There was a bit of a change amongst the top five at the Omnicane Southern Tropical Challenge today, but not the spot that matters – Yannick Lincoln and Ben Melt Swanepoel of the GreenField Team still hold a comfortable lead.
There were some reshuffles behind them though; the Subaru-MarathonMTB.com team of Jeff Bossler and Will Hayter moved up into second, after the Explosive Riders team of Yannick Cornille and Cedric Gasnier broke a chain, twice, and had some 9spd / 10spd compatibility issues in trying to fix it. They were disappointed but philosophical, and looking forward to another chance in the final stage tomorrow, where their descending skills will no doubt come to the fore. The Kenyan Omnicane Simabaz team rode strongly again, and the final few kilometres saw some interesting team tactics from the top few teams.
Cedric Gasnier of Explosive Riders reflects on a tough day at the office
The stage had a tough finish, with the final 20k of the stage being pretty much all uphill. Initially Bossler was slightly gapped after losing traction on a steep rocky section. He was able to get back on, before one of the Kenyan riders surged ahead and established a significant lead towards the finish. The Subaru-MarathonMTB.com pulled slightly ahead of the GreenField Team with the other Kenyan, before Bossler attacked up one of the final rises. After a short pause, Hayter followed him and the pair were able to establish a gap over the three riders behind.
However, all this hard work proved to be in vain, as the Subaru-MarathonMTB.com team missed the last turn leading into the finish area, meaning they arrived at the finish line from the wrong side and had to retrace their steps, by which time they had fallen into third behind the GreenField Team and the Omnicane Simabaz.
Again, this was a beautiful stage across some stunning terrain in the interior of Mauritius, finishing at the tea plantation and restaurant at Bois Cheri, with views towards the beach where tomorrow’s final stage will finish.
A nice spot for the campsite
The weather added a little extra challenge today – rain at the start and overnight as well meant that the racers encountered conditions ranging from dry dust in some parts to heavy mud during a traversing section through a forest in the middle of the stage.
The jetwash got a work-out today
The leading women, Aurelie Halbwachs and Yolandi Du Toit, again rode strongly and finished looking comfortable.
The leading ladies finish
Tomorrow sees the final stage, a 51k mostly downhill or flat stage, starting high up at Bois Cheri and finishing on the sea at Pointe Desny.