Cape Epic Etappe #5, Worcester – Worcester, Zeitfahren, 27km – 860hm

Foto von Sven Martin / Sportzpics.net

Hier der Bericht von Team Bulls:1

Beim heutigen Zeitfahren in Worcester mußten die Anwärter auf den Gesamtsieg erneut die Karten offenlegen. Auf der einen Seite konnte das Cape Epic auf den 27km im Kampf gegen die Uhr zwar noch nicht gewonnen werden, auf der anderen Seite waren aber empfindliche Zeitverluste möglich.

Der Kurs führte in einer Acht um Worcester, 860hm waren zu bewältigen. Nach einer schnellen Startphase führte die Strecke ab km 5 nahezu ausschließlich über ruppige Singletrails bis zum höchsten Punkt des Rennens. In der folgenden steilen Abfahrt wurden die Fahrer immer wieder von engen Haarnadel-Kurven gebremst, der lose Untergrund mit scharfkantigen Schieferplatten machte den Downhill ebenfalls nicht einfacher. Die letzten neun Kilometer waren von ständigem Auf und Ab geprägt, der letzte Kilometer führte dann auf Asphalt zur Ziellinie.

Thomas Dietsch und Tim Böhme wurden als aktuelle 14. in der Gesamtwertung um 11:34 Uhr ins Rennen geschickt, die Gesamtführenden Karl Platt und Stefan Sahm gingen als Letzte um 11:47 Uhr auf den Kurs. „Vollgas von Start bis Ziel“ war die einzige taktische Anweisung des heutigen Tages.

Die ersten Zwischenzeiten von km 5 waren vielversprechend: Songo.info (Sauser / Stander) führte mit zwei Sekunden vor Bulls 1 (Platt / Sahm) und vier Sekunden vor MTN (Evans / Lakata), Bulls 2 (Dietsch / Böhme) folgten mit 15 Sekunden Rückstand als Vierte. Die Zwischenzeiten von km 18 versprachen weiterhin Spannung: Songo.info lag mit 51 Sekunden vor MTN in Führung, Bulls 1 folgte mit 53 Sekunden Rückstand. Bulls 2 lag mit 1:15min Rückstand auf Rang 5. Bis zur Ziellinie bei km 27 sollte sich an den Positionen nicht mehr viel ändern. Sauser / Stander gewannen das Zeitfahren mit einer Zeit von 1:05:15h vor Evans / Lakata (1:06:25h). Platt / Sahm fuhren die drittschnellste Zeit (1:06:29h), Dietsch / Böhme zeigten heute eine sehr starke Leistung und kamen mit 1:07:28h auf Rang 5.

Fotos: Ego-Promotion / Michal Cerveny

„Das Zeitfahren war für alle eine großer Unsicherheitsfaktor. Keiner wußte wie sich derveränderte Tagesrythmus auswirkt – und für den morgigen Tag wissen wir es immer noch nicht. Wir hatten heute in jedem Fall wieder einen richtig guten Tag auf dem Rad, meine Beine werden immer besser. Ich konnte in der Führung richtig durchziehen, habe im Flachen nur das 11er genutzt und konnte am Berg immer flüssig fahren. Rang 3 geht in Ordnung, wir waren wieder auf dem Podium und haben erneut die Gesamtführung behauptet.“ so ein zufriedener Karl Platt nach de Zieleinlauf.

„Wir haben heute nur ein paar Sekunden auf MTN und eine gute Minute auf Songo verloren. Damit sind wir in der Gesamtwertung weiterhin mit mindestens sechs Minuten vorne. Das ist ein gutes Ergebnis und ist in etwa so wie wir uns das vorgestellt hatten. Die kurze Distanz von heute liegt XCO-Spezialisten wie Sauser wesentlich mehr als uns. Die Bedingungen auf der Strecke waren schwer, man mußte auf den Trails richtig auf dem Rad arbeiten. Karl ist heute die meiste Zeit von vorne gefahren. Der Kerl hat zur Zeit einfach abartigen Dampf.“ lobte Stefan Sahm seinen Teamkollegen.

