. 

For a detailed list of results, please click here.  For additional information about the race, please click here.  Follow me on twitter here.

Stage 1 Finish - Diana Carolin's Diary

After yesterdays success, I was to start in the front group with all the pros. Quite a daunting prospect. We set off behind the neutral zone car along the tar and then turned right onto the dirt and we were off. All was going well until I took a corner too fast and landed on the floor in a pile of dust. After straightening up my handlebars and dusting myself off it was back on the bike. 

We passed the rooiberg mountain which was stunning and all was going well. We slogged up the last climb and descended into the valley where I discovered I had a puncture so had to stop and plug it which cost me a lot of time. Thanks to my epic partner 2013 I was soon on my way again and apart from a bit of a cramp I finally reached the school in Carlitzdorp and at last the finish.  I am currently in 3rd position in the Solo Women category with a time of 05:17:51.

For a detailed list of results, please click here.  For additional information about the race, please click here.  Follow me on twitter here.

Prologue Finish - Diana Carolin's Diary

Diana Carolin is a vary talented solo cyclist in the Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek 2012 who has agreed to share her experiences throughout the trek with Wilde 100% Fruit Juice:

The prologue started at 13h48 for me. We had ridden the course this morning so I had a good idea of what lay ahead so I rode out of the start like a scalded cat past the dam and took a sharp right onto some single track and settled into a steady pace toward the first climb - Up a concrete track under the ' Bridge' bridge.

The single track was fantastic and rode brilliantly with the added benefit of cheers along the way made all the difference. In no time at all and after passing quite a few riders, the sign for 3 kms to go was just ahead. 

Then it was all guns blazing to the finish and over the line in 00:50:03.

For a detailed list of results, please click here.  For additional information about the race, please click here.

Bee Stings And Drama On Stage 1

Stage 1 of the Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek was off to an exhilarating start when the middle group of riders was met with a swarm of bees approximately 60 kms into the 103km stage. Some 30 riders were badly stung and treated at the scene and nine were hospitalised at the Medi Clinic in Oudtshoorn. Another rider, one of the top riders, has crashed at high speed and broken his ribs in an unrelated incident. 

Scooters Pizza For All The Bee Sting Victims

Carel Herholdt, of the event organisers Dryland, has confirmed that the majority of the hospitalised riders were due to be released by this evening and continue in the race. “We have adjusted the rules to accommodate the injured riders. All riders who are fit for riding may continue the race with no penalties”.

Henk Meyer, one of the Bridge Team riders says he was amazed at the speed the emergency was taken care of. “I was treated on the scene with over 100 stingers removed from me. Some riders were allergic and not so lucky to continue with their race. But the AMS chopper was on the scene in no time and airlifted the victims to safety. I have a lot of faith in the ability of the organiser,” says Henk. He adds that this part of the race was one the most scenic and breathtaking routes to ride on.

Max Friedrich and Nadine Rieder of Germany who finished first in the Mixed Team were lucky enough to miss the swarm of bees. “I will return to this race every year and tell all my friends and colleagues about your beautiful country and the excellent organising. Everything amazed me there is no detail that was not taken care of. We did not even know about the bees until we finished the race.”

The organisers have confirmed that all the riders are out of danger and safe.

“The medics were on the scene within 2minutes of us calling them. We’d like to thank them for their fast and efficient handling of this matter”, says Carel.

CEO of Bridge, the Title Sponsors, Emile Aldum has assured that they will transport all the hospitalised riders to get back in time to start Stage2. The bikes have already been transported back to the riders’ camp.

Live Stream information on the Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek can also be found on the blog:http://blog.capepioneer.co.za/

Information on the Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek can be found at www.capepioneer.co.za

 - Jules Illing from The Little Black Book

Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek 2012 Prologue

The Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek 2012 prologue set of at a blistering pace earlier today with Team Wilde 1 (Kabous Marra and Robert King) and 2 (Sarah van Heerden and Jackie Church) doing exceptionally well. Make sure to see the highlights tonight on SuperSport 6 at 21h00.

Our very own Kabous Marra and Robert King enjoying delicious Wilde Sport

 Team Wilde 1 came in 40th in the Open Men category with a time of 00:52:12 and 58th in the Overall Teams category. Team Wilde 2 came in 3rd in the Open Women category with a time of 00:49:18 and 39th in the Overall Teams category.  Diana Carolin came 1st in the Single Women's category with a time of 00:50:03 and will be wearing the leaders jersey tomorrow for stage 1. Well done!

Sarah van Heerden and Jackie Church preparing for the prologue

The race was not without any injuries although most riders enjoyed the race and considered it to be a lot easier, yet more technical than last years race. Tomorrow’s Stage 1 starts at Buffelsdrift and ends in Calitzdorp.

Stay tuned for daily updates.  For a detailed list of results, please click here.

