Travis Stedman and Hayley Preen won the 2025 edition of the King Price Race to the Sea in near-perfect conditions on Saturday, 6 September. The 157-kilometre route from Franschhoek, in the Winelands, to Benguela Cove, on the Whale Coast, took in spectacular Overberg canola and wheat field scenery. After a crisp start to proceedings, the temperature warmed through the morning, while a light wind ensured tactics came into play as well as sheer strength.
Stedman’s victory was built on a foundation of intelligent racing as well as strong riding at the key moments. The Toyota Specialized rider was instrumental in forcing the first move of the day on the lower slopes of the Franschhoek Pass. Stedman was joined in the first move by Tristan Nortje, Jaedon Terlouw, and Marc Pritzen. The Honeycomb 226ers man was the first over the summit, holding off Stedman to seize the King Price King of the Mountain hotspot prize.
“I thought that was the race over, to be honest,” Stedman reflected. “That was such a strong group, and I thought we’d be able to stay away for the remaining 157 kilometres.” That was not to be, however. A group of nearly 20 riders came together to chase down the leading quartet on the tar road along the banks of the Theewaterskloof Dam.
Terlouw dropped his chain and lost the group near the 35-kilometre mark, forcing him to chase for nearly 20 kilometres. While Terlouw was chasing Jaco van Dyk, Rudi Koen, and Christiaan Klooper slipped off the front. Van Dyk held the lead on the road for 10 kilometres until a rear wheel puncture cost him the best part of 4 minutes. Koen took over at the front, pushing through the halfway point and the elite feed zone, with a 40-second advantage.
Passing Caledon and the wind turbines, the chasers caught Koen. With the situation reset, Stedman and Pritzen were alert to opportunities to attack. A front wheel puncture for Nortje provided just that, but the Imbuko ChemChamp Toyota team had strength in depth. Lood Goosen stopped with Nortje and then helped pace his team leader back to the Stedman/Pritzen group.
When the peloton splintered again, Stedman, Pritzen, Nortje, and Terlouw were again the strongest four. The PYGA Euro Steel rider was the first to be dropped from that elite selection. Then Pritzen was distanced by Stedman and Nortje on the penultimate climb. “I wasn’t feeling great all day,” Pritzen confessed. “It was just one of those days, and I had to keep the tempo steady because I knew I didn’t have changes of pace in my legs.”
On the final significant climb of the race, 10 kilometres from the Benguela Cove finish line, Nortje accelerated again. “I was feeling really good, so when Tristan attacked, I knew I could close him down,” Stedman smiled. “Coming into the finish, I knew I’d have to go long. I know from previous years that it’s a long sprint. Even into the headwind, I had to go early.”
Having come into Benguela Cove together, Stedman and Nortje played cat and mouse. Nortje manoeuvred himself onto Stedman’s wheel, but this played into the Toyota Specialized rider’s favour. Stedman’s kick took him clear of Nortje and into the finishing chicane with enough of an advantage to celebrate over the line. Nortje crossed the line 2 seconds later. Pritzen was third, 61 seconds behind Stedman. Terlouw and Koen rounded out the podium places, 6:27 and 8:22 down.
Preen’s margin of victory was larger, though the elite women’s race was fiercely contested for 137 of the 157 kilometres. Catherine Colyn made the early racing and pushed Preen all the way to the Karwyderskraal Road. Colyn’s pace on Franschhoek Pass made the early split, which only Preen and Zanri Rossouw could follow.
Unlike in the men’s race where the leaders were reeled in, in the women’s the front trio stayed away. Working together well Preen and Colyn, put 6 minutes into Sarah Hill and the chasers by the halfway mark. Rossouw had been in contention for victory until she hit a pothole at full speed, just before the feed zone at the 50-mile mark. While the Reach for Rainbows rider did not puncture, the jolt did force her to slow down on the subsequent descents. This left Preen and Colyn in the lead, but neither was willing to strike out alone into a south-easterly breeze.
With 20 kilometres to race, leaving the asphalt of the Hemel en Aarde road, Preen was able to open a slight gap on Colyn, then press home her advantage. Over the undulations of Karwyderskraal Road and on the descent to Escape Wines, the Honeycomb 226ers star extended her advantage. Preen rode into Benguela Cove with a near 3-minute lead to take a confidence-boosting victory before she departs for America to contest the final three rounds of the Lifetime Grand Prix.
“It was a great day out, the weather was nearly perfect, and the road conditions were good,” Preen smiled. “I love racing here in South Africa with competitors I know, alongside my friends, and at events I enjoy. Winning the King Price Race to the Sea, again, is very special, and I’ll take not only confidence in my form but also in my equipment to the States when I fly out on Tuesday.”
Colyn crossed the line in second, 2 minutes and 59 seconds behind the newly crowned champion. Rossouw was third, 9 minutes back, ahead of Hill and Chloé Bishop in fourth and fifth. Along with her overall title, Preen also claimed the King Price Queen of the Mountain hot spot prize on Franschhoek Pass.
2025 King Price Race to the Sea Results:
Elite Men | 100 Miler:
Travis Stedman: Toyota Specialized (4:34:12)
Tristan Nortje: Imbuko ChemChamp Toyota (4:34:14 | +2)
Marc Pritzen: Honeycomb 226ers (4:35:13 | +1:01)
Jaedon Terlouw: PYGA Euro Steel (4:40:39 | +6:27)
Rudi Koen: Imbuko ChemChamp Toyota (4:42:34 | +8:22)
Elite Women | 100 Miler:
Hayley Preen: Honeycomb 226ers (5:40:55)
Catherine Colyn: Old Mutual Vida e Caffè (5:43:54 | +2:59)
Zanri Rossouw: Reach for Rainbows (5:50:03 | +9:08)
Sarah Hill: Efficient Infiniti Insure (6:00:49 | +19:54)
Chloé Bishop: Sports Therapy Studios (6:06:28 | +25:32)
For the full results from the 2025 King Price Race to the Sea, please click here.
To relive the key moments of the 2025 King Price Race to the Sea, 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.
