CAPE EPIC 2017 DAY 4: TREAD NOTES & OBSERVATIONS

Day 4, Stage 3. “After two rugged days, riders will get to enjoy a shorter stage and the mountain biking delights of Greyton.” That’s what the race guide says about today’s 78km stage with 1650m of climbing that started and finished at Elandskloof near Greyton. Short and fast it was, with sprints in the Elite men and women’s races for first place. But some cracks began so show as the race reached halfway (in days)… 

Compiled by Sean Badenhorst

Photos by Dino Lloyd 

MOST NOTABLE MOMENTS

Sauser grows his Cape Epic legend status

As one of two five-time winners and the record holder for the most stage wins, Christoph Sauser’s Cape Epic record is incredible and worthy of legend status. Not content though, the Swiss, who has a second home in Stellenbosch, won today’s stage to extend his stage-win record to 38 (second place is still the late Burry Stander with 20).

Sauser and his Czech teammate, Jaroslav Kulhavy (Investec-Songo-Specialized), won the sprint for the second day in succession over SCOTT SRAM’s Nino Schurter and Matthias Stirnemann and gained time overall to move closer to the overall lead. They’re now just 1:20 behind Cannondale Factory Racing’s Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avencini.

De Groot, Spitz bounce back

South African champion, Robyn de Groot and German MTB legend, Sabine Spitz, bounced back today after a dramatic Stage 1 that saw Spitz having her left eyebrow stitched up following a serious fall. The Ascendis Health pair won their second stage (remember they won the Prologue) in a sprint against women’s category leaders, Jennie Stenerhag and Esther Süss (Meerendal CBC). It was more than just a stage win though, it was a confidence building milestone for the Ascendis Health pair and a warning shot ahead of Thursday’s big stage to Grabouw, which we reckon will be the most decisive in terms of the final podium places in the women’s race. 

Cracks show in the men’s race

We’ve been watching the men’s race closely. Today the overall leaders, Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avencini, were dropped on the final big climb. It was only near the top but it was a bit like a well-landed jab in the solar plexus, which left them briefly winded and saw them lose half of their 1:20 lead over Investec-Songo-Specialized’s Christoph Sauser and Jaroslav Kulhavy.

They’re undoubtedly motivated to maintain their Yellow Jersey position:

“If anyone outside of Cannondale Factory Racing wins the Cape Epic this year they are going to know they have been in a fight. We’re not going to let this go easily,” said Avencini after the stage.

But are they physically up to it? They won the first half of the 2017 Cape Epic, but can they win the second half?

We also noticed that Matthias Stirnemann, Nino Schurter’s SCOTT SRAM teammate, has constantly had to close gaps to his super-strong teammate, which must be having an effect on him after four days of racing. Stirnemann is 26 and a XCO specialist. This is his first Cape Epic. Will he be able sustain the pressure he’s under for another four days?

Cadel Evans wins his first Cape Epic stage

Aussie cycling great, Cadel Evans, secured his first Cape Epic stage win today. Road race world champion in 2009 and Tour de France winner in 2011, Evans has returned to his mountain bike racing roots at the Cape Epic in the Masters division (40-49 years) with former road-racing teammate, George Hincapie. Racing as Team BMC Absa, they won a sprint against defending Cape Epic Masters champions, Bart Brentjens and Abraao Azevedo (CST Sandd American Eagle) to secure their first top step of a Cape Epic podium and continue to sit in third place overall in the highly competitive category.

A different pace

The pace of the front racers has seemed visibly faster to this year. Matthys Beukes and Philip Buys of Pyga EuroSteel confirmed this with us today.

“It’s just so fast from the start – and it just seems to stay fast until the end,” said Buys.

We did some research to compare this year’s race to Day 4 (halfway) to the previous five editions. Here’s what we found: 

Interesting facts:

The distance covered to Day 4 this year compared to the average of the previous five editions, is 95km shorter.

The total elevation to Day 4 this year compared to the average of the previous five editions is 1220m less. 

The time of the leading team to Day 4 is 3 hours 49 minutes shorter than the average time of the previous five editions. 

The average speed of the leading team to Day 4 is 0.2kph faster than the average of the previous five editions.

Going on the performance of the leading team overall, the 2017 edition of the Cape Epic has been substantially shorter in distance, duration and elevation than the average of the previous five editions.

This is obviously partly as a result of the shortening by 40km of Stage 3 and might explain why the pace has seemed so fast. The top guys have been racing almost four hours less than the 2012-2016 average.

Up until Day 4, the average daily race distance in 2017 is 66.75km, shorter than most South African one-day marathons. This compared the daily average from the previous five years, which has is 90.5km.

From Stage 5, the daily average stage distance at this year’s race is 96km. Hold onto your saddles, the real 2017 Cape Epic starts tomorrow…

OBSERVATIONS

What happened to slick?

We were surprised that there was still some village preparation going on when we arrived at Elandskloof Race Village after Stage 3 (Tuesday). It went on into the evening. The shortening of the stage can’t really be used as the reason for this because normally each race village is built before the previous one is dismantled. The one that’s dismantled is then leapfrogged to be built at the next venue. That’s how we’ve understood it works, keeping in mind that there may have been some congestion caused by the back and forth of logistics between Caledon finish and the race finish.

There was also a long delay in getting power (electricity) to the support village, where the mechanical support is based.

When we arrived at Water Point 1 today, the preparations were still underway. The truck that delivered the portaloos only just managed to make its deposit just minutes before the leaders charged through and traffic control in the little town (Genadendal) was clearly done with some last-minute haste right in front of us.

When we arrived at Water Point 3 (riders were around 45 minutes away), there was still preparation taking place there too.

We weren’t at the 2016 Cape Epic. But we were at the previous three. There’s definitely been change in the slickness of the event this year compared to then. Those who were at the 2016 edition say it was as sharp as we’d remembered.

What has happened this year to change that? What has happened to the Cape Epic slick?

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