Keeping it interesting for everyone

The route for this year’s race was launched (YouTube) at a lavish affair in Green Point, Cape Town. Riders, corporates, celebrities and media attended the launch where they enjoyed wine and beer courtesy of Fairview and SAB as well as delicious canapés. Paul Valstar, MC for the night, welcomed everyone before introducing the new route, which was followed by a comprehensive video of what riders can expect. The highlight of the evening was the announcement by bridge CEO, Emile Aldum that bridge will award R 100 000 to the winning team on top of Swartberg mountain – the biggest prize purse ever warded to a stage win in South Africa! To top this, riders will have to negotiate the out of category monster climb up Swartberg mountain pass ascending a whopping 1100m vertically!

There were changes made to the route this year with a lot of emphasis on riding quality, shorter stages and fewer ascents but with that great pioneering spirit still firmly intact.  Smooth single tracks, undulating scenic jeep track and visits to the iconic mountains and valleys that only the Klein Karoo can offer are just some of the things that lie ahead for riders.

After four years of scouting and exploring, the Dryland team will continue to bring riders the best mountain biking route.  The 2012 bridge Cape Pioneer Trek will take riders through icons like the World Heritage site of the mighty Swartberg Mountain, the challenging sheer drop down cliff faces of the Meiringspoort, the arid semi desert region to the north of Prince Albert, and through the undulating mountains Klein Karoo and the lush forests of the Garden Route.  The start is at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge just outside of Oudtshoorn, where the prologue will also take place on the pristine single track of MTBDestinations.com with the finish once again at Oudtshoorn High School.

The announcement (YouTube) by bridge group CEO, Emile Aldum, that his company will award the winning team on stage 2 with R100 000 in cash created an unparalleled buzz in the cycling industry - this is the largest single stage prize money sum ever awarded in SA for a stage win.

There are certain conditions attached to getting your hands on the loot, and that is first and foremost that you have to finish the race within the allocated time and secondly a points system has been announced whereby consistency is also required.  The winning team must acquire 35 points out of a possible 70 to qualify for the R100 000

Finishing positions are awarded points starting at 10 points for 1st place to 1 point for 10th place.  In other words the maximum amount of points that a team can acquire in 70 and they only need 35 to qualify.  This means that all the teams have to ensure that they obtain the best possible finish position on the mountain - the situation can arise where 3rd place on the stage could win the money if places 1 and 2 do not obtain the required 35 points.  This promotes consistent riding and will keep pros interested right until the end.

Please see below for exact details of each stage for the 2012 route:

We hope to see you there!  To sign up, click here.

bridge Cape Pioneer Trek Launch 2012

Dryland Event Management, the organisers of the bridge Cape Pioneer Trek, revealed the route for this year’s race in a lavish affair in Green Point, Cape Town. Riders, corporates, celebrities and media attended the launch where they enjoyed wine and beer courtesy of Fairview and SAB as well as delicious canapés. Paul Valstar, MC for the night, welcomed everyone before introducing the new route, which was followed by a comprehensive video of what riders can expect. The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the R100 000 prize money for the winners of Stage 2 which is a first in South African cycling history! The end of Stage 2 will finish off with a monster 1100m vertical ascent over roughly 12 km which is another first in SA cycling!

There were changes made to the route this year with a lot of emphasis on riding quality, shorter stages and less ascent but with that great pioneering spirit still firmly intact.  Smooth single tracks, undulating scenic jeep track and visits to the iconic mountains and valleys that only the Klein Karoo can offer are just some of the things that lie ahead for riders.

After four years of scouting and exploring, the Dryland team will continue to bring riders the best mountain biking route. The 2012 bridge Cape Pioneer Trek will take riders through icons like the World Heritage site of the mighty Swartberg Mountain, the challenging sheer drop down cliff faces of the Meiringspoort, the arid semi desert region to the north of Prince Albert, and through the undulating mountainous Klein Karoo and the lush forests of the Garden Route. The race will start and finish at the Buffelsdrift Game Lodge in Oudtshoorn with the prologue including the pristine single track of MTB Destinations.com, which is some of the best single-track around.

Details of each stage for the 2012 route

Cyclists will be ensured they get plenty of replenishing with Wilde Fruit Juice who has been involved in the Cape Pioneer Trek for 3 years now. “We believe strongly in the Pioneer Trek’s vision of giving back to the community and schools in the surrounding area,” says Melissa Boshoff from Wilde. “With our involvement we can not only ensure that some of the nutritional needs of the cyclists are met during the race but we can be assured that our contribution is having a greater community impact which is what the great Pioneer spirit is all about!”

To learn more about the bridge Cape Pioneer Trek 2012, please click here.

A race to be excited about

Wilde 100% Fruit Juice was proud to be a product sponsor at the bridge Cape Pioneer Trek 2012 route launch which was quite the lavish affair held at the No. 1 Private Venue in Greenpoint last week with a number of celebrities and corporates attending the event.  

The level of excitement grew when MC for the night, Paul Valstar, revealed the route for this year's race. The reveal was later accompanied by a comprehensive video of what riders can expect.  The route this year will comprise of shorter stages, flowing smooth single track, undulating scenic jeep track and visits to the iconic mountains and valleys only the Klein Karoo can offer.

The main highlight of the night for all riders was the announcement of the prize money for stage 2 which stands at a whopping R100 000.  This is the richest stage prize money in the history of South African cycling and will be a highly sought after prize for the top riders.

For detailed race information and registration, please click here.