Brave the UNTAMED
Bravery will be required on Stage 1. Tulbagh, once a frontier town, is still an untamed mountain biking destination. New trails and established challenges ensure a fittingly difficult day. Four major climbs punctuate the day with Raptor Rise setting a tone of sweeping switchbacks through fynbos, continued by Boegoe and the Kliprivier Trails. Fanti’s Pass, infamous in its intensity ensures the day’s elevation gain easily exceeds 2 000 meters.
It’s not just all challenges and climbing though. Singletracks, never before ridden in a race, like Jan se Bos offer a welcome reward for uphill toils, as do established trails like Assegaaibos and God’s Window.
Fortune will favour the brave on this stage. But the line between bravery and foolishness can be a fine one, so be warned.
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[Applause] N Oh [Applause] E The appetizer was a tasty morsel something to get their taste buds their legs their juices going it was the prologue this is stage one one of the ABS Cape epic in 2024 the 20th edition of the race at measures all we’re in sburg just outside tilb in the Western
Cape the bullant of the Western Cape and it is a spectacular morning for the first marathon stage of this year’s race as I said the 20th Edition is a gathering of some of the very best Racers who have ever ridden a bike on this planet and they are all getting
Stuck in today to this Marathon stage over 88 km that will take in many of the slopes of the beautiful crud Vin hook mountains Thea mountains and uh not quite the vitenberg just yet the race Village at sburg we are in this beautiful farm for the fifth time we
First came here in 2011 then 20136 and the green epic in 20121 was also staged here this is what it looked like early this morning his Riders having completed the prologue and transferred from Somerset West and lren made their way to this marvelous campsite on Lo on sburg Farm it was all
Peace and quiet early in the morning as they prepared after their Prue yesterday and today will be a test like uh very different to yesterday’s short sharp 26 km blast around some of the most extraordinary Trails I think we’ve ever seen in a prologue in the ab epic
Alongside me lovely welcome once again Neil Gardner the guru the stats Guru of the ABS pic Neil morning well thank you very much Gerald and it’s great to be here and great to see another year it’s the 20th Edition an auspicious Edition and it is uh characterized by certainly
What we’ve seen in the field so far is a very densely populated General classification all very close don’t think we’ve seen such a close race both in the men and the women and uh we’re excited to see how this plays out we had some amazing show showings in the
Prologue um very close showings in fact both in the men and the women right up until the last climb of the day we the three top contending teams were within just a few seconds of each other so it’s all to play for today absolutely yes uh really really fascinating battle today
As they take it on just 1 minute and 45 seconds between the top five so how did that all happen well here’s a reflection on the racing part of the prologue from day one the ABS K epic is the most prestigious mountain bike stage race in the world
And is commonly referred to as the tour to France of mountain biking this is the 20th edition of this 8-day full service stage race traversing the spectacular Western Cape of South Africa 2024 attracts the biggest ever Elite field with national world and Olympic Champions riding in teams of two all
Striving for the unparalleled title of Absa Cape epic winner for the amst just to complete the same 67 km course with 16,500 M of climbing is a huge Accolade it’s day one today and the Riders enjoy a short sharp time trial prologue course that will count to their overall
Time the prologue weaves around the Lenwood wine estate Trails it’s shorten length but not on importance The Punchy course has steep climbs Through The Vineyards and Technical manicured single track that requires every ounce of concentration at just 26 km with 700 M of climbing it’ll take the top teams just over an
Hour this 20th anniversary edition attracts many previous winners and many new combinations the most decorated mountain biker of all time Nino shter is in attendance with new teammate Sebastian finny riding for World bicycle relief sha has multiple Olympic and World medals and has won the cape epic twice defending Champion Matt beers from
South Africa also has a new partner previous winner Howard GRS from the USA riding for Toyota specialized 91 or leet speed company with G gega and Lucas Bal have remained the same since winning their first abs of Cape epic in 2022 and always provide exciting racing in the women’s category Vera
Lossa is aiming to defend her title with new partner Alexa Scara for efficient in SCB sham Candace Lil from South Africa is hoping to break her four-time streak of second places with her new partner current Marathon Champion Mona mavala for canadale factory racing Toyota specialized 91 have always had a strong
Grip on the category winning seven of the last nine events this year Sophia Gomez vfan has a new partner in Samara sheeper for winner of this race in22 the Argentine kiwi combination of Gomez vfan and Shephard have a huge amount of motivation this year Gomez VF fine one
The Epic in 2022 became third in last year’s Edition and is seeking Revenge the new combination works well together Gomez vfan taking the lead to start with and let Shephard find her feet it doesn’t take long for the team to find a balance and they put together a great
Prog completing the course in just under 1 hour and 16 minutes canadale Factory racing Mona Mna and Candace L are the top two Marathon riders in the world they are favorites on paper the cape epic is always full of surprises on the first steep climb of the prologue mitala starts to struggle
With the heat liil adjusts the pace to help produce the damage but it’s a bad sign for day one in true professional style they still post a solid time and take second place just 6 seconds ahead of third ghost Factory racing is a new team for this 20th anniversary edition of the
Abser gape epic both Riders on newes but a very experienced on the world cross country scene and tster from the Netherlands was the 2021 silver medalist in the world championships she is joined by 26-year-old ni Cola from Switzerland the ghost team find their legs after the 12 km Mark and keep extending their
Split times they’re in their element on this short course with steep climbs and Technical desense it’s the first time at the cape epic for both the Riders and they put on an incredible performance finishing the lenford prologue in 1 hour 14 minutes and 45 seconds 1 minute and 5
Seconds ahead of canadale to take the win and we go the women’s Podium sees the legendary Toyota specialized 91 in third second goes to Humble team canadale Factory racing and the wi is taken by ghost Factory racing who will wear the orange leaders jerseys for tomorrow’s stage
One in the men’s prologue the time splits Buffett back and forth over the hot and Dusty afternoon Dutch Marathon Champion hun becking and European Marathon Champion Bart alaman from Belgium or team buff Mago they have won previous stages of the cape epic and becking has a Podium finish in the
General classification motivations are high they are a great combination on the bikes even though this prologue course is relatively short for them the pair manage their power well and the trails of the Lansford estate are kind to them they take third place defending Champion Matt beers and 2018 Champion Howard gr
Stamped their Mark with a very F start to the prologue toota specialized 91 settle into the course sharing the time at the front it’s a relief for them to get this first day out of the way and take a second place completing the course in just under 1 hour and 3 and
1/2 minutes Nino sherter and Sebastian finny from World bicycle relief are both CrossCountry Specialists so the short 26 km course suits them down to the ground the two friends created this partnership so they could ride together and spread the message of the bicycle charity from the second split the Swiss Danish combo
Stretched their lead and crossed the line in 1 hour 2 minutes and 38 seconds 51 seconds ahead of second place the prologue showed how how unpredictable and competitive this Untamed race is the top 18 teams all finish within 5 minutes of each other buff Mega third Toyota specialized 91 in second and a
Well-deserved win to World bicycle relief shurter and Finny are proud owners of the yellow leaders jersey for stage one tomorrow The Sensational days racing around the beautiful lenford wine estate for that prologue as uh in the general feeling is that that was one of the most engaging entertaining and thrilling uh
Proll stages we’ve ever had of the ABS pepic and it got things off to a sensational start and it set the tone for this race because as you can see from that map where are we going there are a lot of those tightly wound Trails all the way around stos Wellington and
