Young South African mountain biker, Burry Stander, proved he could compete with the best by finishing first with his teammate, reigning Cross Country World Champion Christoph Sauser (team songo.info) in the first stage of the Absa Cape Epicon Sunday.

With only a 4 minute and 6 seconds gap between the first and second place winners (overall), this year’s event promises to be one of the most exciting to date.

For the first stage of the Absa Cape Epic, the 1 200 riders had to make the journey of 112km from Gordon’s Bay to Villiersdorp, with the songo.info team leading most of the way after their prologue win on the slopes of Table Mountain on Saturday. This stage included climbs of 2 769m.

For those who have participated in the Absa Cape Epic before, it would have felt strange to start the first stage in the Overberg region. In previous years they were getting closer to the finish by the time they got to Villiersdorp.

Memory played a few tricks on them as they imagined being quite close to the finish line, only to then be taken on another 10km loop with some steep and nasty climbs. Many also felt that this stage was more difficult than the first stage in previous years which took them from Knysna to Saasveld, with most of the latter route being in the forest and therefore much cooler. Temperatures soared on Sunday, making it all the more difficult to maintain their pace.

Men’s Category

Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander of songo.info were the first to cross the finish line of Stage One in a time of 04:50:11. They are also the overall leaders of the race following Saturday’s prologue (05:31:09).

The German Bulls team of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm finished in second place in a time of 04:52:23, which also secured them the second place overall (05:35:15). In third place were Tim Böhme and Thomas Dietsch (Bulls 2) in a time of 04:54:42, finishing in fourth place overall (05:38:28). Bart Brentjens and Chris Jongewaard (Trek-Brentjens) finished in 4th place today, but secured the third overall position (05:37:44).

Brentjens and Jongewaard together with Sauser and Stander broke away from the rest of the riders early on in the race. After they passed the second water point, Jongewaard suffered from severe muscle cramps after which he and Brentjens rode at their own pace, keeping a close following distance with visual contact. One of the rules of the race is that team members cannot be more than 2 minutes apart so as not to be penalised. They had to let Sauser and Stander take the lead when Jongewaard started feeling too weak.

Stander said that mentally he found the first stage of the race a lot easier than last year.

“After the first hard climb, Christoph did 90% of the pacing on the flat road. Towards the end my legs came back and I could help again,” he said.

Sauser admitted that he and his young partner are very different riders.

“I’m a diesel and Burry is very explosive - if you know your strengths, you can ride smart and work with it. The long downhill off Groenlandberg was very rocky and that woke us. There was also one stretch when we thought we’re almost there, only to realise we had to do another loop. One had to really be strong mentally to carry on. Our four minute lead in a stage race is nothing – one small technical issue can even the playing field. We’ll continue to ride strong.”

The South African team Kevin Evans and David George (MTN Energade) finished in 6th place today in a time of 04:59:09, placing them in 5th position overall (05:40:13).

Ladies Category:

Hanlie Booyens and Sharon Laws (Absa Ladies) finished first in 06:38:33, also keeping them in the overall lead (07:34:59). Finishing in second place were the two Swiss Epic Girls, Sarah Koch and Daniela Hartmann (07:43:13), securing their second place overall in a time of 08:45:44. In third place were Robyn Adendorff and Sarah van Heerden (WSP – Jeep Girls) in a time of 07:43:29. They are also placed third overall in the Ladies (08:51:31).

Mixed Category:

Nico Pfitzenmaier and Alison Sydor (Team Adidas Big Tree) walked away with the leader jersey in the Mixed category in a time of 05:31:26 putting them in the overall lead (06:20:30). They were followed by Marcel Bartholet and Esther Süss (Wheeler – IXS Pro) in a time of 05:44:38 (2nd overall – 06:37:48) with Paul Cordes and Yolande Speedy in third place (05:51:22). They are also third overall (06:43:11)

Masters Category

The Absa Masters, Doug Brown and Barti Bucher completed Stage 1 in 05:25:29, with an overall Masters lead time of 06:12:52. They were followed by Shan Wilson and Andrew Mclean (Cycle Lab Toyota) who finished today’s stage in 05:46:45 (overall time 06:34:03). Third were MC Franken and Lieb Loots (Pragma Masters) in a time of 06:04:58.

Monday’s second stage will be a 110km ride with 1 527m of climbing. Graceful oak trees and tranquil fruit orchards will stand in direct contrast to the furiously quick start towards Elandskloof.

Heading up to Worcester, the road hugs the foothills on the mountain range for 12km, darting in and out of the vineyards. Sixteen degree slopes are perfect for crafting fine wine but makes for tired legs, early in the stage. This kind of climbing requires expert balance and poise just to avoid having to climb off and walk. With a clear view of the "The Pearl of the Overberg" riders make their way towards Worcester, past Brandvlei Cellar then back to Robertson.

In a loop that circumnavigates the valley, there are several more steep climbs. A trip through a private game farm distracts from the fatigue as kudu, eland, gemsbok, springbok and ostrich spectate. One of the main obstacles of the day is a 3km, technical 8% climb, but riders can not just put head down and grind. They have to pick the best lines to navigate the sharp rocks. The ruts and loose shale that characterises the Karoo region could end a rider’s race on a single corner. The last 15 km will be tough with a sting in the tail for tired riders.


RSS
Digg
de.li.cious
facebook