Aí está de volta o ABSA CAPE EPIC 2010 na África do Sul
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/r7r5okg_N0A&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/r7r5okg_N0A&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1</a>]]>2010 Absa Cape Epic Stage 1
Absa Cape Epic riders welcomed in Ceres
Hosting the enthusiastic Absa Cape Epic riders for the first three stages of this year’s magnificent event is the picturesque town of Ceres. The town, named after the Roman goddess of fruitfulness, is the centre of one of the most important deciduous fruit producing areas in the Western Cape (South Africa).
Its Mediterranean climate results in long, dry warm summers and wet cold winters with sunny days in between the rainy ones, which make the Ceres area the ideal destination for all outdoor and adventure enthusiasts. Ceres is situated 150km (or a 90 minute drive) from Cape Town, and is surrounded by mountains which shelter it completely from the prevailing south-easterly wind in summer. San rock paintings, hiking trails, 4x4 routes, scenic drives, horse riding, fresh water fishing, farm tours, cherry picking, canoeing, abseiling, paragliding, skydiving and game viewing are but a few of the activities and attractions the area has to offer. Ceres is well-known in South Africa for its fruit juices and spring water, produced and bottled in the Ceres Valley. The Absa Cape Epic participants will be staying in Ceres for three nights.
Stage one saw 1 200 mountain bikers start the Absa Cape Epic with a rude awakening at the Diemersfontein wine estate, just outside of Wellington. Steep climbs gave them an early taste of some forest singletrack. After that, another steep climb on dirt tracks took the race halfway up the tarred Bain’s Kloof pass to Water Point 1. The smooth tar descent is well known for its tight turns, so riders had to stay alert. A flat section took them to Water Point 2 at the base of a 5km climb on smooth dirt tracks through Kluytjieskraal. Once they managed to cross to the other side, riders were surrounded by mountains, with no sign of civilisation. Then it got rough on some rocky paths descending to Water Point 3. After traversing the valley, riders dreaded the final sting in the tail – a 7.8km section over the iron sleepers and sharp stones of a railway line. This murderous stretch took them to their final destination in Ceres.
South African Kevin Evans wins the first stage with Austrian teammate Alban LakataThe 2010 Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas certainly lived up to its re***tion as an exciting race, especially so this year with a strong field, and stage one proved it!
One of the South African favourites to take top honours at this year’s Absa Cape Epic, Kevin Evans (31), and his Austrian Marathon Champion teammate Alban Lakata (30) of Team MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon showed their metal by finishing first in Stage 1 of the world renowned Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas. With only a 3 minute and 26 second gap between the first and second place winners (overall), this year’s event promises to be one of the most exciting to date.
Team MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon crossed the finish line of Stage 1 in a time of 4:35.41,7. They were followed by the Songo-Specialized by DCM team of Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander in a time of 4:39.07.9.
In third place were the Rabobank-Giant Off Road team of Emil Lindgren and Fabian Giger in a time of 4:39.56,4, followed by last year’s overall winners Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm of the Bulls 1 Team (4:40.17,8). The Flückiger brothers, Lukas and Mathias of Trek World Racing, finished fifth (4:40.22,3).
Says Kevin Evans of Team MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon: “Normally my first day is not a
one, but obviously we got a few things right today. It was a roller coaster ride, and I even had a puncture, but we kept it together with Alban saying it’s never over until it’s over.
We chased the leading riders and were all riding together again before we knew it. Alban said we should keep it steady, but we really put the hammer down on the railway tracks like a steam train. It’s great riding with him. I have so much to learn from him and it’s such a pleasure riding with someone of his caliber.” Lakata adds they were not planning on a stage
for today, but rather a podium finish. “We achieved a lot today and riding out of Ceres tomorrow with the Leader jerseys will put some pressure on us. At one point I felt really tired but no one noticed as we were controlling the pace. When Kevin had a flat, at first I didn’t notice. The helicopter was above us at that point and I didn’t hear him call out. When I turned around to see where he was, he was already on his way to join me.” Evans reckons Lakata is only going to get stronger with each day “I just hope I can keep up with him.”
South Africa’s Burry Stander, the reigning U/ 23 World Champion, says this was not a
day for him. “This was really not my day as I felt ill. It was difficult to hang on to the guys in front. I also had cramps in my legs on the railway line, but luckily a bad day is normally followed by a
one. The field is really close this year, so it’s going to be an exciting race. I hit a very fast pace from the beginning as riding in a pack in the technical sections with lots of sand and gravel is particularly difficult. I therefore tried to get ahead to ride on my own, which I did. At the first major climb of the day we took off with MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon.”
At one point, MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon encountered bad luck when Kevin Evans had a puncture. Fixing his tyre as fast as he could, even using a Mule Bar to seal the tube, the team quickly made their way to the front again. They caught up with Songo-Specialized by DCM at Water Point 3 where they saw this team also changing their wheels. After 80 kilometres, the race was back on and the stage
was up for either team to claim. But Stander started to suffer with severe cramps due to pushing so hard in the beginning, which meant that the team had to let go while MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon carried on at a steady pace on the grueling railway tracks and eventually claimed the first stage
.