Auch Tim Böhme war mit dem heutigen Resultat sehr zufrieden: „ Wir wollten einfach ein gutes Rennen liefern und endlich zeigen daß wir vorne mitfahren können. Das ist uns mit Rang fünf auch gut gelungen. Heute war der erste Tag in diesem Cape Epic an dem wir selber keine Defekte hatten und auch keine Laufräder mit Karl oder Stefan tauschen mußten. Das Ergebnis spricht dann wohl für sich. Es lief echt gut, Thomas war heute aber in jedem Fall etwas stärker als ich, er hat immer wieder richtig Gas gegeben.“

„Das war Balsam auf die Seele heute! Die Top 10 waren unser Ziel und nun sind es sogar die Top 5 geworden. Endlich ein Tag ohne Probleme – und sofort paßt auch das Resultat. Ich hatte heute richtig gute Beine, fühle mich keine bißchen müde. Eigentlich liegen mir so kurze Rennen überhaupt nicht, aber heute lief es. Endlich konnten wir zeigen was in uns steckt!“ freute sich Thomas Dietsch.

Fotos vom Zeitfahren:

piep, piep, piep, pieeeeeeep – Platt & Sahm starten beim Zeitfahren

Foto von Ron Gaunt /SPORTZPICS

Weite… beim Zeitfahren.

Foto von Greg Beadle/SPORTZPICS

Fahnenträger – Foto von Nick Muzik/SPORTZPICS

Staubiges Zeitfahren – Foto von Nick Muzik/SPORTZPICS

Ordnung pur – Zeltstadt beim Cape Epic. Foto von Gary Perkin/SPORTZPICS

Foto von Gary Perkin/SPORTZPICS

Mahlzeit! Team Bulls beim Frühstück – Foto von Gary Perkin/SPORTZPICS

Zeitfahren: Bald ist der höchste Punkt erreicht – Foto: Karin Schermbrucker/SPORTZPICS

Burry Stander – Foto von Sven Martin/SPORTZPICS

Wo stehen wir? Die drei Top-Teams überprüfen ihre Platzierungen nach dem Zeitfahren – Foto von Sven Martin/SPORTZPICS

Bericht des Veranstalters:

Christoph Sauser (SUI) and Burry Stander (RSA) win time trial stage of the 2010 Absa Cape Epic

Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm still in the overall lead

In the 27km time trial stage, teams set off at 30 second intervals (in reverse order according to their overall ranking). The route formed a figure of eight through the foothills of Brandwacht, taking the race along the western side of Worcester through semi-desert vegetation. Eight hundred and sixty metres of climbing is a great deal on any mountain biking day, but over one 27km it was extremely demanding. At the end of Stage 5, 21.4% of the teams have dropped out, and 14.6% of the overall riders (as some riders are still continuing their Epic journey without their partners).

Switzerland’s Christoph Sauser and his South African team mate Burry Stander (Songo-Specialized by DCM) are on a winning streak by again finishing first in the trial ride (Stage 5) of this year’s Absa Cape Epic. They completed the tough 27km course in a time of 1:05,15,0 and are now 7 minutes and 6 seconds behind the leaders, having closed the gap for the last three days. They were followed by another South African Kevin Evans and his Austrian partner Alban Lakata (Team MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon) in a time of 1:06.25,5 with the German Bulls Team of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm in third place in a time of 1:06.29,0.

The Bulls Team of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm are still in the overall lead (18:10.50,2).Team MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon remain in second position overall (18:17.04,9), while Songo-Specialized by DCM are in third position overall (18:17.56,3). The Flückiger brothers of Trek World Racing, Mathias and Lukas, remain in fourth place overall (18:36.50,2) with Bart Brentjens and Jelmer Pietersma of Trek-Brentjens in fifth place overall (18:37.06,9).

Max Knox and Brandon Stewart of DCM Chrome finished in tenth place today (1:10.46,8) and successfully defended the African Leader jersey. They remain in the eleventh place overall (18:58.18,4).

Says Christoph Sauser of Songo-Specialized by DCM: “We knew it’s going to be hard to do a time trial in the middle of a stage race. Luckily, I recovered well from yesterday. Burry felt even better, but he was so excited about this one hour stage, that I could already feel it this morning. We were going very fast today and I knew we were in the lead. Today was quite dusty behind Burry and I was kind of riding blind going into the downhills. I’m probably slightly better at the downhills so I can take more risks. It was ideal that I was behind him, although normally it’s better if the weaker one follows in the downhill and can catch up right away in the uphill.” Sauser believes racing at the Absa Cape Epic starts from the very first day on. “Tomorrow you can have a big mechanical and the race is over. We’ll still go for every stage win and ride as if there’s no tomorrow.”

