South African hopes of a podium finisher in the elite men’s category at the Absa Cape Epic have faltered after two stages, with best-placed locals Max Knox and Kevin Evans (FedGroup Itec) now in eighth overall. – By Chris Whitfield
Team RECM’s Erik Kleinhans and Nico Bell were first of the Absa African leaders’ jersey competitors home on the day in 4h25m34,5s and seventh overall, but that performance only moved them up to 14th in the general classification.
Knox and Evans finished ninth Tuesday, a little under two minutes behind the RECM pairing, with Scott Factory Racing’s Matthys Beukes and Gert Heyns in tenth another two minutes back.
Darren Lill and Waylon Woolcock of Team Cannondale Blend dropped back after a troubled ride Tuesday – they finished 14th, some 14 minutes behind Kleinhans and Bell – in spite of their sixth-place finish in Monday’s stage one.
The best-placed local women’s team are Yolande de Villiers and Ischen Stopforth (SasolRacing), in sixth, but South African Theresa Ralph and her Swedish teammate Jennie Stenerhag (Cape Brewing Company) are third overall, about 30 minutes behind the leaders.
South Africans Shan Wilson and Adrian Enthoven continue to lead the master’s category, but are now only five minutes ahead after Dutchman Bart Brentjens and his Brazilian teammate Abraao Azevedo won the category on Tuesday by eight minutes.
Well-known local rider Andrew McLean continues to dominate the grand master’s category with Austrian Heinz Zoerweg (CycleLab Toyota) and are now nearly 48 minutes ahead of second-placed South African Doug Brown and Swiss Barti Bucher (Meerendal Songo Specialized 4).
And in the mixed category Cherise Stander and Theo Blignaut (RECM Mixed) have moved up to second behind Mauritians Yannick Lincoln and Aurelie Halbwachs (Synergy) but are 20 minutes behind.
Source: Purple Pine PR
