Pia Grünewald Savours “Special” Cape Town Cycle Tour Victory
Pia Grünewald took the 2025 Cape Town Cycle Tour title in fine fashion when the LKT Team racer put her strengths to the test and leveraged an early breakaway lead to a comfortable win in Cape Town in the Western Cape, on Sunday, 9 March 2025.
The German time-trial specialist launched a speculative attack on the foothills of Smitswinkel, just 25 kilometres into the 78 kilometre women’s course, and the chase behind her failed to organise until Chapman’s Peak Drive, and with a 3-minute advantage going into the final 27 kilometres, Grünewald had only to maintain her pace to win.
“With 20 kilometres to go, when my team car told me I had two minutes and 30, I knew I had it! The rule of one minute per 10 kilometres, so I knew it was safe.”
2025 Cape Town Cycle Tour Elite Women’s Champion, Pia Grünewald
“This is only my second race of the season, and my first victory!” Grünewald stated. “It’s been a great trip out to South Africa with the team, and to seal it with a victory is very special,” she smiled. “It’s very unexpected, though. We were here to work for Nele Laing, but when I got away, I thought I just needed to keep pushing. The first time the team car could come up, they told me to just keep going, and that’s exactly what I did.”
The 2025 National Road Race champion S’annara Grove lead the rest of the top 10 finishers across the line in a group as the first South African home, a minute and a half behind Grünewald.
Near-perfect conditions greeted the 122-rider strong elite women’s field under an overcast pre-dawn sky, but temperatures were warm, and hardly a breath of wind blew at the start on Main Road in Fish Hoek, from where the women would contest the final two-thirds of the full 109 kilometre route.
Over the years, the racers adopted a near-standard combative but surging approach, with attacks being closed down before the field thins out on Chapman’s Peak Drive, and the final selection is made by the speed of the top riders and the steepness of Suikerbossie. This year it was entirely different.
Early attacks went and were brought back until Seana Littbarski-Gray accelerated rapidly, as the peloton was leaving Simon’s Town. The group had to work hard to bring back the German-born, New Zealander from LKT Team and, as they closed, Grünewald counter-attacked, with only Janine Schneider able to follow, initially. The lead group was happy to let the German gain time on the Smitswinkel ascent, and by the summit she had a 21-second advantage.
The peloton appeared unhurried, however, and silver medalist Grove would later confess that they did not know there was a rider up the road. “Without radios the first time I knew there was a break was at the foot of Chappies, when my team car came up and told me,” the South African Champion explained.
“It’s difficult. S’annara (Grove), Hayley (Preen), Tiffany (Keep) and myself are all in the same situation, and we’re a similar type of rider. Without teams, there is only so much we can do. We can all climb, and we can all sprint a bit, so the teams don’t necessarily want to work with us.”
Pia Grünewald broke from the peloton early and stayed in front to win the Elite Women’s race at the 2025 Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday
A lull in the chase behind allowed Grünewald to keep pushing the pace and extending her advantage. She went through Scarbrough and passed the bulk of the U17 Boy’s field, who had started 5 minutes ahead. With the commissaires keeping the women’s race leader out of the convoy she gained no benefit from catching the group ahead, but showed great composure to not be thrown off her rhythm either.
With 32 kilometres remaining Grünewald started the Chapman’s Peak climb with a three-minute lead. Behind, the women had just heard that, not only that there was a rider up the road, but also what her advantage was. Hayley Preen and Tiffany Keep did their utmost to reduce the deficit, but the lone German leader was too powerful to cede her lead easily.
Going over the summit and 10 kilometres later, at the foot of Suikerbossie, the gap was only reduced by 30 seconds. Another 10 kilometres later, coming through Camps Bay Grünewald still had a 90 second buffer.
“LKT rode really well,” Keep praised. “It’s frustrating to be on the receiving end of team tactics like that, but that’s racing. They disrupted the chase and worked to set up their sprinter for the race for second. I think I’ll have to bring my DAS-Hutchinson team next year.”
Grünewald’s winning time was 2 hours, 5 minutes and 18 seconds. Grove led the chase group home 1 minute and 31 seconds later, pipping Littbarski-Gray for silver, and Looser and Kelsey van Schoor completing the top five places.
2025 Cape Town Cycle Tour Leading Elite Women’s Results on Monday, 9 March, 2025
1. Pia Grünewald 02:05:17
2. S’annara Grove 02:06:48
3. Seana Littbarski-Gray 02:06:49
4. Vera Looser 02:06:49
5. Kelsey van Schoor 02:06:49
6. Hayley Preen 02:06:49
7. Tiffany Keep 02:06:49
8. Lize Cornelius 02:06:50
9. Taneal Otto 02:06:51
10. Michaela Surtees 02:06:51
Original Copy: Cape Town Cycle Tour, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: Pia Grünewald took the 2025 Cape Town Cycle Tour title in fine fashion when the LKT Team racer put her strengths to the test and leveraged an early breakaway lead to a comfortable win in Cape Town in the Western Cape, on Sunday, 9 March 2025. All Photos: Cape Town Cycle Tour
Photo 2 Caption: The German time-trial specialist launched an early attack, opening a 3-minute with 27km to go for a comfortable win ahead of the chasing pack.
Photo 3 Caption: “This is only my second race of the season, and my first victory!” – Grünewald. “It’s been a great trip, and to seal it with a victory is very special.”
Photo 4 Caption: “With 20 kilometres to go, when my team car told me I had two minutes and 30, I knew I had it! The rule of one minute per 10 kilometres, so I knew it was safe.” – 2025 Cape Town Cycle Tour Elite Women’s Champion, Pia Grünewald
Crédito: Link de origem