Karl Platt of the overall leading Bulls Team jokingly said that if the course was longer, perhaps they could have caught up with Sauser and Stander. “We’re like family and joking with each other all the time. We’re all such fierce sportsmen and always show respect when someone’s faster. Today was a fun course. The downhill was very fast and I really like that. I was also feeling very strong – a bit nervous at the start as we had a long wait before we could take off and that makes you think too much. But once we took off my whole body just wanted to go. Now our time begins – our legs recover well and our bodies are in the rhythm of the race. Tomorrow is a long stage but we’ll be going at full blast from now on. The race starts now – and it’s still open.”

Kevin Evans of Team MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon, finished in second place today. “With the time trials you give your everything, so the other guys are obviously stronger. We came second to two World Champions and don’t feel too bad. It was a good race.” Lakata adds: “I suffered a bit today as my legs are still sore, but Kevin is feeling strong. Perhaps he could’ve gone for victory today, but you have to stay together and today was just not my day. We still have three days to go and hopefully tomorrow we’ll do better.”

Tim Böhme of the second Bulls team in the race finished in fifth place today (1:07.28,2). “I really enjoyed today as it gave us the opportunity to show that we could also ride fast. We could race at our own pace and go at full speed. We didn’t need to fix bikes for our team mates. Although the trial ride is not without pain and suffering, we had fun – it was nice! With the one minute interval between the start of riders, we could also see what was going on ahead of us. It was more difficult to see the riders behind you.”

José Hermida of Multivan Merida, again finished in fourth place today (1:06.35,1) and remains in tenth position overall. “Today’s course was cross-country, which I really enjoyed – in fact, I think everyone enjoyed it. I could find myself again and we just needed to find good places to push hard. After the first 6km we took off. The course was challenging and we had fun. I don’t really care about a podium finish, the fun we had was the podium.”

Three also a lucky number for Rothaus-CUBE

Kristine and Anna-Sofie Noergaard (team Rothaus-CUBE) won the Ladies for the third day in a row, finishing in a time of 1:28.57,1. They remain in first position overall (22:55.53,6). They were again followed by Hannele Steyn-Kotze and Ivonne Kraft (team Sludge Ladies) in a time of 1:29.24,2, who are placed second overall (23:05.03,2). In third place were Giuliana Vitali and Tamara Horn (team bike2help.ch – Big Tree) who finished in a time of 1:33.17,5, placing them in third position overall (24:58.16,2). Julia Skea and Carla Rowley of Team RBS Biogen finished fifth in a time of 1:44.53,7 (4th position overall – 25:30.38,6).

Says Kristina Noergaard of team Rothaus-CUBE: “We cycled with our heads on today and were actually prepared to give up two minutes to the Sludge Ladies. We’re much better with the longer stages and were quite surprised to hear that we finished before them. Today was one of the most beautiful stages of the race and very enjoyable. We had a lot of fun.” Anna-Sofie adds: “It was also very nice to sleep a bit late. We had a nice breakfast consisting of eggs and juice early this morning and went back to sleep again for about two hours.”

Third stage win for Wheeler-BIXS

Bärti Bucher and Esther Süss (Wheeler – BIXS) secured their third stage win in a time of 1:19.21,2 and remain in second place overall (21:18.36,7). They were followed by Yolande Speedy and Paul Cordes (MTN Business Qhubeka) in a time of 1:19.28,2 who remain the overall leaders in their category (20:53.53,3). Nico Pfitzenmaier and Sally Bigham of the Adidas Big Tree team finished in third place (1:21.34,2) and are placed third overall (21:37.08,4).

Ester Süss of the Wheeler – BIXS team says: “Today’s time trail was a great race. It offered the best of cross-country riding and it was beautiful to ride – hard but also fun.” Bärti Bucher adds: “It was very nice today. A good stage with good trails – up and down all the way – and so much fun.”