Where we are today sburg so it is a trail Laden abser Cape epic with the one big transitional day from sburg to Wellington which will come on stage number three today is all around these beautiful Trails of tulbach and really is something very very special the tulbach Mike Club have been going for
Some 12 years and have Consolidated their efforts to build some of the very best Trails imaginable and they continue their work and have created some new ones for the stage today Neil Gardener sitting alongside me today 88 km 2450 M of timing traditionally stage one is always one of those really tough stages
Of the after epic ever since I can remember the stage one has always been an Awakening the prologue is a taster and stage one is the real true test of the athletes stage one uh it’s it’s often often there’s been some casualties we’ve seen some um some terrible days in
Fact even last year with the team of Matt beers and Christopher blevens Christopher blevens was experiencing cramps really early on and they shipped huge amounts of time in the end it turned out pretty well for them because as we all know anything can happen in
The ABS epic and it very often does they managed to reclaim that yellow Jersey on the last day and uh it’s really it’s just the stage one is that great leveler it’s that it’s that stage that you that you realize okay this is this is the
Week this is what coming and um all the speed in the world that you have it’s now about managing yourselves managing your equipment and managing your efforts and your nutrition and all of those things that really count uh as we get later on into the race week There’s a
Bit of shock element about it they’ll hit up Raptor rise so which is the early climb on the Oba Mountain up here and then buku uh the descent into tus cwl the water point at Reflections guest house across the beautiful thirsty Floating Bridge that comes around
Halfway stage and then they head up into the vent hook Side of the Mountain which is where they’ll come to really the really business end of the stage because it is backloaded with climbing yeah backloaded indeed and there three big climbs after the halfway mark there is a
Let’s not forget that that rapor rise is a tricky climb the buku descent and the section in between tennis craw this is the these are challenging sections but the three spikes that you’d see in the profile the shark’s teeth and finish off at fany’s pass one of the legendary
Climbs of the race this will surely be a separator among the top teams the top teams they may want to make a move a little bit earlier and of course when the opportunity arises the top teams will take them wherever they can and will soon be seeing the Riders out on
The course clipp R is the to tough section and then yanos pass and then asai BOS and home 88 km 2450 M of climbing and what are the thoughts of our leading contenders on the start line ahead of today’s stage well Bart Brenin a former winner world champion and Olympic champion who chatting
Today how first of all how do you feel how did you sleep uh yeah I slept pretty well uh I think I I’ll take a nap this afternoon since we have a a relaxed afternoon are you used to start this early in racing yeah now that I’m racing
A bunch of gravel in the US you know 6 7:00 starts are pretty common but not for 8 days in a row or seven days and where is your teammate Matt I he’ll show up he’s probably out warming up you are just stretching a little bit
Or did you do already a warm up yeah I did some warm up and now just I guess we’re hanging out uh waiting yesterday was actually incredible good what you did second place so uh Podium uh the strategy for today uh yeah I think we just have to
Kind of stay towards the front before the single track and then after that you know it won’t be easy but it’ll calm down a little bit I mean many teams this year more than 50 they’re all fighting for a stage win you know how it works a
Lot of single track today as well Y and what about the stat it’s it looks like a little bit more easy in the beginning and uh a hard end I yeah yeah exactly I I think at the start will still be hard because people really want to get into
The single track and then everyone is going to be wanting to go as hard as they can on the last climb uh and the ones before it what do you think about the race time finish around I was thinking 4 hours but heck it probably is
Faster we will see yeah good Lu for today yep thanks what’s your strategy yeah I think uh towards the end it gets quite uh busy today there are a lot of climbs uh so we actually don’t know the track uh well but I think that’s uh everyone’s problem so everyone
Is racing kind of blind here that’s maybe also one cool thing about the Epic so we will see how it unfolds towards the end I mean the Epic has a lot of single track too a lot of teams this year it’s a hard fight from the beginning isn’t it yeah for sure it’s
Definitely going to be a fight for positioning I think uh uh like cross country one or two hours in the beginning and then it’s going to be all sorted and I think there’s a like you know but you probably know the the intern ranking is going to be done by
The by the first two hours and and then all the teams are going to be chill will be very interesting any doubt about uh the heat is that a problem or you are finished before the extreme heat starting yeah that’s a big question uh I mean we are calculating with heat and we
Are uh like uh yeah so we we know that the heat could come so yeah I think it’s for everyone the same we did a bit of heat training as good as we could in back in Germany so I think we were well prepared so about finish time that’s before
11:00 good question who is he try to good luck today and how do you feel yeah feeling is good after yesterday obviously we’re confident in our ability to to throw down wats so um yeah today is the first proper stage so it’s going to be a tough
One but a good start yesterday in the prologue uh the numbers two and three in the on the podium was very close but you did a good job yeah it it was close I think it gets closer every year pretty much as the teams all up their level and
Um yeah the gaps are tight but I think they will not be so tight after today have you seen this course did you did you a Recon on this on this uh course today yeah not so much um but we know a bit from 2021 fany’s pass and if we know
This value quite well I know this valy well and um It’s A Hard stage the last climb is going to be decisive for for the win I think um it’s going to be very selective up there so yeah I think that’s where the gaps are going to maybe
Even before good luck for today thank you yeah I feel quite good this morning had a good sleep uh we had a really good race yesterday in the yellow now so uh let’s see what the day will uh bring it’s a bit fresh this morning Nino uh
Did you have a good sleep I also had a good sleep yeah it’s a beautiful alley it’s nice to wake up to such a beautiful scene so yeah but it’s fresh yeah at the morning but it will be hot later they expect 38° this afternoon but probably
Your finish will be before 11 before the the heat start actually do you sleep in the in the mobile home parking too no uh this year we decided we staying in in houses so we a beautiful house just uh where the course actually passes so uh
Yeah this year we decided for this it’s a bit then we need to go back and forth but yeah like the past years I had a been enough of the camping so I get too old for the camping you never got you never got too old do you know anything
About the course from today yeah it’s uh it starts I think uh a bit uh mellow but then uh we have some sharp climbs um especially the last one that uh um Monty Monty pass FY pass uh it’s a steep one I think we did this in the previous epic as I
Remember and uh that’s for sure something that suits us and uh some good trails so I’m looking forward to it yeah this year the The Paton it’s about uh more than 50 teams 100 Riders a lot of single track too is it a cross country race a cross country fight from the
Beginning ah I think today we start on some big roads it looks a bit flatter uh so hopefully we can just stay in the bunch and then when we go on into the single Trail try to uh stick a little bit more to the front and see what the
Other guys are doing that’s uh What uh we try what I remember from K bic is always the sunrise and with the dust are you prepared for that it’s sometimes very dangerous yeah that’s uh something can be really dangerous especially the sun comes up it’s slow uh you need to be
Careful uh in those moments also like going next to the vine yard sometimes you have like some some uh some things coming out there and like it’s uh you need to be careful and hopefully everything goes well and nobody got hurt and uh we get through without any
Crashes good luck for today and uh have a look to each other too H thank you morning Mona how you feel uh yeah well a bit better um than yesterday the the heat stroke was not too easy to recover from to be honest um yeah I did my best
But it was as I said it was a quite a rough way um just hoping that today the energy comes back during the race but yeah right now still feeling a bit flat today it’s much longer much harder first stage actually now it’s nice and cool but they expect very uh heat conditions
