Moolman Welgemoed, the captain of team Daikin-GU, wrapped up the season on a high note with a victory at Die Burger Cycle Tour in Stellenbosch on Sunday.
The first woman to cross the finish line was Swedish cycling sensation Jennie Stenerhag (Alpha Pharm) who secured her fourth consecutive win at the annual race.
Stenerhag clocked 2:41.25 in a comfortable breakaway win, with Cathy Carstens holding off Maroesjka Matthee in a sprint finish for second. both were timed at 2:44.11.
Veteran Cathy Carstens (Token) and Maroesjka Matthee (Intellibus) finished second and third place respectively.
Welgemoed, who won in 2:29.24, broke away with Rob Quinn (RSAWEB) and Tredoux Odendaal (Cape Town Market) only 20km in to the 98km race.
Quinn finished second in 2:29.27 and Alistair Davies took third in 2:30.08.
“Cycling conditions were great. We had a tail wind to just before Nelson’s Creek,” Welgemoed said.
“I knew the finish quite well from two years ago, when my teammate David Garrett won.”
Johann de Bod won the men’s 44km race in 1:19.05 and Mari Brothers took the women’s title in 1:38.43.
Just over 6,500 cyclists entered the event, with the vast majority participating in the 98km race, the final seeding opportunity for the 2011 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour.
David Bellairs, CEO of the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust, said Sunday’s race had been a great success.
“Our new 15km route proved to be very popular and I’m thrilled to see so many families here today,” he said.
“We received lots of positive feedback about today’s event. It’s a wonderful way to end the year.”