The second stage of the 2017 Glacier Cradle Traverse, on Saturday the 6th of May, saw the riders start with nearly 10km of district road followed by a mix of flowing and technical singletracks which lead to faster average speeds, even though the route was longer, than on Stage 1. The 54km stage included 985m of climbing and was one by the Continental Tyres team of Andrew Stockwell and Dan Fowler.

The pair were once again dominant throughout, this time without the competition of Andrew McLean and David de Lima; as de Lima had to withdraw overnight due to an infection flaring up in a cut in his arm, inflicted by a crash in training last week. With McLean riding as an Out of Category competitor he was ineligible for an official result, but he did still provide the first solo finisher Sean O’Flynn-Madden with a carrot to chase for the duration of the stage.

The leading Mixed Category pairing, of Christo Carelsen and Vanessa Bell, riding for Bellscycling once again enjoyed an inter-category race with the leading solo woman, Yolande de Villiers. de Villiers explained that the Bellscycling duo were very fast in the singletrack and she had to work hard to stay ahead of them.

The Zebra Sports team of Janus Marais and Johan Cronje moved up to second on the stage and in the general classification with the withdrawal of The Team. Marais, a physiotherapist from Bloemfontein had won an entry to the event in the Glacier Cradle Traverse social media competition and brought his friend and client Cronje along for the race. Cronje is the current South African 1 500m record holder and the 2013 IAAF World Championships bronze medal winner, but with his track career winding down he is becoming an increasingly keen mountain biker.

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Had the privilege of meeting Johan Cronje at the Glacier by Sanlam Cradle Traverse before the start of stage 2. Some of Johan's incredible achievements are as follows: South African record holder for 1500m running Bronze at the World Championship! What an amazing athlete and awesome oke! #raasbekkieRSA #raasbekkie #llllekkerlekkerlekker #MiFitLife #StemVanStaal #VoiceOfSteel

A post shared by Carel (@raasbekkiersa) on May 6, 2017 at 6:28am PDT

Stage 2 Media

Take a look at the amazing images Oakpics captured during Stage 2 of the 2017 Cradle Traverse by clicking here.

.@AndrewMclean crossing the line ahead of @snakesean who rates today as exceptional value for money. @GlacierBySanlam #CradleTraverse pic.twitter.com/TqA1eY5Qum

— Glacier Cradle MTB (@CradleTraverse) May 6, 2017

Stage 3 – #ConquerTheKloof

Distance: 41 km

Vertical ascent: 681 m

Water point 1: 19 km

Water point 2: 28 km

A neutral zone through the original town of Muldersdrift sets the stage for the final day. Fast dirt roads might allure to a fast short day in the saddle, however once riders cross under the N14 the race truly begins. The hidden gem of the Laurentia farm provides a spectacular back drop for an amazing day in the saddle. Riding up the first road into Krugersdorp built in the early 1900’s provides a serious challenge to riders of all levels. A mixture of cattle trail, walking paths and custom built single tracks await riders at the top as some fast descending allows for a short reprieve before riders negotiate the next climb.

Once in the kloof the views are second to none as a natural spring waterfall and world heritage site that few get to visit are part the attractions that await the riders. A circular route brings riders back to the N14 crossing and with the toughest part of the stage well in the background, riders can enjoy some fast single track back towards Avianto and the finish of the inaugural Glacier Cradle Traverse.

Stage 2 Results

Men’s Teams:

1. Andrew Stockwell & Dan Fowler (Continental Tyres) 02:29:29
2. Janus Marais & Johan Cronje (Zebra Sports) +00:45:25 | 03:14:54
3. Tim Lansom & Grant Robertson (Cousins) + 01:03:09 | 03:32:38

Women’s Teams:

1. Santie van der Westhuizen & Lousanne Ackerman (TBC Nelspruit) 03:41:48
2. Thea Els & Madeleine Stumpf (Die VIP’s) +02:10:30 | 05:52:18
3. Mari & Christine Schmidt (Single Track Minds) + 02:11:21 | 05:53:09

Mixed Teams:

1. Vanessa Bell & Christo Carelsen (Bellscycling) 02:42:01
2. Estie & Mattheus Gerhardus van Heerden (Trifactri) +00:39:33 | 03:21:34
3. Wessel Pretorius & Maryke Hudson (Mountain Mojo) +00:54:18 | 03:36:19

Solo Men:

1. Sean O’flynn-Madden 02:39:57
2. Ken Ruest +00:39:56 | 03:06:34
3. Dieter Rothman +00:42:04 | 03:08:42

Solo Women:

1. Yolande de Villiers 02:41:32
2. Collette Bastard +00:39:03 | 03:20:35
3. Teresa Coetzee +01:21:44 | 04:03:16

To view all the general classification results from the Glacier Cradle Traverse click here.

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"See any mountain bikers yet?" Plenty of interest in Stage 2 of #cradletraverse #mountainbike #nature

A post shared by Michael Vlismas (@michaelvlismas) on May 6, 2017 at 1:36am PDT

#WinWinWin

Remember you can win a great prize from one of the Glacier Cradle Traverse sponsors if you tag the event in your photos during the race. Tag Cradle Traverse in your Facebook posts or @CradleTraverse on Twitter and drylandeventmanagement on Instagram. And whatever you do use the hashtag #CradleTraverse.