ABSA Cape Epic 2016 – Stage 3 – #EpicEnergadeMoments

The 2017 Absa Cape Epic started exactly as they 2016 edition ended, with Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini (Cannondale Factor Racing XC) powering onto the Meerendal Wine Estate fields to take the win. Last year the pair claimed the final stage of the Cape Epic; this year they put their considerable cross-country talents to good use to out-race a star-studded field to claim the 26km Prologue at a blazing hot Meerendal. 2016 Olympic cross-country champion Nino Schurter and teammate Matthias...

Jaroslav Kulhavy from had a crash near the end of the stage, relinquishing their chances of stage win. Meanwhile Sabine Spitz went over her bars just before the Haarkappers ascent after water point 2, opening up a nasty gash above her left eye. Spitz went on to finish the stage.

On the 101km route that started and finished at Hermanus High School, Fumic and Avancini raced home in a time of 4:25.35, which means they retain the overall lead and the yellow jersey. They admitted, though, that an unfortunate tumble by Jaroslav Kulhavy around 5km to go allowed them to cross the line first. The first stage of the 2017 Cape Epic will start and finish at Hermanus High School. It will take the riders through 101 kilometers’ distance and 2300 meters climbing. Amazing Landsca...

In this clip an athlete got some difficulties with his foot pedal. He continues the race with just one pedal until he reaches the next water point, where he can fix it up.

After two days of extreme weather conditions Stage 2 of the Absa Cape Epic was shortened to 62km. Instead of riding the 102km to Elandskloof near Greyton, riders finished at what would have been the second water point for the day at the Botanical Gardens just outside Caledon.

Sauser and Kulhavy lay down the law. Christoph Sauser and Jaroslav Kulhavy claimed a second consecutive stage win at the 2017 Absa Cape Epic, and at the same time managed to eat into the time gap of the overall leaders, Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini. Second on Stage 3, which ended in a sprint finish, were Nino Schurter and Matthias Stirnemann, with third-place going to Nicola Rohrbach and Daniel Geismayr.

Stage 3 was a relatively short 78km that took riders out of the Elandskloof race village towards Genadendal and through the Greyton network of mountain bike trails. It was a day for the cross-country specialists to rise to the occasion, with Schurter and Stirneman duly obliging.