The final stage of the inaugural Garden Route Giro brought the six-day race to a decisive close on Saturday, 18 April, as the overall leaders once again underlined their dominance. Mariëlle Trouwborst and Cronje Beukes used their climbing prowess to take control early, securing emphatic Stage 6 victories and sealing their general classification titles in commanding fashion.

Leaving Knysna for ANEW Resort Wilderness, the route followed the iconic Seven Passes road. Covering 75 kilometres with 1 100 metres of climbing, the stage appeared – on paper – suited to a sprint finish, but Trouwborst and Beukes had other ideas. Both were intent on finishing the race on their own terms.

A gentle 10-kilometre neutral rollout along the banks of the Knysna Lagoon offered little hint of what was to come. Once racing began, however, Beukes immediately showed his intent. Racing solo for Specialized George Coimbra, his local Specialized Bicycles store, he had spent the week up against the numerical strength of the Toyota Specialized Imbuko and Insect Science teams.

His strategy throughout the race was clear: make the pace too hard for team tactics to come into play. On Stage 6, that meant driving a relentless tempo towards Phantom Pass before launching a decisive attack on the climb. Within two kilometres, only Marco Joubert and Wessel Botha could respond. A kilometre later, as Beukes claimed the final King of the Mountain points, he was alone off the front – and would remain there all the way to the finish.

“Last year was a tough year for me, breaking my leg and struggling with the recovery afterwards. So winning that stage solo meant a great deal.”

“Honestly, it feels like I’ve been dreaming this week,” said an elated Beukes. “Last year was a tough year for me, breaking my leg and struggling with the recovery afterwards. Thursday was a year to the day after that accident, so winning that stage solo meant a great deal.”

Behind him, the chase quickly lost momentum. Botha and Joubert eventually sat up and were reabsorbed into a group containing Keegan Tullis, Keagan Bontekoning, Ignatius du Preez, Herman Fourie, Manuel Pliem, Andre van Rooyen, Jan Withaar and Dan Loubser. The battle for second place became tactical, ultimately ending in a sprint finish.

Du Preez edged Joubert for second, with Withaar and Tullis rounding out the top five. With the group finishing within 11 seconds, the general classification remained unchanged. Beukes secured the overall title by 8 minutes and 28 seconds over Joubert, with Botha third. His climbing dominance also earned him the Rosa First Ascent Climbers’ jersey with 57 points, while Du Preez claimed the Intermediate Sprint competition.

The elite women’s race followed a similar script. Despite setbacks earlier in the race, Mariëlle Trouwborst entered the final stage with a significant advantage and wasted no time asserting control once again. She attacked early on Phantom Pass, opening a gap within the first 13 kilometres that none of her rivals could close.

“Fortunately, today started with a climb, so I could get away and not have to ride in a group,” Trouwborst said. “Near the top, I saw Kent Main just ahead and managed to get to his wheel. From there, we raced to the finish together.”

Her victory, both on the stage and overall, was built on consistent climbing strength across the race. Lisa Bone delivered a strong ride to secure second place overall, maintaining her position ahead of Vera Looser, Cherise Willeit and Catherine Kruger.

The contest for third on the final stage provided the day’s closest racing in the women’s field. Willeit managed to break clear of Looser and Kruger on the run into Wilderness, securing third place on the stage. However, Looser’s consistency across the race earned her the final spot on the overall podium, with Willeit fourth and Kruger fifth.

Bone secured the Intermediate Sprint title and the First Ascent Velo Jersey, which also carried a R25 000 reward. Ignatius du Preez was similarly recompensed for his sprint successes. Both Trouwborst and Beukes rode away with R100 000 for their victories, and an additional R25 000 for securing the Rosa First Ascent Climbers’ jerseys. This takes their haul for the Garden Route Giro to R125 000 each, which the men’s race winner will likely use to finance his dream of racing in Europe during the South African winter.

2026 Garden Route Giro Results

Men’s General Classification after Stage 6:

1. Cronje Beukes: Specialized George Coimbra (16:49:27)
2. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (16:57:55 | +8:28)
3. Wessel Botha: Insect Science (16:58:13 | +8:46)
4. Keegan Tullis: Cape Vulture Nature Reserve (17:15:53 | +26:26)
5. Keagan Bontekoning: Insect Science (17:18:28 | +29:01)

Women’s General Classification after Stage 6:

1. Mariëlle Trouwborst: KMC (19:09:22)
2. Lisa Bone: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (19:24:52 | +16:30)
3. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (19:38:04 | +30:42)
4. Cherise Willeit: Toyota Specialized (19:58:11 | +49:49)
5. Catherine Kruger: Hollard (20:16:19 | +1:07:57)

Garden Route Giro Points Competitions

Men’s KOM Points after Stage 6:

1. Cronje Beukes: Specialized George Coimbra (57 points)
2. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (41 points)
3. Wessel Botha: Insect Science (24 points)

Men’s Sprint Points after Stage 6:

1. Ignatius du Preez: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (30 Points)
2. Herman Fourie: Cape Vulture Nature Reserve (26 Points)
3. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (10 points)

Women’s KOM Points after Stage 6:

1. Mariëlle Trouwborst: KMC (57 points)
2. Lisa Bone: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (37 points)
3. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (23 points)

Women’s Sprint Points after Stage 6:

1. Lisa Bone: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (30 Points)
2. Mariëlle Trouwborst: KMC (26 Points)
3. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (24 Points)

For the full results from the Garden Route Giro, click here.

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