During the day yeah I mean now it’s nice and cool as you said but it we’re going to be hot pretty soon and especially when once we’re hitting the big climbs it will be hot I mean now it’s just riding around but once it’s getting serious racing it will be proper hot um
I mean normally I never struggled with the heat so yesterday was the first day um where I had my like problems so I would just take the self-confidence from the past and forget yesterday and I think it’s just staying relaxed and I mean yesterday was one hour Sprint and
Now we have 35 hours of marathon racing so it will be a different week from now on I think a different story today kace do you know the trails do you know the area is it is it does it is more easy in the beginning and more hard at the end
Yeah I mean I think even from just looking at the profile you can see that the racing will really happen in the second half and yeah having race here in previous years and also no Tilla just from General riding um I can tell that that’s what’s going to be that’s going
To happen you have to go to the the thoughts of our Elite races and this was from early this morning as Bart alluded to there it is a very early start for a lot of these European Pros it is a little earlier than they uh get
Up let alone start racing so here they are charging away at an incredible speed and that has been a an evolving factor of the abser cape epic over the years I was standing alongside a former top tener and a man who’s performed at the very highest
Level here over the years B Mel swano and he just said you know in our early years in the early 2000s and even into the 10th here that nothing like this crashed right there at the start very very early on dust and U Riders getting caught behind the crash well this is not
Something you want to see this early on but just perhaps a bit of a lapse of concentration it’s uh all eyes are on the field to see if there’s anyone that’s staying crashed that’s the most important thing is that a crash is a crash but uh we just really hope that
None of the Riders are staying down no it looks like everyone was up and uh we had a good look this morning at who went down and it seemed like it was Howard grz falling with one of his one of his backup teammates but all back in the mix and on the
Charge earlier on it was was as twep as predicted it was the Oria leot speed company guys aggressive at the front they know exactly what to do and they know when to do it I think we’re going to say that quite quite often this week that Lucas Bal G gega going to be
Aggressive now this just a couple of minutes later was the USI women’s batch heading off a very competitive batch this led by the ghost Factory racing team of turst cola who took that tuita orange Jersey in the rmx women’s category yesterday ahead of the canadel factory racing team Lil and mitala as
You heard at the start there Mona mitala not perhaps feeling as chipper as she would have liked to after taking a bit of Heat yesterday and uh hopefully she’s recovered from that and the earlier start today they’ll spend less of the time in the heat of the day today so it
Might just be a little better for her Samara Shepard the oceanana marathon Champion she’s a partner of Sophia Gomez vfan sixth of the World Marathon championships last year then won by Mon viala and second was Candace Lil there so she’s in her first voyage on the ABS pepic alongside someone who’s won it
Before a very solid combination back for the men and uh again the talk about the the angle of the Sun the Rising Sun and the the dust can create all manner of difficulties for these riders in terms of just just picking out U obstacles in the road and
The Shadows uh might block holes in the road or as Nino sh was suggesting wires holding poers up in The Vineyards but all safely through there and a cracking speed already has broken the elastic to a group behind here under the whip of G Gaga and Lucas B V alaman the European
Champion in their hunts backing in the Dutch Champions colors and there come the yellow jerseys of sh and is B oh we want to do a bit of a roll call in this group with the especially with the aggression of the obia lead team and we’ll get some uh indication of where
Everyone is at the time checks give you those updates in a moment because there is action down on the field but uh action to come for the amateur Racers and they have a long day ahead of them some of them will be riding way into the
Up this is quite an early batch start so these are the riders that were ranked highly after a great performance in the prologue and is what part of what the prologue does at the absap because it allows the Riders to get a good start batch Time It’s a cruel sport this they
Start the the the slowest Riders start an hour and a half after the fastest Riders and Will C the worst of the weather the heat the heat of the day and have the longest day but that’s what makes these Riders such a legend here this is a real problem for the uko
Team and that’s well well it may not have cost them too much time Marco vessel B had a an astounding prologue yesterday finished fourth overall they lead the Africa Jersey category but that early on puts him on the back foot well it does certainly but they look like
They were handling it pretty well and of course let’s not forget they do have a backup Team all important backup team for this uh team that are looking to not just take that red jersey that ABS Africa Jersey they actually have their sights on the yellow Jersey as we saw in
The prolog they were leading at the split times which we haven’t seen for a while and uh really a superb performance though were within 10 seconds of the very best in the world so they clearly have the fire power and now they’ve got to they’ve got to put it to practice I
Think what we’re seeing there is how egar and B have put the hammer down and they’re already team scrabbling to to try oh another little coming together who went down there on the right hand side as we go back to the women M that she’s going to have to manage her
Efforts and the key to this is going to be how Candace liil handles this how she feeling if she’s feeling strong she’s got to be very mindful of of the condition of a pment well luckily there the early morning Pace was a little bit uh little bit less Fierce than in the
Men’s category they’ll be looking to the uh the four big obstacles of the day the Raptor rise and the climb up to the Toyota tough section yans saos Fun’s pass and the same into sensburg that’s what they’re looking forward to today and let’s just see when the pace really
Does set off because that is quite a large group of women contenders 1 minute and 5 Seconds the gap between the ghost Factory racing team TST Cola and L and Mna of Canada and then just further six seconds back Gomez vfan and shepher fairly big gap back to the defending
Champion AA laa and Alexis Scara 3 minutes and 10 off the leaders and in the fifth place where e fought Private Client Holdings Haley p and Lanna Geral so that’s the top five in the women what a spectacular morning here in this bowl again rather like the helderberg bowl
With the surrounded by mountains on three of the four sides here with the Brea river that runs through this beautiful Valley TB through to WS all the way down W eventually out to swandam and to the Indian Ocean that’s a long long way away but this is uh the women’s
Group just heading away from sburg and all together and calm and composed the fierce attacking from the men’s race absent at the moment in the women’s race mindful of the efforts they’ve got to put in today well I think mindful of the heat as well the weather forecast predicts temperatures of up to
35° it was a bit chilly this morning we saw Matt Bez wearing his long sleeve shirt and that is one of the the things that you just have to get used to when you are an newbie to the ABS epic the extreme temperatures sometimes the temperatures can be in single digits
Early in the morning and by the afternoon you’re uh jumping into an ice bath willingly yeah the the temperatures rocketed yesterday and I think uh the the Stillness of the air uh in The Valleys yesterday was what uh really hurt the Riders there was no air it was
Very very like an oven and we’ve experienced that before in that part of the world um so they uh not that they get used to it but it’s just very very difficult to deal with beautiful Trails today it is as I said a a day that they will get to enjoy
The wonderful Trails of the tulbach area the community the mountain bike Community been amazing in accommodating the needs and the desires of mountain bikers by uh using these beautiful slopes and uh natural terrain to create a a playground for Mion bikers this year used and enjoyed by the absap
Epic for the fifth time so still with our women’s team and the orange jerseys there and turra and niol col in their first absap epic well they might think this is this is quite quite easy this we’ve got our our leaders jerseys on the first time we’ve ridden it well let’s
See there a long day to go that’s a long week to go yesterday’s e but certainly I mean these are highly pedigreed Riders on the the very top end of the sport at the UC World Cup on the world cup scene they absolutely have the fire power yesterday suited their efforts because
