Belgian rider Wout Alleman and Czech partner Martin Stošek (BUFF MEGAMO 1) powered to a Stage 2 victory at the Absa Cape Epic near Paarl today. The all-new team combination blitzed the 66km time-trial stage to finish 27 seconds ahead of overall leaders, Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM MTB). In the Aramex UCI Women’s Category, it was another commanding performance from the all-star pairing of Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane (Toyota | Specialized).
Starting last in the women’s race in the time-trial format, Langvad and Villafane showed precision and power to claim the stage win in a time of 2:43:14. They now lead the Aramex UCI Women’s Category by just over nine minutes, ahead of Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda (Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM) in second.
Much was made of the Stage 2 time trial being the first point-to-point time trial to take place at the event – and of the 66km distance – the longest ‘short’ stage in the race’s history. In the build-up hype, it seems that riders forgot to take into account the route conditions and the weather. Long, flat sections meant extra work for the legs – this as the temperature rapidly rose from warm to scorching.
“We started last today, so our plan was to see how the other teams rode and then to respond to that,” said Annika Langvad. “The problem was, once we started catching teams we got a bit too excited and started going faster. Then the heat kicked in and took us a little by surprise.”
Langvad’s Absa Cape Epic experience kicked in and pace management then became the order of the day. “There was some self-inflicted damage, so we had to slow down a bit and manage that for a while. Riding into the finish it felt like we were in an oven. We definitely paid the price for riding too hard. I am glad that stage is over but happy overall with the way I am feeling. We built some more time into our overall lead today and that’s a great result.”
In the UCI Men’s Category race, Schurter and Colombo were last to start, allowing them the advantage of knowing where their main rivals were in the field. However, it was the big engine of Alleman that kicked in on the flat, work-rate-heavy stage, as he dragged partner Martin Stošek through the dry, dusty route.
“It was tough!” said Alleman. “It was hot, with a bit of wind, but the hardest part was all the pedalling, there is just no time for recovery on a stage like this. Our plan was to try find a good pace that we could hold to the end, and then maybe attack a little harder at the end. It worked for us!”
Stošek, who only joined Alleman in the BUFF MEGAMO 1 team days before the Absa Cape Epic started due to original teammate Hans Becking withdrawing from the race, was emotional on the finish line.
“Wout was pushing like crazy and I was just holding his wheel,” said Stošek. “He was so fast and I felt like I was slowing him down. I have had two bad days at the (Absa) Cape Epic and I really wanted to ride well for my partner, so I just hung in there – so now I am so happy to win this stage – that’s why we are here, to win stages. I am still taking it all in, it’s wonderful to win a stage after three years. It’s been seven hours of suffering for me this year and maybe two moments of fun. But now we have a stage win!”
In the Absa African Special Jersey, Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje (Imbuko ChemChamp A) consolidated their lead over Marc Pritzen and Wessel Botha (Honeycomb 226ers) in the men’s race, while Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen (Titan Racing SE Honeycomb) also rode impressively to finish fourth on Stage 2 and move into fourth overall in the Aramex UCI Women’s Category while holding first place in the Absa African Special Jersey women’s race.
“I felt strong today,” said Nortje. “My strategy was just to keep the head down and the speed high!”
Due to predicted extreme heat, Wednesday’s Stage 3 has been shorted by 12km. The now 78km stage with 2450m of ascent will still be savage on the predominantly singletrack trails around Paarl.
UCI Men’s Category Stage 2 Results
1 Wout Alleman and Martin Stošek – BUFF MEGAMO 1 – 2:13:05
2 Nino Schurter and Filippo Viero Colombo – SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing – 2:13:32
3 Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto – WILIER-VITTORIA – 2:14:05
4 David Valero Serrano and Tiago Jorge Ferreira Oliveira – BH Coloma – 2:14:16
5 Lukas Baum and Georg Egger – ORBEA Leatt Speed Company – 2:14:50
UCI Men’s Category GC
1 Nino Schurter and Filippo Viero Colombo – SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing – 7:04:40
2 Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto – WILIER-VITTORIA – 7:05:24
3 Lukas Baum and Georg Egger – ORBEA Leatt Speed Company – 7:09:12
4 Fabian Rabensteiner and Simon Stiebjahn – Torpado x Singer – 7:12:21
5 Matthew Beers and Keegan Swenson – Outride | Toyota | Songo – 7:13:57
Aramex UCI Women’s Category Stage 2 Results
1 Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 2:43:14
2 Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – CANNONDALE ISB SPORT – 2:45:23
3 Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM – 2:45:38
4 Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 2:47:26
5 Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 2:48:25
Aramex UCI Women’s Category GC
1 Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 8:39:22
2 Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM – 8:48:44
3 Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – CANNONDALE ISB SPORT – 8:54:49
4 Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 8:58:18
5 Rosa Van Doorn and Janina Wust – BUFF MEGAMO – 9:01:09
Other Categories & Special Jerseys GC
Toyota Mixed Category: Riaan Weideman and Samantha Sanders – Toyota Gazoo Racing – 9:05:58
NTT Data Masters Men’s Category: Pavel Gonda and Tobias Lüthi – Czech Rocket&Swiss Diesel – 7:57:55
Masters Women’s Category: Tatiana Furlan and Kellyn Cumin – Especialíssima – 11:03:29
GIC Grand Masters Men’s Category: Ibon Zugasti and Kaare Aagaard – Orbea Factory Team – 8:16:41
Grand Masters Women’s Category: Jenny Rönngren and Martha Koekemoer – UAG Epic – 11:08:27
Great Grand Masters’ Category: Barti Bucher and Peter Vesel – Meerendal Etis – 9:19:50
Absa African Special Jersey Men’s Race: Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortjie – Imbuko ChemChamp A – 7:14:18
Absa African Special Jersey Women’s Race: Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – 8:58:18
Exxaro Special Jersey Men’s Race: Damon Terblanche and Ziandro Jordaan – Fairtree DP World Can1 – 8:48:14
Exxaro Special Jersey Women’s Race: Tsholofelo Nkosi and Bontle Phepiso – Exarro Academy Ladies 1 – 13:43:36
To follow the fierce racing as it unfolds, mountain biking fans can tune in to the live broadcast on the Epic Series’ YouTube channel. The live coverage begins on Wednesday, 19 March, at 06:45 (SAST | UTC +2) and a reminder to watch the race can be set by clicking here.
For more behind the scenes stories from the race follow @capeepic on Instagram, download the Epic Series APP or like the Cape Epic Facebook page.
INTRODUCTION IMAGE: Wout Alleman and Martin Stošek on their way to winning Stage 2. | Photo: Dom Barndardt/Absa Cape Epic
Source: Epic Series Press Department
