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Tyler Lange shatters Cape Town Cycle Tour record as he follows in father's slipstream

Tyler Lange shatters Cape Town Cycle Tour record as he follows in father's slipstream
Tyler Lange(left), Males Elite Winner and Pia Grünewald, right, Elite Women’s winner during the 2025 Cape Town Cycle Tour finishing at Green Point Athletics Track on March 09, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Peter Heeger/Gallo Images)
Keanan Hemmonsbey
By Keanan Hemmonsbey
10 Mar 2025
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Tyler Lange’s Cape Town Cycle Tour victory on Sunday was his first, but the fourth in his family with his father Malcolm a decorated three-time champion of the event.

Sunday’s Cape Town Cycle Tour was a day for records for the men’s elite winner Tyler Lange.

The 21-year-old first time winner broke the record for the fastest-ever Cape Town Cycle Tour time after rolling over the finish line in 2 hours, 25 minutes and 48 seconds — bettering Robbie Hunter’s 17-year-old previous best of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 29 seconds.

Lange also became part of the first-ever father-son pair to have won the Cycle Tour after his father, Malcolm Lange, did so on three previous occasions.

The senior Lange, who also raced on Sunday, completing the 109km race in 2:53.52, won the Cape Town Cycle Tour for the first time in 1998 before coming back in 2003 to repeat the feat. After a seven-year break he did it again, in 2010 when he beat a legendary field that contained Daryl Impey and Lance Armstrong — prior to the latter’s doping scandal being revealed.

“It was probably the one to win back in those days, but it feels like a lifetime ago,” Malcolm said about his achievements on that day to Daily Maverick.

“He used to be here. He was this little guy running around when I beat Lance that day, and to actually see him get the flowers is an incredible feeling,” Malcolm said about his son, describing his achievement as “special”.

“He’s put a lot of hard work into it. He makes his life cycling, and we’re hoping to get a better opportunity in Europe as well, that’s the end game.”

With a 30-year difference between the two, Malcolm admitted that he could no longer compete with his son, who is a pro cyclist for the ASAP cycling team.

“Those days are long gone,” he joked.

Big potential


The cool weather and light breeze in Cape Town on Sunday made conditions ideal for a fast race.

Lange and 2012 Cape Town Cycle Tour champion Reinhardt Janse van Rensburg were in the chasing bunch in the last few kilometres before catching up.

The two took the lead late, riding wheel to wheel to the finish, but Lange managed to pump a few more watts across the last 100 metres at the finish line in Greenpoint to beat Janse van Rensburg across the line.

Lange was in fine form heading into the Cape Town Cycle Tour, having won the first and last stage of the Tour du Cap the week before.

Tyler Lange, the Men's Elite winner, and Pia Grünewald, the Women’s Elite winner. (Photo: Peter Heeger / Gallo Images)



“Cycling is an incredibly hard sport,” Malcolm said. “Having a dad who was a professional, it’s always hard to pave your own way.

“I have to admire him. It’s not me telling him to ride the bike, he wants to do this which is fantastic. If it’s any life lesson for parents, don’t live through your kids, let them come out and do it themselves, because they will if they really want to do it.

“He stuck to it, and hopefully this is the beginning of some bigger things. We’ve had a lot of setbacks and letdowns, but that’s part of life.

“He’s just kept on fighting and hasn’t given up. Let’s hope we can go from strength to strength.”

Grünewald takes gold


In the women’s race it was Germany’s Pia Grünewald who claimed a surprise win in the elite division.

The LKT Team Woman time triallist put her strengths against the clock to great use as she launched a speculative attack on the foothills of Smitswinkel, just 25km into the 78km women’s course.

The chase behind failed to organise until Chapman’s Peak Drive, and with a 3-minute advantage going into the final 27km, she had only to maintain her pace to win, ahead of a S’annara Grove-led final chase group.

Grünewald’s teammate Seana Littbarski-Gray came in third.

Outside of the elites it was also a day for everyday cyclists, with about 28,000 amateurs taking to Cape Town’s car-free roads on Sunday. Among them was the executive Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis.

“It was an amazing fun day out, with incredible weather,” Hill-Lewis said upon completion of the trek around the Cape Peninsula. “Even though it was just my third Cape Town Cycle Tour it was definitely the best so far. It was a wonderful day.” DM

2025 Cape Town Cycle Tour Elite Women’s Results

  1. Pia Grunewald: LKT Team Woman (2:05:18)

  2. S’Annara Grove: O’Shea (2:06:49 | +1:31)

  3. Seana Littbarski-Gray: LKT Team Woman (2:06:50 | +1:32)

  4. Vera Looser: Efficient Infiniti Insure (2:06:50 | +1:32)

  5. Kelsey van Schoor: Pirtek (2:06:50 | +1:32)


2025 Cape Town Cycle Tour Elite Men’s Results

  1. Tyler Lange: ASAP World (2:25:48 | New Course Record)

  2. Reinhardt Janse Van Rensburg: Tshenolo Pro (2:25:48 | ST)

  3. Jaedon Terlouw: PYGA Euro Steel (2:25:48 | ST)

  4. Travis Stedman: Toyota Specialized (2:25:48 | ST)

  5. Luke Moir: Privateer (2:25:48 | ST)

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