Battling hot and windy weather, invitation team The Road Warriors – led by South African pros Ryan Gibbons, Stefan de Bod, Gustav Basson, Willie Smit and Callum Ormiston – narrowly missed breaking the course record on their way to victory in the 2025 Old Mutual Wealth Double Century  over 203km in Swellendam on Saturday.

Germans Sascha Weber and Lukas Baum along with Gibbons, Basson, De Bod, Smit and Ormiston brought the winners home in 4 hours 30 minutes and 39 seconds – just 27 seconds outside the course record, despite the tough conditions. They were joined on the podium by the women’s team winners Chalk Air WC CMC, mixed champs ChemChamp Pro-Mixed squad and the winners of the coveted Kings of the Atlantic Seaboard title, La Perla Classic.

“We didn’t really have a detailed plan, but we knew that the first leg to Ashton, being the longest of the race, was where we could make up the most time.”

“We didn’t really have a detailed plan, but we knew that the first leg to Ashton, being the longest of the race, was where we could make up the most time,” said Gibbons. “Fortunately, that’s what we were able to do. I think we were nearly 10 minutes up on the course record at the 115km mark.”

From Ashton to the finish line in Swellendam, defending champions RH77 Factory fought back but could only reduce the Road Warriors’ initial advantage from 4:22 to 2:55.

“To be honest, they are a phenomenal bunch of riders,” RH77 rider Christøff Van Heerden noted. “It would have taken a hell of a ride to beat The Road Warriors. We went six minutes faster than our winning time last year, in tougher conditions. So, the best team definitely won.”

Along with the leading seven, the team was also assisted by Travis Stedman, Jose Kleinsmit, Jaco Venter, Kent Main and Blaine Kieck who fell off the final group that crossed the line after sacrificing themselves for the team earlier in the race.

“Everyone played massive roles today,” Gibbons praised. “I was quite worried when we were shelling riders on Tradouw Pass, already, but all of those riders came back in the Team Support Zones and did ‘death pulls’ before dropping for good to launch us to victory.”

The 226ers completed the men’s podium, alongside the Road Warriors and RH77 Factory. Semela Collective and the Rouleur Tritans were fourth and fifth, respectively.

Women’s Race
In the women’s race, Chalk Air WC CMC also used the climbs in the first stage of the race to establish what proved to be an unassailable lead.

“Our strategy had been to go out hard on the climbs and then regroup in the first Team Support Zone,” Chalk Air WC CMC team spokeswoman, Liesel Prentis, said. “The final part of the race was so hard! But we all have our personal reasons for riding and racing, so we all had reasons to dig deep.”

Having built a 1-minute and 53-second buffer over the double defending champions, Prentis and her teammates could not afford to rest on their laurels over the final 87km. Nana Cycling Club had been just 52 seconds down at Ashton, but faded to 2 minutes back by Bonnievale. “We were rolling with six riders from Tradouw Pass,” Ashleigh Irvine-Smith stated. “Fortunately, one of the other six was able to stick with us after Ashton, but then one of the original six dropped off. It was a long, hard day.”

Fortunately, one of the other six was able to stick with us after Ashton, but then one of the original six dropped off. It was a long, hard day.”

Nana Cycling Club faded from second to third over the final 40 kilometres as ASAP Ladies finished strong, but not strong enough to reel in the Chalk Air WC CMC team. Victory is the club’s first in the event and caps a remarkable ride by Jani Jordaan, Lelani Swart, Melissa Hinz, Angenita Potgieter, Erika Potgieter, Liesel Prentis, Jenna Borrill, Bronwyn Timm, Tandi Kitching, Nina van der Berg, Ina Midgley, and Storm Middleton.

In the mixed category race, defending champions, ChemChamp Pro-Mixed, led from start to finish. Even four punctures for their strongest rider on paper, Tristan Nortje, could not prevent the squad from racing to a dominant victory.

The hotly contested, on social media in particular, crown of Kings of the Atlantic Seaboard was claimed by the La Perla Classic squad. Their victory will undoubtedly be viewed as slightly controversial by their rivals, East City Cycles and Pure Savage, due to the presence of Jasper Stuyven and Nico Roche in the La Perla Classic squad. The Belgian classics specialist and the former Irish professional turned age-group Gravel World Champion put in big turns, without which their narrow 48-second winning margin would not have been possible.

Banter rumbling on into 2026 is arguably the best outcome for the race within a race, which began as a joke and concluded in 2025 with La Perala Classic being anointed with inflatable crowns on the podium.

2025 Old Mutual Wealth Double Century Results

Men’s Teams:

1. Road Warriors (4:30:39)
2. RH77 Factory (4:33:34 | +2:55)
3. 226ers (4:57:02 | +26:23)
4. Semela Collective (5:08:14 | +37:35)
5. Rouleur Tritans (5:09:02 | +38:23)

Women’s Teams:

1. Chalk Air WC CMC (6:04:06)
2. ASAP Ladies (6:05:34 | +1:28)
3. Nana Cycling Club (6:10:47 | +6:41)
4. ChemChamp Ladies4CANSA (6:24:50 | +20:44)
5. Tiletoria (6:52:37 | +48:31)

Kings of the Atlantic Seaboard:

1. La Perla Classic (5:12:51)
2. East City Cycles (5:13:40 | +49)
3. Pure Savage (5:29:30 | +16:39)

Click here for all the results.

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