Samarah Sheppard (New Zealand) and Luke Moir (South Africa) raced to hard-fought victories in the elite women’s and men’s races at the 2025 songo.info Champions Race, presented by fibertime™, on Wednesday 12 March. Photo by Max Sullivan.
South Africa’s Luke Moir and New Zealand’s Samara Sheppard won the 10th edition of the songo.info Champions Race, presented by fibertime™️, on Wednesday, 12 March. Held on the streets and trails through the heart of the Kayamandi community – in Stellenbosch, where songo.info’s clubhouse is located – the race is part final shakeout before the Cape Epic, part fundraiser for the charity. In 2025 a record field of riders took part and mountain biking fans flocked into the township to see the action unfold.
The fans were not to be disappointed as the elite men’s, elite women’s and E-Bike races served up thrilling racing. Only the Open race was won at a canter; by, the talented junior star, Connor Kitching. The Paul Roos Gymnasium scholar was joined on the podium by PG Groenewald and Jan Vreken, after the first race of the day. The women’s podium in the Open race, where the young men and two women took to the 2.5 kilometre course at the same time, was filled by Lena Ronge and Khanya Xhapha. Xhapha was also songo.info’s top performer across all the afternoon’s races.
E-Mountain Biking has surged in popularity in recent years, which is why an E-Bike race was introduced with the event was reintroduced following a Covid enforced hiatus. Matt Lombardi managed to defend the title he won in 2024 with a storming ride, holding off the double Wines2Whales Pinotage E-MTB champion Benno Willeit and Specialized South Africa’s Dylan van der Merwe. The E-Bikers prioritised putting on a show as much as they did racing, with many choosing to launch off jumps, wheelie, and whip spectacularly at every opportunity.
Khanya Xhapha (left) was songo.info’s top performer on the day, placing second in the women’s competition within the Open race. Photo by Max Sullivan.
Jason Boulle putting on a show during the E-MTB event. Photo by Max Sullivan.
Matt Lombardi defended his E-MTB title, holding off Benno Willeit and Dylan van der Merwe. Photo by Max Sullivan.
As the sun crept lower the elite women took to the course. With no previous winners among the starters a new champion was always going to be crowned. Namibian Cape Epic winner, Vera Looser was the first to push the tempo, and after the first lap only her teammate Alexis Skarda, Mozambican Andrea Schöfmann, and Sheppard could follow. Over the next two laps Looser and Skarda alternated on the front, but it was clear that Sheppard was supremely strong.
With a lap and a half to go the four-time Oceania XCM Champion made her move powering to the front on the climb to the Get fibertime ™️corner, at the highest point of the course. By the time she passed through the start/finish line half a lap later she held a 10 second lead, which Looser and Skarda were unable to shut down on the final lap.
Crossing the line with arms raised Sheppard claimed the 2025 title. “It’s actually my fourth start here at the songo.info Champions Race, presented by fibertime™️,” but it’s my first podium – let alone victory,” she smiled. “It’s always a lot of fun racing here and it’s great to see the amazing work the charity does in the community too.”
Samara Sheppard timed her attack to perfection, surging clear with a lap and a half to go. Photo by Max Sullivan.
Several previous winners in Kayamandi have gone on to win the Cape Epic 10 days later, these include 2024 champion Anne Terpstra, Annika Langvad and Ariane Lüthi. Sheppard will not let that weigh on her however. She takes the good omen and the support of a legion of young fans, from the songo.info programme, to cheer her and her e-FORT ChemChamp teammate, Margot Moschett, on during the race.
In the elite men’s race the battle for first looked like it would go down to the line, until Moir surged clear on the final lap. The 22-year-old was active at the front of the race with defending champion, Matt Beers, Arno du Toit and Sheppard’s fellow New Zealanders, Craig and Ben Oliver. The brothers, who made the journey from the land of the Long White Cloud to race the Cape Epic are experienced XCO campaigners and it showed.
They took turns driving the pace through the early laps, distancing dangerous riders like Hans Becking, Johan van Zyl, Marc Pritzen, and Felix Ritzinger. Once only a select five remained they pressed on again, putting Du Toit and then Beers on the back foot. Moir was harder to shake off though.
Ben (left) and Craig Oliver (Centre) took on much of the pace making duties but were beaten to the line by Luke Moir (right). Photo by Max Sullivan.
Having had his 2025 racing plans dashed by the withdrawal of his team’s title sponsors in January Moir has ridden the early South African season like a man on a mission. He featured prominently and podiumed in the Big 5 Challenge and the Cape Town Cycle Tour, two events outside of his main cross-country skillset. These performances, along with his fighting spirit, inspired Mondraker to support him for the season.
“It’s amazing,” Moir grinned. “Taking the win here at the songo.info Champions Race, presented by fibertime™️ is great! To line up alongside all these guys who will be racing their hearts out at the Cape Epic over the next week is very special. And I’d like to wish them all the best of luck. For me, to win on just my third ride on this new Mondraker F-Podium is amazing.”
Moir’s win is an immediate repayment of the faith showed in him, and like Sheppard he will take the cheers of the children in the songo.info programme with him wherever he races this year. His first big test will be in Brazil, when the UCI World Series gets underway on the 3rd of April.
Luke Moir celebrates his first victory aboard his new ride. Photo by Max Sullivan.
The 2025 winner was joined on the elite men’s podium by Craig Oliver. Ben Oliver, who finished third, missed the podium moment to receive treatment for a minor cut to his knee.
Mountain biking fans are reminded that they can watch many of the elite men and women who took part in the 2025 songo.info Champions Race, presented by fibertime™, in the Cape Epic from 16 to 23 March. songo.info will be represented by two UCI teams, with Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane looking to regain the women’s title for Toyota Specialized for the first time since 2022. Beers meanwhile is racing for charity, alongside Keegan Swenson, as he pursues his fourth crown for Outride Toyota songo. Christoph Sauser and 24-Hour World Record holder Cory Wallace race in the NTT Masters’ category, while the Kolisi Foundation songo team of Ila Stow and Cherise Willeit also line-up in the UCI Women’s competition. Ntlantla Nonkasa and Anna Picard race in the Toyota Mixed competition as songo Kolisi Ninety One. Zizo Tshingana and the very talented BMX racer converted to MTB, Lakhanya Sikhobongwane, complete the songo.info team line-ups as Ninety One – songo Devo.
To stay up-to-date their fortunes throughout the Cape Epic and to relieve the highlights of the 2025 songo.info Champions Race, Presented by fibertime™️, follow @songoinfo on Instagram or like the songo.info Facebook page. For more information, including details on how to donate to the charity, visit www.songo.info.
Vera Looser set the early pace in the elite women’s race. Photo by Max Sullivan.
Hosted by the songo.info charity, in the heart of Kayamandi, the event serves as a final warm-up before the Cape Epic and a way for the organisation to gain exposure. Photo by Max Sullivan.