Lisa Bone admitted she has spent the past year trying to convince herself that she belongs among the elite women of South African cycling.
On Sunday, the Enza Construction Cycle Nation rider no longer needed convincing.
Bone produced a commanding performance to win the 2026 Cape Town Cycle Tour, edging out Russian gravel world champion Daria Pravilova and American mountain bike marathon world champion Kate Courtney in a tightly contested sprint finish on Helen Suzman Boulevard.
For Bone, however, the victory was about more than simply crossing the line first. It was about finally believing in her place at the sharp end of the women’s peloton.
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“I still have to tell myself that I belong in the elite women’s field,” Bone said after the race. “Today, every time there was a pinch point or a split which I made, I gained a bit more confidence.”
That growing belief was matched by a perfectly executed team plan from Enza Construction Cycle Nation. Bone revealed that the squad entered the race determined to disrupt the strength in numbers of the powerful Tshenolo Pro Cycling team.
“We had a plan to try to neutralise the strength in depth of the Tshenolo team,” she explained. “One of my teammates attacked early, and a Tshenolo rider went with her. When we caught them on the Smitswinkel climb, I attacked straight away.”
The move helped create the decisive selection, with a group of favourites breaking clear of the peloton early in the race. With 60 kilometres remaining, a dozen riders – including Courtney, Candice Lill, Vera Looser and Tiffany Keep – formed the leading group.
The attacks continued throughout the second half of the race. Lill tried to split the group on Chapman’s Peak, while Courtney briefly went clear on Suikerbossie, but neither move stuck.
By the time the riders swept down towards Camps Bay and the run-in to the finish, Bone sensed the race would likely come down to a sprint.
“I actually thought about attacking on the kicker climbing out of Camps Bay,” she admitted. “But the group was rolling through so well that I knew they would catch me.”
Instead, Bone relied on preparation. Having studied previous editions of the race, she knew exactly where she needed to be.
“I had studied the finale and saw that the winner tends to sprint down the left,” she said. “With the wind blowing in a cross-headwind from our right, the left was the most sheltered place to be. I just went for it and gave the sprint everything.”
As much as the victory marked a personal breakthrough, Bone insisted it belonged to her teammates as well.
“This victory is entirely down to my team,” she said. “They sacrificed themselves for me and put me in a position to race to my very best. It wouldn’t have been possible without every single one of them.”
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