It was an hour and uh today might be it might be a little bit out of their comfort zone but these are very experienced campaigners they’ve ridden stage races before they’ve ridden in South Africa before and the uh pairing the ghost Factory racing pairing is well and treat the favorite team right now
That is a I think the shot of uh Daniel’s TR and Steph Walters the Africa Jersey leaders in the women’s race there looked like Danielle just giving Steph a little push maybe she’s not feeling too Tripper uh off the that’s another factor that uh we’ve got to be cognizant and
The Riders have to be aware of is that uh you know not everyone’s going to uh arrive the next morning feeling uh uh bulletproof and strong you’ve got to be uh very very careful about how you manage your your efforts throughout this this race and of course that’s where
Teamwork of Partnerships come into play and it’s how you work as a team not as an individual to bring you success now that leading pair of tster and cola go to the front of the race and they’re on to the early climbs heading towards a raptor rise it didn’t
Look like they were about to attack perhaps just wanting to get to the front so they could take charge of the pace be the ones that set the pace and uh just another aspect of being in the front is that you can stay out of trouble the
Draft effect that you see in the roads in Road cycling isn’t as uh isn’t as important especially on these steep tricky climbs so the position to take if you are in the if you are able to is r at the front and set set your own pace and stay out of
Trouble yeah staying out of trouble is key look at these beautiful uh Trails through the fame boss here absolutely spectacular and driving a lot of these taking a foot off the pedal just to get round that tricky corner so it is a seriously challenging day as we have another look at the women’s
Start and sburg in the background there as we have a look at today’s profile so Raptor rise is the early climb up the side of that oqua range on the f side down b t car lots of lovely single tracks through that wine estate the Thirsty water Point first water point at
44k along that Floating Bridge then the work begins and we’ve said it before we say it again a backloaded stage all to play for of those three final climbs those spiky bits at the end and clip River and of course the funy pass at the end bit of information on Fun’s pass
Later to come yeah that uh Toyota tough section yesterday on the prologue had tongues wagging and uh knee shaking it really was a very very technical ride for every ride I was talking about it this morning even um and to be that might be one of the tougher tough Toyota tough sections
They’ll come across all week back with our men’s leading group right now they’re the yellow jerseys of shter and finy and they are on the climb I would suggest that they are heading up towards that Toyota tough section now on this beautiful zigzag climb up
Clipr and it’s a long long climb in fact this whole section clippy then they descend down the tough section which is The clipy Descent yans saos up they go up the other side and down is around 17 km of Trail and close on 700 M of climbing in that little block of riding
Say between 48 km and around about 69 68 and then they begin the climb to Fun’s pass that is how tough this this race is today really is going to hurt those who go out too hard and that’s the key manage your efforts we’ve seen having said that we’ve
Seen and Lucas BAL of the or Le speed company team guard as they always do flat out hard but they seem to have the motors in the engine to sustain that and they certainly can sustain it but sometimes it’s it can be a move really early on to sustain that effort and
Sometimes it can just be a bit of a tactical move because of course any kind of effort uh in the beginning means that the others have to respond and if there’s a bit of a gap it means the others are on the back foot so it may
Not be a move to necessarily stay away it may just be uh may just be an aggressive move to to force a mistake because we saw the likes of Kristoff s well-known tactician in the race but his one of his famous tactics was to attack on the climbs really early on and that
Would force the other Riders to catch up on the downhill and where that left Kristoff s and his partner bar stunder to just take it easy on the downhill and the others would to force the pace which could force a mistake and of course a mistake can lead to that mechanical and
The time loss of that could be more or less infinite so it could be a tactical move by George Edgar and Lucas bomb or it could just be wanting to push the pace and just get going because he knows or they both know if they can form a
Group and get some cooperation going it means that the others are immediately on the back foot really early into the stage and really early into the race and it is a long week we have heard from the riders that for the women’s SE for the women’s category it’s right about a 36h
Hour week for the men’s 26h Hour Week round about uh that’s about more or less the times that they’ll be taking for uh the accumulated time throughout the week and this early in the race really it’s hour hour three we’re talking about yep two yep we’re in the third hour of the
Race just y currently so we’re not even 10 more just over 10% into the into race week this is the Toyota tough section this is heading down clip Rafi the trail that is highlighted as the Toyota tough section and they’re charging down here interesting in this group are the P Euro
Steel pair of Philip base and his partner Peter D toy and they will be looking to make up time on the uko pair there goes OB there’s P still then it’s sh and Finny becking and his partner V alaman then it’s one of the Bulls pairs he and L Huber simel and
L hu in that group there is Marco Y and they’re all in here there isuba going through so the both the top African teams in there bua and P still are in there in this lead group for the time being well that’s a great role call we
See there there we saw the 44 km Mark at that time check at the uh at the water Point uh Oria lead speed company World bicycle relief piger Euro steel buff meamo and the Bulls Mavericks that’s schnella and Huber they were in the group the five teams top five teams had
A 30C Gap over honeycomb Pro cycling willia voria Factory willo topado Toyota specialized 91 Matt beers and Howard grz and uko were just a little bit off but now they seem to have caught up and it’s the top 10 teams are all In Contention yeah just you mention the Toyota
Specialized 91 team and uh just heading in before they got into that Toyota tough section Matt beers was looking to put in a little bit of surge there was a bit of a gap between them there and so that’s a bit of a slight concern for the Toyota specialized pair they will not
Want to lose any more time than absolutely necessary well just also we talking about concern the Riders the teams that should be concerned are the likes of Canyon cidd Andreas sealt Mark schutzman weren’t exactly sure it went on but they are 2 minutes off the pace
Or they certainly were 2 minutes off the pace they are luckily riding with their backup team stek and vakot and they will be in they will be looking to close that Gap as soon as possible also casualties of the uh of that uh early surge for the
Likes of uh the topado Kender Factory team Roosa Casey South they had a really good showing at the prologue and Simon St John yakob Harman also 2 minutes off the pace well that gives you an idea where they are Thomas D Stefan S Stefan with the leaders there coming off the
Clipper feed Trail and the C Trail is the Toyota tough section now back with our women’s group with our Bulls media ebike Jesse Nixon is with us the first time Jesse is joining us here a highly accomplished downhill race racer comes from a family steeped in the trail
Downhill Racing and uh Jesse joining us for the first time wonderful to have her as uh our media third media ebike on the Bulls bikes last year we had Isa Stow doing the job for a couple of years in fact but Isa is now doing the real thing
She’s racing the absap Epic this year so that’s fantastic showing that they put their legs where they should be on the race itself fantastic to see Trail it’s just as we’ve been saying so many trails here built by the tbu mtle bike club Dion Wilkins a big driving
Force here and a big trail Builder he’s a farmer in this area gr clack also heavily involved in the tbu M bike club and all the local community Tim in fact Dion’s son Tim Wilkins does a lot of the building um quite often Dion gets the
Credit for the trails and Tim says hang on I’ve been building these trails and he’s done a great job Dion in fact his riding this year is ABS cic so there is the uh the split after 45k the ghost Factory racing team are well second ahead but those top five
Teams all together efficient Infinity Vera and Alexis SC that who’s lost time here capital a long way down the check Riders 4 get an idea of the dusty nature of these Trails this is typical of abser Cape epic terrain and in these parts it will be Dusty dry and uh they certainly