Emil Lindgren and Giger Fabian fortunately had nomechanical problems today. “We took it nice and steady,” says Lindgren. Last year’s winners Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm decided to conserve their energy for the next seven days as Sahm was feeling a bit weak.
Ladies Category
The first ladies to complete Stage 1 were Hannele Steyn-Kotze, Absa Cape Epic Ladies Champion in 2005, and Ivonne Kraft (team Sludge Ladies) finishing in a time of 5:47.27,9. They were followed by Kristine and Anna-Sofie Noergaard (Team Rothaus-CUBE) in a time of 5:52.16,8. Giuliana Vitali and Tamara Horn (Team bike2help.ch – Big Tree) finished in a time of 6:13.49,2, placing them in third position after this stage.
Mixed CategoryTeam Wheeler – BIXS, Bärti Bucher and Esther Süss, followed in Team MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon’s footsteps by winning the Green Leader jersey in the Mixed category of Stage 1 of this year’s Absa Cape Epic. They finished in a time of 5:14.39,6. They were followed by Yolande Speedy and Paul Cordes (MTN Business Qhubeka) in a time of 5:22.45,2 with Nico Pfitzenmaier and Sally Bigham of the Adidas Big Tree team in third place (5:22:49,0).
The Wheeler team is a brand new pairing this year. Bucher managed to
the Masters Category in 2009, whilst Süss was second in the Mixed Category. “I finished last year’s season very strong and managed to maintain my shape during the winter months,” says Süss. The Wheeler team impressively ranked 21st overall after stage one, and only two places behind Cyclelab who are the leaders in the Masters Category.
Masters Category
Cyclelab’s Shan Wilson and Andrew Mclean took top honours in Stage 1 (5:10.30,4), followed by Adrian Enthoven and Gary Marescia (Cycle Lab Jag Foundation) who finished today’s stage in 5:35.35,9. In third place were Pieter van Rooyen and Milan Spolc (Oleander) in 5:42.54,1.
Wilson had a very bad crash 50 kilometres into the race. Says McLean: “When I saw Shan crash, I thought this was it; there goes the Epic. Shan really looked terrible with a bruised chest, a bleeding chin and scraped knees.” But as a fighter, Wilson kept on racing and the team carried on, managing impressively to complete the stage 25 minutes ahead of their competitors in the Masters Category. Says Wilson: “25 minutes might seem like a comfortable gap, but with seven stages to go anything can still happen. We’re just very
that we survived the stage and that we could carry on after my crash. I must say, I felt insecure thereafter and struggled to find my rhythm again, but all ended well.”
Commenting on Kevin Evans, who crossed the finish line first overall as part of the MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon team, Wilson says that he is so impressed with Evans. “He has really developed over the years, and I’m very proud of him as in his younger years he used to be one of my protégées. To see him now competing at such a top level is wonderful – what an inspiration! He has truly become a worthy South African idol.”
Sporting and entertainment heroes part of the Absa Cape Epic adventure this year
A host of South Africa’s most celebrated sporting and entertainment personalities are donning their cycling helmets for the 2010 Absa Cape Epic – all in the name of the JAG Foundation, a sports and education foundation which seeks to give young people opportunities and pride in themselves through the facilitation of sport at grassroots level.
Former Springbok rugby player, Marius Hurter is once again participating in the Absa Cape Epic in support of the JAG Foundation. Hurter is joined by Christiaan Schutte, a dentist by profession and a bonified adventure junkie of note, and the team is known as the Reparil/JAG Lab-rats. “The first two days of the Epic are challenging and your body literally goes into shock,” says Hurter. “We’re excited about participating again, this time as slightly more experienced riders and will be doing our utmost to rise to the Absa Cape Epic challenge.”
Undoubtedly one of South Africa’s most prominent female cycling athletes, Erica Green with her partner Andrew Paterson (best known for his potent rugby scrimmages), also joins this gruelling challenge as the Absa Cape Stormers team. Green is undoubtedly one of South Africa’s most prominent female cycling athletes. Involved in mountain biking and road racing since 1992, she boasts an impressive repertoire with participation in a host of international competitions such as the World Track Championships, World Mountain Bike Championships and most notably the Atlantic and Sydney Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000 respectively. Paterson is an ex Springbok rugby player. Born in Port Elizabeth, he obtained the coveted green and gold at an early age and together with two of his team mates, he was voted by the British Lions Tour of 1997 as the best front row unit they have ever played.
Joel Stransky, renowned for his winning drop kick in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, is taking part for the very first time as part of the Absa Ghost Riders team (with teammate Pierre Loubser). Stransky has a rugby career that speaks for itself. He played internationally for South Africa on 22 occasions, for the Sharks on 80 occasions, was part of the Western Province team for 55 matches and participated in another 54 matches for the Leicester Tigers. “When JAG approached me to cycle on their behalf as part of the charity celeb team, I said
without hesitation. I’ve heard so much about this incredible event and how tough it is. I suppose somewhere in my mind it became one of those challenges that one needs to do and tick off the list.”
