Heinrich Schloms and Stephanie von der Heyde emerged as the Western Cape Canoe Union river champions for 2025 when they won the men’s and women’s races respectively at the Hermon to Gouda event on the Berg River at the weekend.
Schloms was an easy winner by ten minutes over Divieano Pietersen, with first under 23, Joshua Glyn-Cuthbert, finishing on the third step of the podium.
In the women’s race, Von der Heyde finished 13th overall, comfortably beating U23 Rachel van Deventer and Dominique Desmeules to the provincial title.
This weekend sees a weekend off from river racing as the province’s top paddlers head to Upington for the flatwater marathon championships, and then return to the Berg River for the Gouda to Bridgetown race on June 21.