Yolande Speedy of MTN Business Qhubeka says it was “actually so nice to have a later start. The course was good and quite technical. Of course we would’ve liked to take the win, but had a good go at it. The longer stages ahead will suit us well.” Her team mate Paul Cordes adds: “At one stage we could see Esther and Bärti up ahead, but we couldn’t catch up with them. We knew we were losing a bit of time, but in this race what you do one day you pay for the next. We didn’t want to risk too much and rode quite conservatively.”

Nico Pfitzenmaier of the Adidas Big Tree team says he absolutely enjoyed himself. “This was definitely one of the most beautiful courses I’ve ever seen. The landscape was amazing and it can’t get any better than is. There’s a fierce battle in the Mixed this year and I really do believe this category will grow. It’s a very dynamic form of riding – male and female – and very competitive.” His team mate Sally Bigham was not feeling well the last two days. “Yesterday I was dehydrated even before the start of the race and we missed one water bottle. Today I have my strength back and am feeling so much better. Today’s course was truly amazing – awesome. I look forward to the next stages and we’ll be taking each day as it comes. Of course we’ll try our hardest, but the competition is very strong this year.”

Cyclelab remain in overall lead in Masters Category

Cyclelab’s Shan Wilson and Andrew Mclean defended their Leader jersey again today by winning the fifth stage in 1:14.43,0. They remain in the overall lead in the Masters (20:38.44,4). They were again followed by Adrian Enthoven and Gary Marescia (Cycle Lab Jag Foundation) in 1:18.33,6, who are placed second overall (21:53.11,6). In third place were Corrie Muller and Robert Sim of the Big Tree Masters, with their third podium finish in the year’s race (1:18.53,5). They are placed fourth overall (22:59.27,4). Pieter van Rooyen and Milan Spolc of Oleander finished in fourth place today (1:20.40,3) and are placed fifth overall (23:09.04,0). Geof Blance and Malcolm Mcleod of R & R Sport New Zealand are in third place overall in a time of 22:46.14,6.

Kenyan team splitting up after stage 6

Eric Nesbitt and Daniel Szlapak of Very Proudly Kenyan have come all the way from Kenya to participate in this year’s Absa Cape Epic. Says Szlapak: “I initially trained for six months to do a 70km race and ended up at the Cape Epic. My incredible riding partner has always been pushing me to join him at what he always described as the best organised race and experience in the world. After his original partner dropped out, I decided I’m probably ready to give it a shot. This is hard and way out of my depth – a huge battle, but also loads of fun.”

Szlapak was born and bred in Kenya. His family initially moved there during the British Colonial movement. His father’s side came from Poland in the late 1930’s and he is a third generation Kenyan. “Kenya is a fantastic place to live with great routes if you’re a bit adventurous. I started mountain biking around three years ago. My mother-in-law was in town for two months and I realised I needed to get out of the house. Eric and his friend invited me to ride with them as they were training for the Absa Cape Epic. My first ride with them was 5 hours on a very old dilapidated bike that nearly brought me to tears. I also ran out of water and was too embarrassed to tell them – I felt like such a moron. But they got me hooked; I bought a proper bike and never looked back.”

Adds Nesbitt: “My partner dropped out of the Cape Epic and I then asked Daniel to join me. He’s done phenomenally well – day three was very difficult for him, but during Stage 4 he felt strong and was very keen and ready for the trial ride. This will be our one moment of glory and should be good fun – I just hope I don’t fall off the ramp as we go down. This is really such a lovely race and I love the fact that we stay in the same camp for more than one night in a row.”

Szlapak says that Stage 5 was just a phenomenal experience: “At the top of every hill, we stopped for a moment and looked, we absorbed the beautiful scenery, and then we carried on. It is just breathtaking out there.”

After Stage 6, Szlapak will unfortunately be leaving the Absa Cape Epic, not due to injury, but to avoid a “divorce”. He explains: “Every year our family goes skiing in Austria, and our trip for 2010 was already booked a year ago. So I said to Eric that I can’t miss the ski trip as it means the world to me, and we decided that I would leave after Stage 6, while he still carries on. It is going to be very painful to leave after being able to complete three quarters of the event, but family comes first and I can’t wait to see my wife and kids in Austria on Sunday. It is however unfinished business, so I’ll be back!”

