Mauritian-born Kim Le Court De Billot (Efficient Insure Infiniti) won her third Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday and 22-year-old Marc Pritzen (Honeycomb) took his first win in the men’s elite race.
Le Court De Billot won the 78km women’s elite event that started in Fish Hoek in 2 hours 8 minutes and 5 seconds ahead of Hout Bay resident and former SA road champion Hayley Preen (Reach For Rainbows) and mountain biking star Candice Lill.
Pritzen, 2021 SA road champion, won the men’s 109km event in 2:37.55, ahead of German cyclocross pro Sascha Weber (Madmacs) and another mountain bike specialist, HB Kruger.
The Cape Town Cycle Tour celebrated its 44th edition in 2022 with a Covid-19-restricted maximum field of 22,500.
After the women’s event started 15 minutes late because of the gloomy weather, first Lill and then Le Court de Billot opened up the race as they headed down through Ocean View and Masiphumelele.
They two were eventually caught by the bunch on the lower slopes of Chapmans Peak but again split the group on the famous climb.
By the time the women reached Hout Bay, the lead group had swollen again, but Preen attacked up Suikerbossie — as she did in 2021 — and took both Le Court De Billot and Lill with her.
Lill eventually then set a torrid pace to gap the rest of the field up the infamous climb.
The three worked together until the final kilometre, when Le Court De Billot’s superior sprinting saw her add to the titles she won in 2018 and 2021.
In the men’s race, a large group, including Pritzen, got clear early along the fast M3 section but were whittled down as they ascended Chapman’s Peak and finally Suikerbossie.
By the time they reached the top of Suikerbossie Pritzen, Weber, Kruger and early animator Byron Munton had got clear with the peloton already out of the running.
It is rare that a pro breakaway succeeds on the relatively short Cycle Tour route.
In the final kilometre, Munton opened up a tactical sprint and Pritzen managed to pull through for a superb win. — www.capetowncycletour.com
Le Court De Billot, Pritzen triumph in Cape Town Cycle Tour
Image: PETER HEEGER/ GALLO IMAGES
Mauritian-born Kim Le Court De Billot (Efficient Insure Infiniti) won her third Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday and 22-year-old Marc Pritzen (Honeycomb) took his first win in the men’s elite race.
Le Court De Billot won the 78km women’s elite event that started in Fish Hoek in 2 hours 8 minutes and 5 seconds ahead of Hout Bay resident and former SA road champion Hayley Preen (Reach For Rainbows) and mountain biking star Candice Lill.
Pritzen, 2021 SA road champion, won the men’s 109km event in 2:37.55, ahead of German cyclocross pro Sascha Weber (Madmacs) and another mountain bike specialist, HB Kruger.
The Cape Town Cycle Tour celebrated its 44th edition in 2022 with a Covid-19-restricted maximum field of 22,500.
After the women’s event started 15 minutes late because of the gloomy weather, first Lill and then Le Court de Billot opened up the race as they headed down through Ocean View and Masiphumelele.
They two were eventually caught by the bunch on the lower slopes of Chapmans Peak but again split the group on the famous climb.
By the time the women reached Hout Bay, the lead group had swollen again, but Preen attacked up Suikerbossie — as she did in 2021 — and took both Le Court De Billot and Lill with her.
Lill eventually then set a torrid pace to gap the rest of the field up the infamous climb.
The three worked together until the final kilometre, when Le Court De Billot’s superior sprinting saw her add to the titles she won in 2018 and 2021.
In the men’s race, a large group, including Pritzen, got clear early along the fast M3 section but were whittled down as they ascended Chapman’s Peak and finally Suikerbossie.
By the time they reached the top of Suikerbossie Pritzen, Weber, Kruger and early animator Byron Munton had got clear with the peloton already out of the running.
It is rare that a pro breakaway succeeds on the relatively short Cycle Tour route.
In the final kilometre, Munton opened up a tactical sprint and Pritzen managed to pull through for a superb win. — www.capetowncycletour.com
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