Alan Hatherly and Hayley Preen started their 2026 seasons with stellar victories in the Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen.
The 120km race from Chandelier Game Lodge, near Oudtshoorn, to the Pine Creek Resort, in Great Brak, featured a revised route that lent itself to faster times, as did the cool weather on Saturday, January 17.
Dryland Event Management had estimated that removing two infamously rocky climbs, within the first 40km, would keep riders on their bikes rather than forcing them into running and speed up the course.
Smoother opening kilometres
For the UCI Men, the best guess was that it would be 15 minutes faster, though that proved conservative. Or, perhaps, Hatherly and Co. simply put in the best traverse of the Attakwaskloof in the event’s 20-year history.
“Last year we went hard on the climbs and then sat up; this year we kept a consistent pace all the way to the start of the King of the Mountain climb,” Hatherly noted.
This led to a very fast 40km. Hatherly attacked with 20km, which took him 30 seconds clear, but he was not entirely confident either.
“I know how hard it is to close a gap, but I was starting to feel a bit flat in the last 10 kilometres… that corrugated road section into the headwind was very hard,” Hatherly allowed. “Winning here is a great way to start the season. Last year, it set me up well for the AlUla Tour, and I hope that will be the case this year too.”
Hatherly’s winning time was 4 hours, 25 minutes, and 10 seconds, 21 minutes and 11 seconds faster than Botha’s 2021 course record. The changes to the route mean that the Giant Factory Off Road Racing rider’s time is a new benchmark rather than a new outright record.
2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen, UCI Men’s Results:
- Alan Hatherly: Giant Factory MTB Racing (4:25:10)
- Marc Pritzen: Honeycomb 226ers (4:25:33 | +23)
- Wessel Botha: Insect Science (4:26:07 | +57)
- Andreas Seewald: Singer KTM (04:27:09 | +1:59)
- Tristan Nortje: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (04:34:04 | +8:06)
A strong finish
In the UCI Women’s race, an efficient race through the opening 40km saw a group of 10 riders start the climb to the Queen of the Mountain Hotspot.
Once the climbing began, Preen came into her own. “I had planned to attack on the Queen of the Mountain climb,” she said.
“I had hoped to go over the top solo and then take the descent more cautiously. And it worked out perfectly, they [Samantha Sanders and Bianca Haw] caught me as I turned onto the gravel road again, so I had company for the rolling roads into the headwind.”
Preen, Sanders, and Haw worked together for nearly 30km before Preen attacked again. “I had confidence in my climbing from the main climb earlier, so on a steep climb with around 30 km to go, I attacked again and was able to get away solo,” Preen reported.
Once in the lead for the second time, there was no stopping the ChemChamp Honeycomb rider. “Last year I died a million deaths in the closing kilometres, this year I felt really strong, and that’s probably the biggest reason why my time is so much better this year than last.”
Her winning time was 5 hours, 33 minutes, and 7 seconds, a time 50 minutes better than her 2025 effort. It is also within 7 minutes of Annika Langvad’s course record, which has stood since 2017. Sanders was second across the Pine Creek finish line, 3 minutes and 29 seconds after Preen. Haw was third, ahead of Felicitas Geiger and Malena Seer.
2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen, UCI Women’s Results
- Hayley Preen: ChemChamp Honeycomb (05:33:07)
- Samantha Sanders: Efficient Infiniti Insure (05:36:36 | + 3:29)
- Bianca Haw: Leatt (05:38:41 | +5:34)
- Felicitas Geiger: Privateer (05:45:21 | +12:14)
- Malena Seer: 1OF1 Cycling (05:49:36 | +16:29)
For the full results from the 2026 Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen, click here.
For more news, photos, and videos from the race, mountain biking fans can follow @attakwasmtb on Instagram or like the Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen, Facebook page. For more information, visit www.atta.co.za.