Nesbitt will now be teaming up with Shane Peters from Port Elizabeth in order to complete the Absa Cape Epic. Peters lost his partner during Stage 2. “We originally met at the Trans Alps, so I’ve known him for a while. I’m sure it is going to be fun.” Commenting on how he experienced Stage 5 he says: “This is real mountain biking – magnificent terrain, steep ascends and descends, with pretty technical parts on the route. You got to know what you’re doing on a bike – but man, what a wonderful feeling. To be up there was just heaven.”

Absa Cape Epic is THE test for marriage, says newly engaged couple

Newly engaged couple Julia Henry and Justin Wilson are also taking part this year. Says Henry: “We decided to use it as a test for marriage, and must admit it’s fortunately going pretty well. So far we’ve only had one domestic incident and that was on the ride and not in the tent. Training for this event was actually harder than the event itself. We were training in the UK and it was very cold. We both felt knackered all the time and it wasn’t much fun out on the bike. This is in fact our first mountain bike race. We’re both keen sportsman and were looking for the ultimate challenge. We absolutely love the countryside and riding, and decided to also have some fun.” Her fiancé Wilson adds: It’s been great and we’re really a good team. When I’m weak she’s strong and vice versa. I was excited and nervous about the time trial. I believed that everyone behind me was going to be faster than me.”

Simon Houge back ‘home’ thanks to this year’s event

Simon Houge of team Afripex Tygirs One actually attended the local school in Worcester years back. “It was so emotional with all the school children cheering us on this morning. It’s been about 30 years since I attended the school, but it is exactly how I remember it.” Houge’s family took a stroll down memory lane with him, walking around the grounds and peaking through the school windows. As his wife is originally from the UK, it was the first time she (and their daughter) had an opportunity to visit the school that Houge attended. Houghe says that he planned on enjoying a couple of beers with his family, relaxing with a massage and then enjoying an early night’s rest in preparation of Stage 6.

Incredibly strong Ivonne Kraft dedicating race to her father

Stage 5 was an emotional day for the incredible Ivonne Kraft of the Sludge Ladies team. After completing her time trial, she was informed that her 70-year-old dad had passed away. “My dad was a very fit man and started mountain biking at age 60. Until a couple of months ago, I would easily ride up to 50km stretches with him. Then in December last year, my dad had an operation and the doctors made a mistake by giving him the wrong medication and he developed an infection. Then they made another mistake by falsely incubating him and he was out of oxygen for 40 minutes and he fell in a coma.”

Initially doctors didn’t think he would survive, but Kraft’s dad pulled through. “We always had a very strong bond, so when he opened his eyes we were able to communicate by him moving his eyes and eyebrows. I asked him whether I should participate in this year’s Absa Cape Epic, and it was very clear to me that he wanted me to.” Kraft called her dad every night during this year’s event, and while her mom held the phone to his ear, it was clear that he knew he was talking to his daughter. Says Kraft: “Last night my mom and brother decided to stay overnight at the hospital as it was clear that my dad only had a couple of hours left. On top of one of the climbs, I experienced an incredible pain in my chest – a pain that I had every time something went wrong with my dad in the hospital. So when I crossed the finish line, I already had a strong feeling that my dad was gone.” Kraft and her team mate Hannele Steyn-Kotze says that they will continue riding and will dedicate the race to Kraft’s father. “We’re definitely going to finish this and go strong and do this for my dad. The further up I climb, the closer I’ll feel to him.”

Overcoming the almost impossible to be part of the legendary race

Neil Frazer and Mark Thjis of Cyclelab Invincible Vets have both overcome incredible obstacles to be at this year’s Absa Cape Epic. Says Frazer: “I was training for my sixth Absa Cape Epic last year – having done all the races up to then – when I rolled my car six times on my way home from Sani2C. I fractured my vertebrae, broke my shoulder and arm, lost hearing in my left ear, damaged my heart and my lungs, but the worst was that I had brain damage. I was in an induced coma for a week, in ICU for two months and then in rehab for another two. I was told by the doctors that I’m lucky to be alive. I only got back on my bike in August. I’m fortunate in that I’ve had fantastic support from my family, friends and the guys at Cyclelab. Mark, my partner, has also been incredible and is really looking after me, although he’s pushing harder and harder and is also very strict. No more Coke for me!”