Got rocky yesterday and they’ll get a bit of it today as well and we de tomorrow into the bitberg valley on the other side of those mountains beautiful uh scenes and visuals from uh on the bike here puts you right in the race doesn’t it it is fantastic Innovation that we first um
Used to back here in uh I remember getting visuals uh from the media e bikes very excitedly coming down the vitenberg drop back into TB back in 2013 so fantastic to see flowing Trails but uh it doesn’t uh give you a real perspective of the uh climbs and the punishing nature of
Today’s Journey around this beautiful tbu Valley it’s uh we are just so privileged to welcome our fellow comat we’ve heard Bart brers on the start line interviewing uh the Riders before the start but uh alongside us for today’s stage and indeed for the rest of the weekend was yesterday so be
Spits a former Olympic champion gold silver and bronze medal yeah um yeah I mean it’s uh that does it feel like another life to you lifetime ago it’s uh it’s a while ago but um look at it’s I mean of course like uh the Olympics it’s uh it’s
Something special um and uh I have in way also the privilege to be part of Olympic Games five times so which is actually quite great and a long time um but it’s also I mean it’s also nice in the way now in seeing actually the sport a bit from the
Different side and but still be connected to the sport which I really enjoy and you still ride your bike I do yeah I was already also this morning I was a bit out had tried to to figure out a little bit uh about the course and
It’s like you what you said earlier I mean um so the the Riders we went out and we went actually against the Sun and then there was like this dust and it was like you couldn’t really see the underground and um so yeah crashes happens quite easily under these
Conditions yeah we saw one very early on in the men’s race as they left the start a crash that fortunately didn’t take any uh casualties with it but this is the lead bunch in the women’s race race in the ARX women’s race with the ghost Factory racing team on the front there
Also there are the specialized team the canadel factory racing team the Private Client Holdings team Mona mital at the very back of that that group there she she in her interview at the start of the day said she wasn’t feeling quite yet you know that that strong but
Uh how do you approach a day like that um to me she looked a bit uh um uncertain yesterday when I saw her on the podium or in the Finish um and I guess it’s just also because she yeah was also a bit baffled with how she felt
On the bike in the in this still shorter um um prologue race and um yeah maybe also just uh tries now take today a bit easier of course yesterday she probably would have like tried everything with cooling down and uh uh keep her body temperature cold and maybe also like for
Today um some extra or being extra cautious with at the water points trying to to cool down to take a cup of water into the neck or just yeah I think it’s but also for all Riders it’s if in in these hot conditions you you need to cool down your
Body so it’s GES Factory racing then the uh specialized team and then it’s a you can see cace Lil in there and a private clients team4 private clients in there as well so the top four teams doing very nicely indeed at the moment just managing the pace but you talked about taking it
Easy well not taking it easy but managing efforts but the other teams will be aware and will they’ll be feeling good and going hard so you’ve got to be very careful and Candace L’s got to be very careful in how she approaches this if the race goes away
And her Partners feeling feeling weak you got to manage that yeah so one one thing what you can do is uh as as a bit stronger team partner if you go into if you if the if the um if the the trail goes into a single Trail so that you
Just try and way you you go on into the front and you try to slow down the pace to make it also a bit easier for your partner to to follow and to to to stay with the group tactics uh will come into play well just looking at those tactics
There we saw the team in the lead they looked like they were pushing their Pace a little bit will be as we go up in the air again looking down over these farmlands Lush they are now live footage from the men’s race and uh talking pushing the pace about pushing the pace
Lucas bom is here in the lead and really always with a with a yeah with a good pedal stroke and you see that the others are were trying to clinch on and to hang on oh we can see there is a very select group there the group of buff meamo are
In touch it’s Oria leot speed company pushing the pace yellow jerseys are very much in the mix are in the mix and becking and alaman pairing also in touch but casualties down the trail it looks like it might be the singer pair who are trailing a little bit off the back of
That lead batch a very exclusive batch indeed the red white and blue is hunt becking the Dutch champion and alongside him is V alaman look how steep this climb is very very steep indeed and line Choice key here Nino shter not leaving Lucas bals back whe have art
Alamandas keeping himself in the frame there he’s the European Champion one hand on the Le bar here trying to eat as he goes up the climb yeah it’s not always easy when to to still also grab something else out of your pocket and uh and then yeah especially in the climb to push
Something in your mouth and Jew on it TR to work out we’ve got the buff mega b we’ve got the world bicycle relief we’ve got a be speed company specialized 91 I think just hanging on here and P Urus still their early Pace has dropped off a fraction really
Victoria Factory that’s rabenstein and poro 12 seconds down and then Marco Y and his partner vessel b 14 seconds off the pace there’s the race within the race is pus still and uko Racing for the Africa Jersey but I think they also want to be the best performing African team
In the in the ABS epic which obviously gives you that Africa Jersey but puts them inside the top five four or five teams they were fourth yesterday now Oria are starting to suffer this is rabenstein a PO at least for the willia Victoria team and ravenstein at his
Partner I think they are just off the back of this this group again not try not panicking if you see the group going away on a day likee today just yeah it’s an injection of pace from V alaman who according to his partner is super strong on the climbs
And the Belgian is out to settle here putting some pressure on sherter and Finny are hanging on to it Howard GRS looks as though he’s hanging on I don’t know where Matt beers is well it looks like it’s uh Matt beers is just a you can see the tall figure of mat beers
Shortly just a little bit behind and alaman knows that this is a real opportunity for them they are past the 57 km Mark in fact they are into the into the 60s already in terms of the kilometers we need to get a time check
And as at the 70 km mark But already we can see out on the trails massive move there by Buff megao and already a big split just two teams in the mix it’s clear who has the Firepower today in on stage one in the 88 km stage and still
Some climbing to go there’s yans saos and Fan’s pass to still to breach and then it’s the asakai boss section before they descend into sensburg Nino shter riding defense ly with his partner Sebastian Fin and they are matching the buff Mega pedal strike for pedal strike
Hunt breing very much in touch very much in control and he certainly found a match in his partner V Alan yeah he did that as he got to the CR of that little drag alaman looked over his shoulder to survey the damage and he had done some significant damage and there is evidence
Of that damage this is what’s happened this fourman and again you just cannot get a hand on how steep this is if you look at the Cadence a cycling at their body positions and uh they really are working hard very steep that yeah and he’s he’s not in a way sticking back so
He still in a way wants of course uh even make this Gap bigger and this is uh just in a way to have just this other team with Nino shter and Sebastian finny um with him and and uh yeah and it it seems like he has he’s still he’s
Pushing hard and uh I think that he also would even um make the Gap back bigger to the to the dropping teams V Alan the Belgian is a 28-year-old who won the European title but he won early this year the Mediterranean epic a key event ahead of this race and the man who
Finished second to him there was G egar Mark stutzman was third Sam moip poro fourth Daniel GMI who’s racing here was in fifth place then bam was in seventh sealt ninth and steep John 10th so a lot of these Riders used that as a gauge and a preparation for for the absap
Epic well they were early Pace set as the Bulls pair of uba and Simon schella and now they are a little bit off that that pace well they are um they were certainly in touch with the top 10 teams and uh it’s a very select group of
Riders that and all is not lost still they’re very much lying in the top 10 and they know that patience is everything Ur Huber has been learned from the very best firsthand experience K plat knew that uh he was highly aware and uh was the master tactician of the 8
Day stage race and those who knows just stay patient because anything can happen they just keep their powder dry and keep in touch and keep the pace as as as high as they can and keep their own Rhythm and they know that they’ve got a chance of getting back in touch with that
