Heyns, Beukes first African team at Epic

The Scott Factory Racing pair had been wearing the red African jersey –for the best performing team from the continent — since Thursday.

Sunday’s result put them into sixth place overall, two positions and 22 minutes ahead of closest rivals Erik Kleinhans and Nico Bell (RECM).

Philip Buys, racing with cross country world champion Nino Schurter from Switzerland, was the best-placed South African in fifth overall.

The best all-South African team in the women’s event was SasolRacing’s Yolande de Villiers and Ischen Stopforth, who finished sixth overall, but Theresa Ralph managed to get on to the podium in third place with her Swedish partner Jennie Stenerhag.

Shan Wilson and Adrian Enthoven (Definitive Bikes) were the fastest South Africans in the masters category, but had to settle for second overall, 19 minutes behind Dutchman Bart Brentjens and Brazilian Abraao Azevedo (BETCH.nl Superior Meerendal).

Nic White and Zimbabwean Warren Squires were third in the category, but more than two hours back.

Andrew Mclean, riding with Austrian Heinz Zoerweg (CycleLab Toyota), finished 15th overall to secure the grandmasters title ahead of Doug Brown and Switzerland’s Barti Bucher (Meerendal Songo Specialized 4).

Eben Esbach and Corrie Muller (Absa) were third.

The mixed category was won by Mauritius’s Lincoln Yannick and Aurelie Halbwachs (Synergy), but South Africa’s Nizaam Essa and his Austrian team-mate Christina Kollman (Asrin) were squeezed off the podium and finished fifth.

– Sapa