Race Preview KAP sani2c 2025
In 2024, KAP sani2c became a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Category 2 marathon stage race, and the 2025 KAP sani2c ‘OG’ has attracted a record number of UCI registered teams in the men’s and women’s elite races. This year is the 21st edition of the event that sits firmly on South African mountain bikers’ bucket lists.
A Prologue kicks things off at Glencairn Farm near Underberg on Wednesday 7 May. Stage 1 starts Thursday and riders hit the finish line in Scottburgh on Saturday after three days and 270 kms of racing to the coast.
After the usual shake-up of teams ahead of the 2025 season, the current top teams reflect a strong combination of experience and young talent, promising an intense battle with tight racing.
Men’s race set for a showdown
Team PYGA Euro Steel is represented by Philip Buys, a seasoned campaigner with multiple sani2c titles, and Michael Foster, the young 2024 champion. The pair will be strong contenders for the overall win, but will not do so without immense pressure from an unprecedented 18 men’s teams.
From left: Arno Du Toit (Insect Science) and Michael Foster (PYGA Euro Steel) sprint to the finish at Scottburgh at the 2024 KAP sani2c. Foster and his teammate Jaedon Terlouw were crowned champions.
Buys says: “After winning XCO Champs, Micheal is clearly the most in form rider from our team. I have been putting in the work though, and feel confident that things are lining up well for a solid run at sani2c.”
Tristan Nortje and Marco Joubert (Team Imbuko ChemChamp A) are riding the high of a third place overall at the ABSA Cape Epic, but have not rested on their laurels, with Marco Joubert clinching a third place at the SA Gravel Champs over the weekend.
Tristan Nortje (front) won the KAP sani2c with Matt Beers in 2023, and has since joined Imbuko ChemChamp, paired with Marco Jourbert.
“We are coming to sani2c to win. We will line up at every stage to give it our all.
The Prologue is a nice leg opener for the coming days’ racing and gives us a chance to see who our competitors are relative to us.”
Lood Goosen and Rudi Koen make up Imbuko ChemChamp’s B team, and Nortje acknowledges the potential advantage of having a second team: “It always helps knowing they will be there for support, and also technical support like we had at stage 1 of Epic where Marco broke his wheel. We will also use some team tactics in the race with the B team.”
Arno du Toit and Keagan Bontekoning (Team Insect Science) return with determination to claim the top spot. They will make formidable opponents, having raced sani2c many times as a team, and having claimed podium places multiple times.
The Insect Science duo have consistently showed up at sani2c, and as a unit this team will be hard to beat on partnership.
Bontekoning says: “Arno and I know each other better than any other team on the start line I think, which is a great advantage. Our season has been good, with a solid Cape Epic, and we are in good form.
“The Prologue can be tough for us from the Western Cape, because of the altitude. Last year PYGA gained some time on the Prologue and it was hard to gain that back. There is a lot of depth in the field and the racing will be tight.”
Wessel Botha, who was sani2c champion in 2022 and second in 2023, with then teammate Marco Joubert, is looking forward to racing with Marc Pritzen for Team Honeycomb 226ers. He says: “I'm very excited for sani2c after missing it last year. The Prologue will be new for us but after that we know the route pretty well. We expect some tight racing with good competition but we are both in good form and looking forward to the dice.”
From left: Wessel Botha and Marco Joubert were sani2c champions in 2022 and runners-up in 2023, and they now line up with different teammates, Botha representing Team Honeycomb 226ers with Marc Pritzen.
Unathi Nxumalo and Thabiso Zindela (Team Absolute Motion) from KwaZulu-Natal, represent strong rising talent. Nxumalo raced in Europe last year and with Zindela claimed 11th place at Tankwa Trek. This will be his fourth sani2c: “This year I am feeling more confident about the race, I have had a consistent year. I will be racing with Thabiso Zindela, our second stage race together as a team.”
We will see further rising talent in action with Team Fairtree DP World Cannondale’s two teams of Luyanda Thobigunya and Kusaselihle Ngidi, and Ziandro Jordaan and Ethon Michaels. The experience of Thobigunya, who has 9 Cape Epics under his belt, will guide this team who could fare well, as they each have significant stage race experience. Ngidi has podiumed in the Exxarro category at Epic three times and at Wines2Whales once. At sani2c he and Thobogunya placed 8th in 2022 and 7th in 2023.
Phil Buys, a veteran PYGA Euro Steel rider with multiple sani2c wins, returns after last year’s disappointment of not finishing after teammate Pieter Du Toit had to bow out with a broken collarbone.
Travis Stedman and Johan Van Zyl (Team Toyota Specialized) are young, talented riders with solid results. The pair secured 18th position at the Cape Epic, and at the Prince George 100 miler last year Stedman came second and Van Zyl fourth. At Attakwas Extreme in January, van Zyl was 8th and Stedman 16th.
