The first stage of the 2017 Absa Cape Epic was the shortest of the eight stages, but it wasn’t short on drama. Dry, dusty conditions, combined with very high temperatures left some riders gasping for water (and air) during the 26km route that started and finished at Meerendal Wine Estate, Durbvanville. We’re compiling a daily summary of notable moments and observations. This is the first…
Compiled by Sean Badenhorst
Photos by Dino Lloyd
MOST NOTABLE MOMENTS
A South African leads a major category
South African marathon champion, Robyn de Groot, racing with German racing legend, Sabine Spitz for Ascendis Health, won the stage and claimed the lead in the Hansgrohe Women’s Category. The pair was our pick to win the race and didn’t waste any time showing their ascendency over their rivals. Spitz is a former World and Olympic champion in the XCO discipline, so the course would have suited her, but De Groot is far from a XCO specialist, which shows they’ve done well in terms of compatibility, having only met each other in person two weeks ago.
A South African gets close to the Men’s podium
South African marathon champion, Max Knox and his Colombian teammate, Leo Paez, racing as Team Kansai Plascon, finished in fifth place. Significantly, they were seven seconds off the podium, three seconds behind race favourites, Jaroslav Kulhavy and Christoph Sauser (Investec-Songo-Specialized) and were one place ahead of defending champions, Karl Platt and Urs Huber (Team Bulls). They were quite content with their result, saying the longer stages with bigger climbs are what they’re looking forward to.
A South African couple (an actual couple) finish second in the Mixed
Boyfriend and girlfriend, Grant Usher and Amy Beth McDougall, of Johannesburg, impressed when they finished second in the Mixed category on Day 1. Racing as joBerg2c-Valencia, they finished 1:43 behind Swiss racing legend, Thomas Frischknecht and current Olympic champion, Jenny Rissveds. Grant and Amy aren’t intimidated by greatness and have committed to hunting down that Green category leader’s jersey on Day 2.
Nice guys get the African leader’s jersey
Nico Bell and Gawie Combrinck of Team NAD Pro finished ninth overall and were the first all-African team home. This gives them the Red leader’s jersey for this category, which looks like it will be hotly contested again this year. It’s not that the other Africans aren’t nice guys, it’s that Gawie and Nico are really humble, well-mannered and compassionate guys that makes us stoked for them. They’re also riding as the back-up team to race favourites, Sauser and Kulhavy, which means there’s a fair measure of pressure on their slim shoulders. This also means that they will have to sacrifice their Red jersey in favour of assisting their stablemates chase the Yellow jersey, which they’d do without flinching. See, nice guys…
South Africans on the podium in the Grand Masters
There’s no slowing down after the age of 50, certainly not in the Absa Cape Epic. South Africans Greg Anderson and Deon Kruger (Absa Bus Boys) finished second behind the Swiss/Austrian pair of Barti Bucher and Heinz Zoerweg (Meerendal CBC 3). Bucher and Zoerweg are suspected of being part machine (they’re incredibly fast) and it will be interesting to see how (if!) they can be beaten. They’re usually in the top 30 overall so Anderson and Kruger will have race out of their skin to ensure the gap doesn’t grow.
National rugby hero crashes out of the Cape Epic.
Joel Stransky, the guy that scored all the points when we beat the All Blacks to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup, took a serious tumble on Day 1, apparently in the Landrover Technical Section. This is ironic since Stransky, racing with fellow former Maritzburg College and Sharks teammate, Jeremy Thompson, was entered into the Cape Epic as part of the Team Landrover squad. Stransky apparently doesn’t know how he crashed, but he does know he’s not completing his eighth Cape Epic. Stransky broke his cheekbone and a rib, which punctured a lung. He went into surgery on Sunday night to repair the serious facial wound.
Brothers sacrifice their podium hopes to help national rugby hero
Nic and Simon Lemond, racing for the first time in the Master’s division, stopped to assist the seriously injured Joel Stransky, losing chunks of time in the process and probably waving a podium position goodbye. The brothers finished in 33rd place, almost 15 minutes down on the stage winners. But they’re a wily couple of competitors and will be hoping the next seven days are drama-free so that they can get closer to – or even onto –the podium…
OBSERVATIONS
Poor basic skills
Not enough riders know how to handle their bikes in dry, sketchy conditions. We saw many front wheel slides that could have been checked or – even avoided – had the rider known what to do… A skills clinic with a reputable instructor sorts this out chop-chop.
There will be a big DNF number on Day 2.
We were surprised at the amount of portly riders that were clearly in serious difficulty on just the 26km prologue. How on earth will they finish a tough 100km-plus stage? And another after that. And another! What’s the reason? We think that a Cape Epic corporate entry is taken too lightly (easy come, easy go). Such a pity when there are committed mountain bikers out there that would pay their own cash to be able finish a WHOLE Cape Epic as fast as possible. It’s a race, not a club cricket match…
This race is incredibly slick (mostly)
The layout, branding and atmosphere were all super slick and worth of the event’s premier status. Unfortunately the media wasn’t on the same level with the live-tracker not working proper (very delayed info) and the website being down for a few hours when everyone was really keen to the their results. But despite that, this race still impresses us with just how professionally it’s run. Truly world class!
TREAD is carrying extensive coverage of the 2017 Absa Cape Epic, brought to you by Momsen Bikes. Follow us on twitter: @TreadMTBmag, Facebook: Tread – Mountain Biking with Soul and Instagram:@treadmtb