After not able to complete the Absa Cape Epic last year, soccer star Mark Fish is back as part of the Absa Laduuma! team. Fish is best remembered for being a crucial part of South Africa’s victorious national soccer squad when they won the African Cup of Nations in 1996. In total he won 62 caps for the South African national team, scoring twice.
Also back again after not being able to complete the event before is Kabous Marra, an award winning businessmen and CEO of Pacmar. He is joined by ex South African cricketer and now budding cyclist, Allan Dawson, as team Wilde. With an impressive 184 career wickets to his name, Dawson played professional cricket for fifteen years. After his retirement in 2004, Dawson, being an avid sportsman at heart, took up cycling a few years thereafter. “One ride through the Tokai Forest is all it took and today I’m riding the Cape Epic,” comments Dawson. “Cycling keeps me fit and best of all, allows me to see the weird and wonderful places in and around Cape Town as well as meet interesting people. This is the race that all mountain bikers aspire to do, but very few get the opportunity to. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been asked by Kabous to partner with him and we’re both looking forward to this incredibly journey.”
“The Black Pearl” Chester Williams (1995 World Cup winner, rugby coach, and more recently, Clint Eastwood’s Invictus on-set rugby adviser) is participating in the Absa Cape Epic as team Absa Ebony and Ivory, partnering with cycling veteran and Team Absa Manager, Ernst Viljoen. Williams made his debut for the Springboks in 1993 at age 23. Twenty-seven games in the coveted green and gold and 14 tries later, Williams retired from professional rugby and started coaching shortly thereafter. Says Williams: “I survived Jonah Lomu and the All Blacks in 1995 and with Ernst’s patience, know-how and expertise, I’m confident that we’ll come out on the other side smiling. With loads of support from friends and family, and knowing we are riding for the JAG Foundation, I am eager and inspired to do my best.”
Keeping the Absa Cape Epic connected to the rest of the world
Russell Wilmot and the team from the business solution consulting department from MTN Business channel will be keeping the Absa Cape Epic linked to the rest of the world for the duration of the race from 21 to 28 March. Thirty nine year old Wilmot has been part of MTN technical team during the Absa Cape Epic for the past three years and has seen it go from strength to strength. “The MTN team is responsible for adding technical expertise to the success of this event, which in turn assists the marketing of the race,” Wilmot explains.
“We start off with an overview of the location we will have to connect from. Our GIS specialist at network group plots the predicted coverage. The planning and optimising team of engineers then steps in to check for problem areas and see where they can improve or upgrade the technical facilities. If this can’t be done or it’s financially impractical for permanent upgrades, a mobile satellite vehicle is used. The basic idea is to have higher data availability so that more information can be sent and received from even the most remote of areas.”
The mobile satellite vehicle that MTN provides is essential for members of the media to access the internet in order to transport large amounts of data, and for this to be sent, high quality bandwidth is essential.
Russell admits that he would love to be a mountain bike rider. “I really do believe some of these riders are super human. I’ve seen so much of the race already but I still admire the cyclists that make it to the finish line before the cut off time. At the same time I feel so sorry for those cyclists who don’t. I’ve seen a lady collapse just after the finish line due to fatigue and my heart really went out to her.”
What makes this event so special for Wilmot are the various locations the race takes him to. “There’s also the joy after a job well done. Although it can be very stressful, the excitement of the event and the people you meet make it all worth it.”
The MTN business solution team consists of three members that work every day of the race from 08h00 till 22h00, after which they retire for a few hours of sleep. They travel from one location to the next using Wilmot’s branded vehicle and the mobile satellite vehicle.
Despite his demanding profession Wilmot has been married for 14 years and is passionate and informed about several other matters. If you need anything explained, whether it is how to cook food in a microwave or how global warming works, Russell is your man.
Stage 2 – Ceres to Ceres (90km distance, 1625m climbing)
For Stage 2, Absa Cape Epic enthusiasts will see that it is the singletrack stage. The landscape is vastly contrasting – riders will cross farmlands, descend rocky scrub and navigate forest paths; all in one day. The route takes the form of a cloverleaf, with Water Point 2 and 3 both at the Eselfontein Farmhouse; this will be a hive of activity. At the head of the race, one can expect a fight for position. Eselfontein is an area renowned for its abundance of singletrack. The narrow, steep and rocky climbs will split the race apart. The tough climbs (the biggest being Dead Man Walking in the second loop) will be fair payment for the sweeping descent. But riders must be careful – sharp rocks hide around the treacherous bends. Some more forest singletrack will offer temporary relief, but the last 10km, traversing farm paths, will prove that there will still be plenty of hard work to do. Because of the narrow trails, the organisers have arranged a staggered start, spreading the field out over an hour – seven start groups will head off at ten-minute intervals from 7am until 8 am.
Cumps BTTistas