Leading pair of buff mega mo and World bicycle relief another beautifully cut Trail through the F boss on the slopes of the vitenberg mountains as they head up towards the imposing they’ll get to it in a while the funy passing they’re heading up towards yans saos okay now I
Can’t make enough mention of the trails they are quite extraordinary now they brought Manan B from dotopia in to build some Trails they rode those early on Raptor rise and Rees he did a great job there you’ll ride plenty of his later on this week as they head towards Stell but
All the trail builders in the western Capia have done an extraordinary job over the years and these Trails used for the abser cape epic they come and just rehabilitate old trails and uh build some new ones where they need it and that just adds to Every Mountain Biker’s
Experience because in years to come these Trails will be there and you can come and ride them by signing on and joining paying a little fee at in tilb the tilb mountain bik Club various centers you can do that and then come and these Trail all 26 km to go this is
Still we’re very much in the backloaded part of the stage we spoke about the the fact that the three climbs are the three big climbs are towards the back end of the stage and we’re well in the thick of those climbs we’re at the moment on yans
Saos and will be soon descending and tackling the famous funy pass that’s the final climb of the day the most selective the highest and the last climb of the day before the Riders descend into the race Village in sensburg in tulbach they’re heading towards B PL
Very shortly but uh this is going to be a real Showdown on Fun’s pass have you written that um I was supposed to in 2020 yes no I never actually um because also um beside or out of the race uh you you’re not allowed to go to to to ride
It they used to have big races here that uh in the past they still have one or two but yeah you can’t there are certain areas you can cannot ride and that front pass is one of those um but most of these other Trails you certainly can and I guess so so what
I just heard from Riders it’s also not um necessarily a trail or a climb you you want to do but it it it comes with a bit of a brutally hard but then it comes with a nice prize at the other side because there’s a beautiful Trail coming up you
Know there’s always a bit of reward for for their hard effort but yeah it is a a very very uh so it sounds you have done it no I was asking watched it on I’ve watched it on our coverage I just wanted to ask you
No it’s one I haven’t done what what was your gearing no no no I haven’t done that um I think now I get to put up my hand now you can say you’ve done it you can tell us with the motor bike yeah I I was a motorbike in those days
No that’s a that’s a complete joke and a well over exaggeration but it is uh it is a very tough climb a very long climb and depends on which way you look at it it uh it it’s yeah they it’s not a true pass and uh rather than crossing a a
Mountain range it provides access to the highest orchards in the toolbar Valley but I’m sure the Riders aren’t going to be thinking of that 4.1 km in length and it gains 371 M an average of about 9% and the initial ramps are steep but not
Too brutal it’s uh about 3.5% for 750 m after the 1 km Mark between kilm 2 and 3 it pitches steeply up to 20 to 30% and there are some relief sections of about 10% or so and the final kilom is relentlessly steep to what they would
Call a false Summit and uh really it’s it’s a big challenge if uh if the Riders take it too fast too soon there’s every chance of blowing up so it’s important to measure efforts and uh it’s one of those climbs that you think you see the
Top and actually not really so you have to keep an eye on the data and know exactly what you got yourself in for but uh certainly a very uh a very tricky climb and we do have some information that Simon schneller in terms of the
We’ve got a k stat at the moment Simon schneller is the fastest 12 minutes 12 minutes and 50 seconds it took him to get up played a decisive role in 20121 uh back to to that race in the the green epic if you like one late in the year at
October epic uh was a was a factor there and it will be I’m sure today as as all these major maor times up play role we we ask the Riders ahead of the stage you know what how you feeling what are you thinking of do do those you know
As a as an elite athlete when you’re preparing for the stage you standing there have you have you done all that have you do you were you one of those Riders go through those and say right we’ve got to this get here you you definitely need to be prepared but if it
Comes to Elevation and that you um also in that you throw in in your trading a lot actually climbs and also that you that you make like you simulate this massive um days like like a queen stage where you where you also try in your training blocks where you have days with
Over 3,000 meters of climbing that’s uh I think it’s essential thing that because um you you you have to deal with it your body have to deal with it because the next day comes another got to get accustomed to it yeah another another big day and um I mean we don’t
Have very long days but aot lot of or if I say like from the from a kilometer perspective not long long stages but they all have a lot of uh elevation in it and uh that actually what also takes it out of the of the of the
Riders when you stand on the start line you know you’ve done when you get there you know you’ve done the preparation you know you you’re ready for uh for that you what you prepared for is uh to to suffer and to to climb those uh those big big
Mountains yeah and it seems like it’s flowing like flowing down and then before it gets to the final big climb yeah it’s coming up it’s building up slowly but surely and uh our helicopter keeping a track from up on high and our media ebikes yes occasionally our connectivity
To the Bulls media ebikes will be intermittent uh we apologize for that we always try and strive to produce the best possible images from uh this route but it is uh well if you just uh just give it a thought how tough it is to uh transmit live you know from from this
Event the the big road events well they have a lot of fix swing aircraft high above flying and and providing support and signal but this is an extraordinary logistical feat and Technical feat bringing you these live images from deep in the the country the rural parts of the Western Cape they are
Beautiful as well The Vineyards The Orchards of the tach Valley providing uh fruit and uh feeding uh people all over the world lot of this fruit exported to all parts of the world and much of it reaching the local market as well you can see this is r up at the
Higher upper reaches of the mountain slopes that’s what we’re talking about riding almost above these Orchards it’ll tell you that they are in the uh the rarified atmosphere the the high altitude of this mountain bike race today upwards of around about the the the top of Fun’s pass is just short of
800 m above sea level so they they’re climbing very very high from a base of around 200 M you’re uh you’re exactly accurate it’s uh 749 M exactly very very steep Peaks but tomorrow tomorrow it should be like almost th000 M so going over yes vitenberg climb is up to 1,000 M up
There that’s a cliffhanger how how high is that uh we’ll have to get to that in a while but that’s also extremely high a a little bit later in the week yeah the the big peaks in this part of the world the VTO Peak which presides over the
Northern side of this Valley is around 27 277 m above sea level so it gives you an idea how high these Peaks are the clan V is just a couple of hundred meters shorter than that um but there are some very very big Peaks here oh you
Saine you talked about the Cliff Hanger Cliffhanger that’s the on stage four it’s the 88 km stage with the most amount of climbing the 3,000 M climbing stage 88 km to 3,000 M of climbing a very tricky day out and tricky the the well certainly if you’re aiming for a
General classific there’s no tricks there suffering the the the Cliffhanger yeah is what we were talking about and that is up to 1,000 M you m it’s also brand new new yes let one to avoid maybe for the time being no it’s said a it will be debut in
The absap Epic it’s been written in an event a pre absap epic event the Iuka event and it is an extraordinary piece of Trail and an amazing sight um from up above we’ll see that in a few days time for now though this is the women’s race
That we’re focused on and the ghost Factory racing team an turpster and niol Colo so two who make a living out racing the Cross Country Circuit week in and week out at the moment managing it they you feel they couldn’t be in a better position for them is that they’re
Wearing the the leaders jerseys they can they can to a degree dictate the pace um but they’re in control here we’ve got Gomez vfan and Samara sheeper in the mix here as well as Candace Lil and her partner Mona mitala and Haley PR is joined by Lana jro the French Champion