Frazer says that he’s really happy to be at the Absa Cape Epic this year. “We also have Amy the Sadist, our biokinetecist, taking care of us. Today’s time trial was far more technical than I expected and the downhills were really scary. Mark was like a coach when he rode behind me and we’re really coming along nicely. Stage 6 will however be the big monster.”

Tjhis in turn has been fighting cancer for two years. “It’s very emotional to be here. I discovered before last year’s Absa Cape Epic that I have bladder cancer and told the doctors they would have to wait until after the event before I could start with chemo. I’ve had three tumours removed and three sets of chemo, only to discover before this year’s race that they need to remove another tumour. Again I told them that it would have to wait till after the Absa Cape Epic and Joburg2C – we can then take it from there. This disease doesn’t make you feel ill, you feel ill from the chemo. I have fantastic support from my family. My wife said I could take this year off from work, so I’m doing all the tours – as much as I can. I want to surround myself with all this positivity. People who do this event are all positive even on their bad days. You have to be to be able to finish this event. It’s lovely riding with Neil and we’re just getting stronger and stronger. This race is medicine for mind and soul.”

From rider to volunteer

Forty eight year old Lake Arapakis is helping out with the marshalling: “I planned to represent Oman at the race, but had a very bad knee injury. I tore the meniscus and am at risk of damaging the knee completely, so had to withdraw. At least I’ve completed the race three times before. This race has such a great spirit and I decided the best way to spend my time would be to register as a volunteer. I’ll definitely be back again next year! And promise to be wearing the best traditional costume at the Around the World party again next year!”

Pragma providing a big service to Epic enthusiasts

Pragma is once again the official partner at this year’s event, assisting in washing the Epic enthusiasts’ mountain bikes. Corneli Vorster (36), member of the Pragma team, says that aside from just actual bike cleaning, Pragma also provides a finish line service in which they take the bikes from the riders at the finish point to where the bikes are washed.

“In the past, riders would have to stand in a line and wait for the bikes to be washed. Now we have staff that collect the bike, capture the bike details and take it to be washed. After the wash the bike details are captured again and a SMS is sent to the rider saying that their bike is clean and safely parked in the bike park. This adds just so much more to the professionalism and efficiency of the race,” Vorster proudly says.

The bike washing in itself is completely environmentally friendly. “We use high powered washers, which are sponsored by Bosch, and motorex biodegradable non-degreaser. We also have a ground sheet that is blown up at the sides to catch the water. The dirty water is pumped to the nearest sewerage connection so that none of the harmful elements from the actual bikes are released in the environment.”

The protec-zones, which are also a Pragma division, make containers available for spare parts intended for the cyclists at the various water points. They are however not responsible for what is in the containers, just the availability of the containers themselves. Along with these three race services, Pragma also sponsors three teams in the race. “We cheer for all the teams that pass the finish line, but it’s an exceptionally great experience when one of our teams finishes.”

Within Pragma there is a leadership and development programme, through which twelve members of the organisation are selected each year and sent on four intensive sessions to teach and improve valuable skills. These are usually the members you would find running the Pragma services at the Absa Cape Epic. But this year is a bit different as the group leading Pragma are part of the leadership reload programme, a programme designed for the Alumni of the original leadership and development curriculum. Most of these individuals are already managers in their respected divisions.

The Pragma team at this year’s Absa Cape Epic consists of thirty members, nineteen of which are present for the duration of the eight day race. They work an average of eight hours per day and retire to their tents with the rest of the race crew after a day’s hard work.

Vorster is a physical asset (engineering) manager for Pragma. “At Pragma we provide a service that equips our clients to maintain their assets so that optimum value is received from their assets and the assets last longer. We have several departments that provide their services to sectors including mining, manufacturing and the public sector.” At the Absa Cape Epic her job is a bit different as she has to look after the riders, crew and bike washing services, ensuring that all goes according to plan.

This is the fourth Absa Cape Epic Vorster has worked at. “What I like about this event is how organised it is. There is also such a great spirit at the race. The cyclists that compete are admirable.”