The second stage of the 2018 Glacier Cradle Traverse, dubbed the Lake Heritage Traverse, saw the 170 riders taking on the event ride to, through and back from the spectacular Cradle Moon Private Game Reserve. The trails for the day included the recently completed Cradle of Humankind singletrack and Cradle Moon’s flowing blue and yellow routes.

At the sharp end of the race Andrew Stockwell and Bryce Munro completed their second stage victory of the weekend, in a time of 1 hour, 56 minutes and 55 seconds. The pair once again led from start to finish and made the most of the flowing trails to match their pace with the fun they had.

The leading solo riders, Amy McDougall and Grant Usher had a little race among each other as Usher decided to race after taking it very easy on the opening stage. The couple finished just 40 seconds apart with Usher holding off McDougall to win the solo men’s category in a time of 1 hour, 57 minutes and 37 seconds for the stage. McDougall was once again the first woman across the line, and won the solo women’s category on the day, finishing in a time of 1 hour, 58 minutes and 17 seconds.

Yolandi du Toit and Ben-Melt Swanepoel rode to a relaxed stage win in the mixed category. The Garmin combination stopped at every water point and even enjoyed a Cape Brewing Co beer and Klein Karoo International Ostrich Meat off the braai as they took in the Dryland event treats which only the non-competitive riders in the field usually get to enjoy.

In the women’s category Yolande and Michelle de Villiers extended their general classification lead with a second successive stage victory. “Yesterday we went to 2 000 RPM, today was 4 000 and tomorrow I’m taking Michelle to 8 000 RPM” Yolande de Villiers joked. “Today was already at 8 000 RPM” Michelle complained in jest. Turning briefly serious Yolande de Villiers continued: “The Glacier Cradle Traverse is the perfect race for someone like Michelle. She’s just getting back into cycling and the routes aren’t too long or difficult so it’s manageable for less experienced riders.”

With two of the three stages now completed the attention shifts to the final day of the Glacier Cradle Traverse. Stage 3, dubbed Conquer the Kloof, features 40 kilometres of riding, with a mix of fast gravel roads and scintillating singletrack in the Kingskloof Private Nature Reserve. The route includes 681 metres of climbing and should be the fastest stage of the race.

Riders and fans are reminded to post their Glacier Cradle Traverse photos to social media and tag the event by using the hashtag: #CradleTraverse. The best entries will win prizes courtesy of Glacier by Sanlam.

Sunday also features a 10km fun ride on the Avianto Trails. Registration for the fun ride opens at 07h00 and the racing starts at 08h30.

To stay up-to-date with the action during the final stage follow @CradleTraverse on Twitter and @drylandza on Instagram. And to relive all the day’s excitement with photos by Oakpics and Zoon Cronje Market Consulting, plus videos by Bigshot Media, like the Glacier Cradle Traverse Facebook page.

Results: Glacier Cradle Traverse | Stage 2

Men’s Teams:

1. Continental Tyres: Andrew Stockwell & Bryce Munro (1:56:55)
2. Mpact Asems: Jandri Ferreira & Franso Steyn (+1:55)
3. OTR: Dewald Lotter & Stephen Fowler (+10:17)

Women’s Teams:

1. Silverback: Michelle & Yolande de Villiers (2:43:24)
2. Netwerk24: Teresa Coetzee & Isabel Moolman (+16:30)
3. Last Ladies: Mari Schmidt & Madeleine Stumpf (+1:29:56)

Mixed Teams:

1. Garmin: Yolandi du Toit & Ben-Melt Swanepoel (2:18:31)
2. Mixed Team: Michaele & Timo Cooper (+04:09)
3. Mpact Mixed: Wouter Heunis & Karla Stumpf (+05:06)

Solo Men:

1. Grant Usher (1:56:55)
2. Steven Bark (+04:40)
3. Glen Ramsden (+07:31)

Solo Women:

1. Amy McDougall (1:58:17)
2. Sarah Hill (+07:17)
3. Danielle Strydom (+08:23)

Results: Glacier Cradle Traverse | General Classification after Stage 2

Men’s Teams:

1. Continental Tyres: Andrew Stockwell & Bryce Munro (3:36:11)
2. Mpact Asems: Jandri Ferreira & Franso Steyn (+20:02)
3. OTR: Dewald Lotter & Stephen Fowler (+24:49)

Women’s Teams:

1. Silverback: Michelle & Yolande de Villiers (4:55:08)
2. Netwerk24: Teresa Coetzee & Isabel Moolman (+42:23)
3. Last Ladies: Mari Schmidt & Madeleine Stumpf (+2:59:05)

Mixed Teams:

1. Garmin: Yolandi du Toit & Ben-Melt Swanepoel (4:14:05)
2. Mixed Team: Michaele & Timo Cooper (+13:31)
3. Mpact Mixed: Wouter Heunis & Karla Stumpf (+15:50)

Solo Men:

1. Steven Bark (3:36:11)
2. Sean O’Flynn-Madden (+01:22)
3. Glen Ramsden (+06:27)

Solo Women:

1. Amy McDougall (3:40:06)
2. Sarah Hill (+11:23)
3. Danielle Strydom (+17:16)

For the full results from the Glacier Cradle Traverse click here.