So that’s the elite group of four teams in in the front of this women’s race here how do you see it unfolding today yeah I almost believe that way the tactic would be at the last clim really like to make a big move and get away from the others yeah everyone’s just
Keeping their powder dry until the big climb the funy pass climb as they are heading up by fancy towards the clipp Descent Cola turra Gomez vifon and it’s uh Samara Shephard and just behind her Candace Lil and then mono mitala great to see people out there
They made the effort to get out and cheer these Riders along how cool that is spectator support alongside the trails not always easy to get out to the trail some of them would have driven and then walked quite a while to get there the men on the left hand
Side dropping down I would think yans saos is the trail that they are heading into now another beautiful Trail as I said this whole section clip rair and yans saos around 17.8 km and close on 700 M of climbing just this block between sort of 48 and 68 km a really really tough
Section and that’s the sort of appetizer to the day’s piered resistance yeah on the ladies way in a way just also got rid of uh of the hydration BS um there was um a water point before and we probably just now took for the last bit
Uh water bottles and uh um and handed over the um the the hydration BS to the to team yeah it’s another we were you you elaborated a bit on it and how how how beneficial it is to have those hydration packs and and the use for
These Elite ladies and men they use them up to the first water point or maybe some we’ve seen some pick them up um at a second water point so that they don’t have to stop at a third it also depends how big uh the the the distance is
Between the water points and um when you also can expect y the biggest heat or is the section in between is it a lot of single Trail where you can’t actually just easily grab your bottle so this is also comes into the calculation when when you just take bottles or the hydration
Pick setting the pace for seems well in control Nicole Cola and anat turra in leading the Toyota specialized 91 team up spare a thought for Mona RNA she is she has been suffering over the last couple of days she said she had heat stroke on the first on the prolog but
Still very much in touch and doing really well for somebody who’s feeling perhaps a little bit under the weather but we’ll see later on on F’s pass they have past the 50 they’ve yet to pass the 57 km Mark um but we’ll be able to see
We’ll get a time check of them and just how much time they’ve put into their Rivals U we saw the 37 30 what 38 km back 38 seconds back big you pardon was Lena jro and Haley pin at the 44 km Mark and they were the really the top five
Teams in contention but now it’s very much four teams in contention ghost Factory racing Toyota specialized 91 canadale Factory racing and efficient Infinity SCB sham Vera Loza and Lexus Scara still staying in touch four teams in the mix in the women’s category very exciting absolutely and turst has put
Some good preparation he was doing a lot of cross country races The Sunshine Cup in Cyprus she was dominant there won five races there so um she’s been putting a lot of preper and again there’s a contrast between those who are focusing on the cross country and those
Who focusing on the marathon SE seasons and this season is I don’t say complicated but it it has had an added Dynamic with the Olympic Games coming later in the year you’ve also got the World Cup circuit the world championship so some briders perhaps deciding that
They didn’t want to to take on the absap Epic in an olympic year others deciding that it would benefit them loo shter is is here um taking part in it he’s going to be certainly one of those to look at at the Olympic Games turra and K turra
Pretty certainly be at the Olympic Games now Gomez vfan trying to get through there on the right hand side just heading into this little single track couldn’t get past Cola and they were dropping into the Toyota tough section and Gomez V fan try to try to do what uh
Sabine was talking about a little earlier try and get in front there and slow the pace because she knows these two cross country stars might just get away here and already there’s a little Gap back to to Samar sheeper well they know Samar sheeper and sopia Gomez know that these
Two are the some of the fastest cross country riders in the business and on these technical Trails there is a threat that they could open a gap and even if just with just a few ex just just a bit of extra seconds as you get to the
Bottom it means that the defending teams or the teams that have lost those few seconds have to spend some energy catching up and that can make all the difference it all adds up over the next uh eight days or the next six days after even after today there’s plenty of
Single track to come in fact it’s the most single track I think we’ve ever seen in the race so that really makes all the difference if the teams are have technical adeptness they can just put a few seconds in which means that the uh Riders who not quite as good on the
Technical stuff have to catch up and uh if you add that up over a few over a few days a few hours it uh it takes its toll yeah and ni follow she is a very good technical rider and she if you also just see a bit like if you look it’s it’s
Like effortless how she actually serves down and um and uh between um between uh the ghost Factory racing team and okay um soia V she’s staying with them butar shepher there has already like a gap um uh opened up yeah so it’s definitely like that she just like let it nicely
Flow and she she knows very well Al to to read the surface and has a good position on the bike also perhaps the tactical error was the other really top level cross country Rider Mona mital would have been uh would have been good to have if she was
In the front as well because she would have also been able to keep up with the with the the ghost Factory racing team from her skills that she’s honed on the World Cup circuit and same as Candace L who’s also raced on the World Cup
Circuit um and uh just there bit of a tactical error that they weren’t in in right on the wheels of the ghost Factory racing team well I suppose it tactically it is but physically if you cannot be there they she would she was pretty much
At the back of that group of of eight Riders it’s very difficult to to get to the front even even the third Rider trying to get get in couldn’t couldn’t find a way in there but uh turone Cola unbelievably good on that technical descent so that’s the theater today here
In the tach Valley the sburg farm is the start and finish Village and they are doing a full lap of this beautiful valleys some of the most rugged terrain and trails imaginable and they’re making it look easy aren’t they well the amateur further back might not be
Finding it just quite as easy at the moment we’re building up to a sensational Finish [Applause] [Applause] Well this is the ABS of Cape epic the Pinnacle of the Epic series and there you got a little brief look at what you can do if you choose to take on the Epic series events the Andor epic the four Islands in Croatia that’s coming up soon
And the Swiss epic as well and of course the wines dwells here in South Africa late in the year November all part of global mountain biking and as I said this is the Pinnacle event the out cake I think 8 Days the only one that is of that
Duration now we are Focus focusing on the men’s race here and the yellow jerseys on the front of this race now or one of them anyway Nino shter Sebastian finny has a rider sandwich in front of him and that might be Howard grz in fact it’s V alaman and then hun becking
Question is there sh and alaman just behind him and uh they are heading towards the funy pass climb the build up you’re close actually to the last water point of today’s stage at B Class yep it comes up there the ital there’s beers and grots so the missing team here are they
There there’s o team or where are they are they up up the road or are they look like the line Riders there maybe uh one up the road I’m not sure but they are now heading onto the fany pass and the B PL water point which is the last
Water point will get a timing checkpoint there just short of 70 km and that’ll give us an idea as to the gaps further back indeed and they haven’t yet passed that burross water point will soon be passing there where will be able to get a time check and of course the all of
Important roll call as to who the who the teams are in touch but very much in control the yellow jerseys of Sebastian fi and Nina shter so in fact yeah the a um team is not not within this group have they flown the coupe are they up the road that’s the question
Beers and grots at the back of this group and uh here is starting to have to pace a little bit because GRS is the one who’s taking a little bit of strain early on in this climb Gap is starting to open there good to see them if they’re keeping a good
Rhythm the Gap is uh it’s growing slightly and it’s always a good sign when the Gap doesn’t suddenly grow because it means the Riders have been sensible they haven’t gone too far into the red they haven’t blown up they just keep their own Rhythm but we will be
