CYCLING NEWS - The 2025 edition of the King Price Race to the Sea is set to take gravel racers 157 kilometres from Franschhoek to Benguela Cove on Saturday, 6 September. 

Beginning with the magnificent Franschhoek Pass and finishing on the banks of the beautiful Botrivier Estuary, the route mixed asphalt, champagne gravel, and rougher dual tracks to provide a test of grit, tactical nous, and all-out speed. 

With just shy of 2,400 metres of elevation gain to conquer, team tactics will come into play at times, yet individual brilliance will likely win out as Honeycomb 226ers go up against Imbuko ChemChamp, Insect Science, PYGA Euro Steel and a collection of strong individuals.

Unlike in the elite men’s race, where strength in depth from the top teams stands out as a defining feature, in the women’s field, the battle should be head-to-head from the off. 

Reigning South African and African Continental Gravel Champion, Hayley Preen, headlines the elite women’s competition. The Honeycomb 226ers star is clearly in fine form as she seeks to repeat her 2022 King Price Race to the Sea victory.

“I’m very excited and feeling very ready for the King Price Race to the Sea,” Preen smiled. “I’ve had a very busy season so far, but this is my last race at home before heading straight back to the US for a couple of races. I’m ready to give it my all and suffer on those last rollers!”

“I think the tough route with a hard start is what suits me,” she mused. “The racing starts from the first kilometre, and then it’s about pushing through all the way to the finish. When I won back in 2022, Amy [Wakefield] and I broke away on Franschhoek Pass and rode just the two of us the whole way.” A similar sequence of events could unfold on Saturday if any of her rivals can remain in contact over the summit of the Queen of the Mountain climb.

Hayley Preen has spent much of 2025 racing Lifetime Grand Prix events in the United States of America, and has also notched up victories in the South African and African Gravel Championships this year. Photo by Dan Huges.

The newly crowned African Continental Champion will face competition from Catherine Colyn, defending King Price Race to the Sea champion, Danielle du Toit [née Strydom], and 2025 runner-up, Sarah Hill. 

The perennial class of Cherise Willeit adds dynamism to the elite women’s field. A top result will be difficult to achieve for the 2023 champion, however, given her shift in focus from training and racing to managing Specialized Somerset West in recent months. 

Trail runner turned gravelista, Chloé Bishop, will look to continue her progression on the bike against a truly elite field, while Karlise Scheepers seeks to convert Ford Trailseeker podium finishes to gravel success. 

Julia Marx completes a highly competitive elite women’s start list, the 2025 South African XCO Championships silver medallist adds cross-country firepower to the endurance-focused group.

With none of the top contenders representing the same sponsors, team dynamics will not come into play, though tactics will still be vital on the 100-mile course, especially if the wind picks up on race day. 

September sees the prevailing winter North-Westerly winds start to swing to the summer South-Easterlies, making the wind conditions difficult to predict well ahead of the event. If the South-Easter blows, riding into the wind until the 115-kilometre mark when the route rounds the Babilonstoring Mountains and turns west will require cooperation, though Tristan Nortje believes the roads will decide the winner.

“My form is good, I’d say, going into the King Price Race to the Sea,” Nortje stated. “I have a few big goals for later in the year, so I’ve put in a lot of work in recent months, and I’m excited to give my best and see what the day brings. 

"Though there are road sections, it’s definitely not road racing; the strongest on the day will win. It will be every man for himself out there, but I’ll have to race clever and see when the right moment is to make the moves.”

Tristan Nortje (leading) believes that the winner will be determined more by the strength of their legs than the combined power of their team. Photo by Raymond Cox.

Nortje will have the assistance of Rudi Koen and Lood Goosen to call upon. Sadly, for the Imbuko ChemChamp team they will be missing Marco Joubert. The 2024 runner-up has been struggling with a knee injury since the Bosveld leg of the Ford Trailseeker series in June and is unable to take to the start of the 2025 King Price Race to the Sea.

A rider who is undoubtedly in fine form is Marc Pritzen. Coming off a second place at the African Continental Championships, a win at the penultimate round of the Ford Trailseeker Series at Van Gaalen, the South African Marathon Mountain Biking champion’s strengths suit the course, and his fast finish will help if a group races into Benguela Cove together. 

Pritzen, the reigning King Price Race to the Sun champion, will also have the aid of teammates Jaco van Dyk, who placed second behind Pritzen in Sun City, Casper Kruger, and Wessel Botha to call upon, or for his squad to stretch the resources of the rival teams with well-timed attacks.

PYGA Euro Steel’s Jaedon Terlouw and Philip Buys, as well as stage race partners Keagan Bontekoning and Arno du Toit, of Insect Science, could also play off each other’s moves. Terlouw and Buys have the added support of Pieter du Toit, too, though the popular racer’s form is untested as he is making his return from illness. 

Jan Withaar, meanwhile, provides Insect Science with a potent third string to its bow and will be eager to improve on his third position at the King Price Race to the Sun in May.

Daniel Loubser, Kent Main, Travis Stedman, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, Johan de Villiers, and Erick Heyns will have to make the racing for themselves, without team support. As will Valley Electrical Titan Racing’s sole representative in this year’s race, Herman Fourie. 

A R5,000 King and Queen of the Mountain prize, for the first elite man and woman to the Franschhoek Pass summit, will further incentivise aggressive racing from the gun. Photo by Sam Clark.

Beyond the five-star favourites, Kelton Miller, Halalisani Ndebele, Shaughn Smit, Christiaan Klopper, Raye Moolman, Johan Viljoen, Michiel Visser, Lucas Smyth, Jamie Hatton, Oliver Innes, Keanan Roodt, Damon Munday, Ikhlaas Sirkhotte, Joshua Louw, and Nika Duffin will be looking to upset the odds and achieve a stellar result.

Regardless of how it plays out on Saturday, 6 September, the 2025 King Price Race to the Sea is sure to be exciting. 

To stay up-to-date with the action as it unfolds on race day, follow @race2thesea on Instagram or like the Race 2 The Sea Facebook page, and be sure to tune in on the King Price Race to the Sea YouTube channel to watch the post-race highlights. For more information on the event, visit www.racetothesea.co.za.

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