Anne Terpstra and Nicole Koller of Ghost Factory Racing claimed their third successive stage win and slightly extended their overall lead on Stage 2 of the 2024 Absa Cape Epic in Tulbagh on Tuesday. GHOST Factory Racing now sit one minute and 13 seconds ahead of second-placed Cannondale Factory Racing (Candice Lill and Mona Mitterwallner) in the Aramex Women’s Category.
The contest for the 97km stage with 2200m ascent looked at one point to be between the four top teams – up until Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM (Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda) suffered a mechanical on Wagon Trail, causing them to lose valuable minutes.
For long stretches of the day, the women’s race was a tussle between GHOST Factory Racing, Cannondale Factory Racing and Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne (Sofia Gomez Villafane and Samara Sheppard), with all six riders taking turns to do the work on the front. Gomez Villafane and Sheppard dropped off the lead going up the final climb of the day, allowing Lill, Mittenwallner, Terpstra and Koller to race down the Wagon Trail descent together.
Lill, having punctured earlier in the day and then overinflating her tyre, suffered another puncture at the bottom of Wagon Trail. She decided to trust the ‘insert’ inside the tyre instead of repairing the puncture, which meant she was unable to race too hard in the closing stages. This allowed Terpstra and Koller to attack and pull away with around 3km to go, adding further daylight between them and Cannondale Factory Racing on the stage and in the General Classification.
Having fallen behind on the descent, Villafane and Sheppard upped their pace on the home stretch and finished strongly to claim third place on the day.
“I thought we paced that stage very well,” said Anne Terpstra. “We knew most of the stage quite well after racing here previously, so we had a very good idea of what to expect. I must admit, though, I thought the finish was close after the final descent, but we still had quite a bit to ride!”
Koller added, “It was a nice day. A tough day. A hot day. But our planning worked out and we are very happy to stay in the Orange Jerseys.”
Ever upbeat, Lill was able to laugh about her flat tyre issues. “We still had a good day, despite two silly punctures. It wasn’t ideal chasing back and we lost some energy, but all in all, we are still happy with the performance. We are right up there with lots of riding to come.”
Stage 3 of the Absa Cape Epic is a 94km trek from Saronsberg Cellar in Tulbagh to Wellington, another region famed for its twisting and turning singletrack trails. The racing, much like the weather forecast, promises to be hot.
Women, Stage 2
1 Anne Terpstra & Nicole Koller (GHOST Factory Racing) 5:11:00
2 Candice Lill & Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) 5:11:07
3 Sofia Gomez Villafane & Samara Sheppard (Toyota-Specialized-Ninetyone) 5:11:25
Women’s GC after Stage 2
1 Anne Terpstra & Nicole Koller (GHOST Factory Racing) 10:51:27
2 Candice Lill & Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) + 1:13
3 Sofia Gomez Villafane & Samara Sheppard (Toyota-Specialized-Ninetyone) +6:37
How to Watch
To watch the racing action unfold, tune in to the daily live broadcast on the Epic Series’ YouTube channel, from Sunday, 17 March. Fans of mountain biking can also share in the excitement of the race by following @capeepic on Instagram or by liking the Cape Epic Facebook page. For more information please visit www.epic-series.com/capeepic or click here to view the full 2024 race register
GALLERY