Team Tshenolo Pro Cycling Team is fielding two men’s teams, Halalisani Ndebele and Johan de Villers, and Daniel Kotze and Siyabonga Ntsele. Ntsele came third at Gauteng Marathon champs and has solid stage race experience, with a stage win at Cape Epic in the Exxarro category. Kotze has a strong cross country background, as does De Villiers. As a four times Cape Epic finisher who has won the Exxarro category twice, Ndebele is in his element.
Beon Van Staden and Daniel Scheepers (Team Bicycle Bandits) hope to feature strongly in the U23 category. With a strong XCO background, van Staden completed his first stage race at Tankwa Trek in February.
Other teams in the Under 23 category include Team Absolute Motion Young Guns (Bladen Van Rensburg and Tayne Rudling), Team ACT (Keegan Tullis and Omar Alexander Wilson), Team Caracal Velocity (Liam Hoffmann and Zuan Jacobs), Team Project Dream SA (Jordan Boshoff and Travis Rademan-Ludeke), Team Wineland Wheelers (Andre Van Rooyen and Ruan Portwig)
Trevor Case and Murray Brown (Team accidentANGELS) and Erick Heyns and Wayne Van Der Walt (Team FuelX) round off the deep men’s field.
A proper battle in store in women’s race
In the UCI women’s race, 2024 KAP sani2c champions Sam Sanders and Danielle Du Toit (neé Strydom) are in new pairings. Sarah Hill joins Sanders for team Efficient Infiniti Insure Racing, and Du Toit will line up with Bianca Haw for Safari Essence Titan Racing.
From Left: Danielle Du Toit (neé Strydom) and Sam Sanders were consistently strong to take the win in 2024.
Sanders is a multiple winner of sani2c and is partnering with Hill for the first time.
“Although I have raced against Sarah for many years already, we have never partnered for a race before. I always look forward to everything that is sani2c. The riding, the Haw family hospitality, and every race village experience. I don’t think farmer Glen does anything in half measure, and with his vast experience in building trails I expect only the best fun on the new Prologue trails,” she says.
Sarah Hill is also amped for the Prologue: “Having missed sani2c last year and the new format for the UCI riders, I absolutely can't wait for the 4-day event. This year we have some super-fast women teaming up, and it makes racing so exciting. We've been waiting for this! The Prologue adds a lot of excitement and a boost to the fastest stage race on the calendar.”
Bianca Haw (right) taking the Prologue win with Frances Janse van Rensburg in 2024.
There may be some cause for concern for Team Safari Essence Titan Racing, as Danielle du Toit has been unwell this year with Covid-19. Haw, who grew up with the sani2c, has had an incredible racing season, and amongst other results placed third overall in the Cape Epic women’s race (with Hayley Preen) and second at the 4 Islands Epic in Croatia (with Vera Looser) just last month. Haw has intimate knowledge of the sani2c route and will be hoping that her teammate is ready to race.
Du Toit says she is feeling stronger after a tough start to the year: “I am a bit nervous, but my training has gone well, and I am going to give my absolute best. Bianca is very strong, but as powerful as she is, she is also gracious and will look after me. I hope we can get a good result.”
Ila Stow and Cherise Willeit (Team Toyota Fortress) had a strong showing at the Cape Epic, with a category finish of 11th place. Willeit is perhaps best known for her road cycling accolades, but as 2023 SA Gravel Champion and with four Epic finishes, she and Stow will be interesting to watch.
Refilwe Mogorosi and Tania Burgarin Ortez placed fourth on GC at the 2024 edition of sani2c and now have new teammates for this event.
Sonica Klopper will ride with Bugarin Ortiz (Team Tshenolo Pro Cycling Team 1) and Mari Du Toit will ride with Mogorosi (Team Enza Cyclenation and VivoVita). Both du Toit and Mogorosi are coached by Sam Sanders, and Mogorosi says: “I took every moment as a lesson in last year’s race and with better knowledge of the route, we will race consistently and smartly and use teamwork as best as we can. sani is such a special race and close to my heart - it is filled with everything a mountain biker needs to prove that they are getting better each year. “
Janice Fourie (neé Venter) and Roxanne Kemp (Team EPT Racing) are also strong teams who performed well at Cape Epic, as are Nicola Freitas and Megan Scribante (Team Revive). Steph Wohlters, who won the PE to Plett with Robyn de Groot earlier this year, is riding with Sanchia Malan as Team Index Efficient Infinity. Malan competed in the mixed category at Cape Epic, placing 18th, and was third in the 2023 SA XCO Cup Series elite women’s category.
The KAP sani2c continues to serve as a benchmark for South African mountain biking excellence, with a commitment to community upliftment and showcasing the natural beauty of the region.
Watch the race on Instagram stories @_sani2c and highlights reels, and find full highlights videos and race reports on the sani2c website each evening at www.sani2c.co.za
KAP sani2c Adventure: 7-9 May
KAP sani2c ‘OG’: 8-10 May with a Prologue on 7 May for UCI registered riders.