23 MARCH
STAGE 6
TECHNICAL
TERRAIN
1000
800
Botmaskop
600
Never
Ender
Nik Naks
Skyfall
89KM BREAKDOWN
Klapmuts Kop
400
Singletrack: 32.2km, 36%
Farm road: 51.8km, 58%
Tar road: 5km, 6%
200
0
0
10
20
30
Stellenbosch
40
50
60
70
80
89
Stellenbosch
RATING
WHERE TO WATCH
Race start: 07.00am
A Kylemore Community
(23.5km)
Heading over Helshoogte Pass, out
of Stellenbosch and into the Banhoek
Valley, fans will get a hint of the
beautiful views the riders will be
enjoying from much higher up on the
slopes of Botmaskop. In the valley,
the spectator point in the Kylemore
Community will attract fans in their
droves as casual weekend passers-by
get sucked into the excitement.
Distance from race village: 11km
Leading men: 07.55am*
Leading women: 08.40am*
Last rider: 10.00am*
B Delvera Wines (55km)
On the slopes of Klapmutskop,
Delvera hosts an outdoor village,
complete with restaurant, trail centre,
bike shop and school’s environmental
education centre. The views from the
lush green lawns provide glimpses
of riders descending the stage’s
Land Rover Technical Terrain in the
distance. The Dirtopia Café will be
open for coff ees and meals, as
will their kids play area.
www.delvera.co.za
Distance from race village: 13km
Leading men: 09.15am*
Leading women: 09.50am*
Last rider: 12.35pm*
C Delheim Wines (65km)
One of the founding members of the
Stellenbosch Wine Route, Delheim
boasts old-world charm. Fans will
be able to relax under the old oak
trees in the Garden Restaurant
while watching riders traverse the
Simonsberg Trails.
www.delheim.com
Distance from race village: 15km
Leading men: 09.35am*
Leading women: 10.10am*
Last rider: 13.20pm*
Leading men fi nish: 10.35am*
Leading women fi nish: 11.00am*
Last rider fi nish: 15.20pm*
*Predicted times only
RACE
PREDICTION
Teams will need to remind
themselves it’s a race, with all the
fun singletrack in the early part of
the stage. Although, considering
the climbing they’ll have to do
to get there, they’ll be acutely
aware of their rivals’ plans for
the day! By this point in the race,
Investec-Songo-Specialized should
have sorted out any potential
power struggles with Specialized
Foundation (all four riders are on
the same trade team) allowing
each to perform their optimal
role, settling the race to a more
even pace. It’s a day for the cross
country riders so expect to see
Cannondale Factory Racing,
SCOTT-SRAM and perhaps KROSS
in charge of aff airs.
With some tricky sections of
singletrack, certainly for roadies,
Investec-Songo-Specialized will
consolidate, unlikely to be on a
big push for stage victory. It’s all
laid out for Summit to take on
the favourites, but not without
a challenge from cross country
star Maja Włoszczowska and
marathoner Ariane Lüthi, pushing
hard for line honours.
The Untamed African MTB Race | MTB | 159