Lisa Bone delivered a powerful performance on Stage 2 of the Garden Route Giro, winning the women’s race and moving into the overall lead.

The demanding 119 km stage from Riversdale to Calitzdorp, featuring 2,000 metres of climbing, was decided on the iconic Rooiberg Pass. Bone laid the groundwork early by joining a strong front group over Garcia’s Pass, where she claimed maximum Sprint classification points ahead of Vera Looser and Mariëlle Trouwborst.

On the climbs of “Little” and “Big” Rooiberg, Bone and Trouwborst distanced Looser, with Bone launching a decisive move near the summit to gain a small but crucial gap on her Dutch rival. This advantage allowed her to manage the technical descent—where Trouwborst is considered the stronger descender—before the pair reunited and collaborated to extend their lead over Looser.

The stage was ultimately decided in a sprint finish, where Bone reversed the previous day’s result by outsprinting Trouwborst to claim the victory. The two-second time gap was enough to move Bone into the race lead, earning her the yellow First Ascent women’s leader’s jersey.

Further back, Vera Looser conceded significant time and now trails by 8 minutes and 29 seconds on the general classification, while Cherise Willeit and Bianca Haw maintained their fourth and fifth positions overall.

To follow the action, as it unfolds, like the Garden Route Giro Facebook page and follow @gardenroutegiro on Instagram. Cycling fans can also tune in for daily highlights on the Dryland Event Management YouTube channel and read the daily news releases on their favourite cycling platform.

For more information, visit www.gardenroutegiro.co.za.

2026 Garden Route Giro Results

Men’s Stage 2 Results:

1. Cronje Beukes: Specialized George Coimbra (3:35:33)
2. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (3:36:25 | +52)
3. Wessel Botha: Insect Science (3:39:32 | +3:59)
4. Dan Loubser: Freewheel Cycology (3:41:44 | +6:11)
5. Keagan Bontekoning: Insect Science (3:42:33 | +7:00)

Women’s Stage 2 Results:

1. Lisa Bone: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (4:09:07)
2. Mariëlle Trouwborst: KMC (4:09:09 | +2)
3. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (4:16:25 | +7:18)
4. Cherise Willeit: Toyota Specialized (4:23:32 | +14:25)
5. Bianca Haw: sani2c (4:23:38 | +14:31)

Men’s General Classification after Stage 2:

1. Cronje Beukes: Specialized George Coimbra (5:32:43)
2. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (5:33:27 | +44)
3. Wessel Botha: Insect Science (5:36:41 | +3:58)
4. Dan Loubser: Freewheel Cycology (5:42:42 | +9:59)
5. Keagan Bontekoning: Insect Science (5:43:24 | +10:41)

Women’s General Classification after Stage 2:

1.      Lisa Bone: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (6:23:46)

2.      Mariëlle Trouwborst: KMC (6:23:48 | +2)

3.      Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (6:32:15 | +8:29)

4.      Cherise Willeit: Toyota Specialized (6:41:59 | +18:13)

5.      Bianca Haw: sani2c (6:42:55 | +19:09)

Garden Route Giro Points Competitions

Men’s KOM Points after Stage 2:

1. Cronje Beukes: Specialized George Coimbra (14 points)
2. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (13 points)
3. Dan Loubser: Freewheel Cycology (8 points)

Men’s Sprint Points after Stage 2:

1. Ignatius du Preez: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (12 Points)
2. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (6 points)
3. Dan Loubser: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (6 points)

Women’s KOM Points after Stage 2:

1. Lisa Bone: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (16 points)
2. Mariëlle Trouwborst: KMC (9 points)
3. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (8 points)

Women’s Sprint Points after Stage 2:

1. Lisa Bone: Cycle Nation Enza Construction (10 points)
2. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (10 points)
3. Mariëlle Trouwborst: KMC (4 points)

For the full results from the Garden Route Giro, click here.