For the third consecutive year Christoph Sauser won the Aramex songo.info Champions Race held in Kayamandi, the township outside Stellenbosch.
Lukas Flückiger and Christoph Sauser in action. Photo credit: Outsider Communications
Fellow Swiss mountainbikers Lukas Flückiger and Martin Fanger joined Sauser on the winner’s podium. The Aramex songo.info Champions Race is an invitational only mountainbike race through the streets of the Stellenbosch township. It is a unique experience and only 50 riders lined up for the race that follows the Tour d’Kayamandi route. Kayamandi is the home ground of the songo.info charity and the race is held to race funds and awareness for this foundation.
Annika Langvad won the women’s race. She was joined by Absa Cape Epic teammate Ariane Kleinhans and Esther Süss on the winner’s podium. Langvad and Kleinhans dominated the race and showed that they will be the team to beat at the Epic, that starts on Sunday.
In the men’s race it was a great battle between Sauser and Flückiger for the victory. The pace was extremely high throughout the race, but in the end Sauser got the better of Flückiger in the sprint to the finishline.
“Lukas and some of the other riders were really strong today and that made for hard and interesting racing,” said Sauser. “I had to battle hard for the victory. This is a super cool race and with all the fast paced action really great for the spectators. I think it might the most spectator friendly race in South Africa! The noise on the final lap was amazing and really special to be part of. It is for us as riders not something we experience every time we race. Maybe just at World Championships or the Olympics.”
The main goal of the race is to bring cycling to the township of Kayamandi. Not only so that the parents of the kids that’s part of songo.info can see what the sport is all about, but also to bring supporters to Kayamandi and show them what songo.info is all about. “Today is a celebration of all that which we have achieved thus far at songo.info. I am really proud of it all.”
