On the 101-kilometer first stage, with start and finish on the grounds of Hermanus High School, Fumic and Avancini ride home to victory. The two admit that Jaroslav Kulhavy's crash secured their victory. Because up until five kilometers before the finish, he and Sauser were still riding for the stage win. The crash would not be enough, and so the Czech-Swiss duo also had to repair a puncture. However, a spirited final ride brings them into second place. "Apart from the puncture, things went very well for us. The puncture after Jaro's fall was only caused by a defective valve," says a relaxed Sauser.

For Jochen Käss and Markus Kaufmann, third place is a welcome surprise, especially after such a tough day of racing. "It was rocky and sandy all day - a very tough stage. Full throttle from the start, and today we could only chase behind. At some point we caught up with more and more people. So we're all the happier that we made it onto the podium," says Kaufmann.

Nino Schurter and Matthias Stirnemann were in the leading group for most of the stage. "We pedaled as hard as we could to finish third, but it just wasn't enough. The last few kilometers were then very tough," sums up Olympic champion Schurter.

Strong performances from Rohrbach/Geismayr and Frischknecht/Van der Heijden

Defending champions Karl Platt and Urs Huber fought hard and finished the stage in seventh place. At five and a half minutes behind, the two are now almost ten minutes behind the overall leaders.

However, things are going well for Nicola Rohrbach and his Austrian partner Daniel Geismayr. For a while, the pair were slightly behind the leading group, but were then able to catch up again to finish in a strong fifth place.

Andri Frischknecht and Michiel Van der Heijden also put in a strong performance. Right from the start, the Scott-Sram-Young-Guns tried to keep up with the front runners. They succeeded for half of the race, but then lost some of their effort. However, the duo was able to fight back and ride to the finish in a good ninth place.

Süss/de Groot win - Spitz with a bad crash

The first stage of the women's race can be described as blood, sweat and tears. Esther Süss and Jennie Stenerhag ride across the finish line in Hermanus in first place - the eleventh time for Süss. She explains the stage as a mental thing: "It was a really tough day. Earlier it was windy and it was hard to fight against the wind. Today I'm glad to have survived the heat."

Sabine Spitz and Robyn de Groot did not have luck on their side that day. First, the German-South African duo suffered a puncture. During the chase to catch up, Spitz then falls over a rock slab and injures her head. However, the Olympic champion once again showed great fighting spirit. Despite a laceration above her left eye, she and her team colleague finished the stage in second place, just under nine minutes back.

Mariske Strauss and Annie Last take third place again. Defending champion Ariane Lüthi not only had to sweat, but also shed a lot of tears. Around 23 minutes behind the overall leaders, her hopes of victory have all but disappeared. A bitter experience for the Swiss rider.

Switzerland's Cornelia Hug and her team colleague Hielke Elferink were able to improve on the prologue. They finish the first stage in a good fifth place.

Rissveds collapses after victory

Disturbing scenes occur after the mixed category finish. Jenny Rissveds and Thomas Frischknecht have a tough duel with Grant Usher and Amy Beth McDougall. However, the sweltering heat does not suit the Olympic gold medal winner at all. Shortly after winning the stage by a few seconds, she collapses and requires medical treatment.

Small changes in the overall standings

Rissveds and Frischknecht are still just under two minutes ahead of the South African duo. They have a bigger lead over Catherine Williamson and Johan Labuschagne, who are in first place on the riders' podium.

In the women's race, Süss/Stenerhag swapped places with Spitz/de Groot - with the "small" difference of just under nine minutes. Mariske Strauss and Annie Last are still in third place, Lüthi/Morath in fourth. Even if their gap is already large after two days, the race will continue for a while and could take unexpected turns.
The Hug/Elferink duo are in sixth place in the intermediate rankings.

In the overall standings, Fumic and Avancini have slightly extended their lead. Just under three minutes behind them, Sauser and Kulhavy have moved into second place. Schurter and Stirnemann have lost some ground, but are still on course for the podium. The defending champions have lost further ground and are now almost nine minutes behind the leaders. However, the two veterans have not lost their sense of humor, as they also know that a lot can still happen in the coming days.

The teams with Rohrbach/Geismayr in sixth place and Frischknecht/Van der Heijden in tenth place have fought their way up a little.

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