Keeping an eyee on that Gap Howard grz just uh having a look back to see who’s behind him but the important thing for the defending Champion is to look after his teammate he is a very he’s a very good bike rider there’s no doubt about
It but one of his core skills is that he’s manag he’s able to manage Partners very well I think his first partner in La epic May well have been Alan hatherley um and they were very very J very high quality team good friend too but A’s focus is elsewhere this year
He’s one of those who focus is on cross country and the Olympics later in the year would all right we’re on to Fun’s pass here and as I said we are looking for the OB Le speed company team we uh are doing the rounds on the various
Communication devices and we have a bit of a word out there for you we had some unofficial time Checkers 38 seconds back our speed company the speed L 40 seconds off the pace and we’re just watching them perhaps they’ll be looking up up the road to the pairing
Of Toyota 91 specialized and pigo steel 1 minute 40 back so the group up front is the world bicycle relief team of Nino Shir and Sebastian finny and then the willia Victoria team of Fabian rabins CH and Samui poro and the buff megao team that is hunts becking and his partner
Vat alaman as they move pull into the bepl water point this is the final water point and now we’re back with our ladies women’s teams and Sophia vfan has gone to the front of this little group here she’s got to be careful though doesn’t
Want to uh push it too hard and uh see her partner she’s just dragging onto the back now is Samara sheeper on the back of the ghost Factory racing pair as well we go 2 hours 45 and here mitala and Candice Lil just yoyoing a little bit but closing the Gap
Onto the back of Samar Shephard all back together again they’re looking Candace Lil another Rider who’s an expert at managing partners and she’ll be looking after Mona and uh making sure she gets through the day because she knows the Firepower of the Austrian but it also looks like that we
Had now dropped also the efficient uh infinity team with ver Loa and Alexis scar they off that group The defending champion and her American partner Mona metala had has had plenty of experience racing in South Africa she won the T trick a few weeks ago just over the mountains in the vitenberg
Region with Candace Lil but that race traditionally has always been one of the hottest races of the year but this year for uh different reasons it wasn’t quite as hot the maximum temperatures around low 30s rather than high 30s early 40s so she perhaps the conditioning she
Would have gained from riding in the heat there wasn’t uh there this year but she’s hanging in there she’s all right she’s in in this lead Group which is where she wants to be and slowly attrition the the teams are dropping off we’ve lost one at the
Ver Los and Alexis SCA from this group and now you see like Samara shepher in the back uh right back hard gear like uh pushing hard like with a low Cadence and I was still you you need to actually to try to keep a a smooth pedaling with a
Higher Cadence because otherwise you actually you you you you lose power Sophia Gomez veran perhaps mindful of a Samar shepher at the back there and just setting a pace that will suit her rather than going too hard and uh ghost Factory racing quite happy to sit on her
Wheel beautiful views over the tach Valley as the stage one of the apps pepic unfolds here 88 km 2,450 M of climbing and the first marathon stage of the race that measures all and uh well a little measurement will be taken today on these Mountain slopes and rugged
Trails we he the men are heading up Fun’s pass the women are closing in on it as well so the men making their way up Fun’s pass and the drama starting to unfold there is that the early Pace Setters or speed company have lost touch with that
Lead group there three teams in that lead group with a Toyota specialized pair trying to regain contact with it they’re the fourth team meanwhile there are three teams in this lead group and the women’s race and it is Sophia Gomez vfan as well as Samara shepher and Candace Lilla the Mona mitala and
Then the ghost Factory racing pair of an turra and niol cola I fancy that Lil and mitala have gone to the front here Samara shepher at the back then that’s the ghost Factory then sopia gome is V front and then Candace Lil is setting the pace Mona Mella on a wheel I
Guess when communicating with Mona how she feels and if I and she gets she got the okay to also just go with a bit a higher Pace it’s very important that you just in a way try to to ride a nice pace and also don’t break your partner the
Drama unfolding in the men’s race is that vat alaman is just an absolute beast on this climb he is setting an incredible pace for hun becking who’s trying to hang on to it Nino shter so Sebastian fin just lost a little bit of contact there and the team of Samuel
Poro and Fabian rabensteiner have dropped off now and closing in on them are Howard grz and Matt beers we’re back with the uh stage one drama and the women’s race here and it looks like Sophia Gomez vfan has just lost touch with that group there so now just
Two teams in fact Samara Shep has also gone so it’s Candace L Mona midala and the ghost Factory team I guess that uh sopia V just in a way realized that Samara sheeper is not vied group anymore and she not just drop back to uh get
Back to her partner and uh give her support so the drama in both the men’s and women’s races The Heavy toll being taken on these massively difficult climbs the men are on at the biggest climb of perhaps well certainly today and one of the biggest and toughest of
The entire week Fun’s pass and the women are heading up yansa boss and they will make the Descent and then they will begin the funy pass climb but Candace Lil and Mona mavala who started the day not sounding overly confident about how she was feeling but uh sort of just
Hoping that things would come right today well it’s looking pretty good for the Austrian she’s just 22 she’s already a double marathon world champion and a World Cup winner so she’s a seriously talented racer there’s no question about that and behind her and turra and uh ni
Cola to worthy World Cup races tster a four-time World Cup winner so she knows what it’s like to win at that level now back to the men’s race on fany’s pass it’s distinctive as it is cut into the side of the mountain here World bicycle relief and buff Meo the two teams up
Ahead and Victoria V Victoria Factory well they’ve dropped a little bit further back than those numbers suggest this is from the B point at B PL at around 68 km they’re a little bit further up the road n buo and p Urus still are fighting for the African
Jersey piga we hard early on they seem to be coming back to uko now after Mar y had an early mechanical issue they’ve recovered very quickly from that it seems to all in touch the the top three contending teams for that uh for that coveted red jersey and also in that
Group the Bulls Rose Huber and Simon schella alaman and becking shurter and Finny well buff Mega team looking very very strong indeed almost got an Alpine look to it hasn’t it it has indeed and up to the trail yeah dolomites yeah dolomites yeah spectacular as they right deep into
The vent mountains here really really beautiful uh ragged terrain and uh quite inaccessible other than on a mountain bike well I was just going to say Gerald this is not something that any anyone can just come and ride um it has to be part of the part of the absap
Epic it’s a unique part of the absap Epic it’s not for everyone so it is actually in fact it’s strictly forbidden to ride is it actually the second time what 2022 uh the postponed one 21 21e they did 21 here yeah so it’s only the second time it has been uh ridden in
The ab okay epic it’s a spectacular climb and uh turning out to be pivotal in perhaps the outcome of today’s stage once they get to the top of this a very fast descent and then into the beautiful asakai BOS single track which is quite uh covered and uh it’s canopied if you
Like and then they run down back into the valley and into the finishes very fast who is it going to be who’s going to emerge as the stage winners are the yellow jerseys shurter and Finny well finny is proving to be an absolutely superb partner for the greatest of all
Time Nino sha looking for a third apsic Cape epic win here Sebastian fin on his first journey around and all these new combinations that are piecing together here the only team that are back together amongst the leading contenders are the a Le speed company pair of EG
And bound yes the uh at that time check the 68 kilm Mark OB lead speed company were 1 minute and 3 seconds down out there on their own in no man’s land between the two groups the lead group of world bicycle relief buff Meo and at the time which was willia Victoria Factory
And Toyota 91 specialized and just looking at the overall G overall General classification looking at the teams that are right there in the mix World bicycle relief have a 51 second lead over Toyota specialized 91 that lead is growing now if you were to take the virtual lead
Right now that lead is growing but buff meamo very much in touch one minute and 32 seconds back on General classification of the pace of the uh of the time set in the prologue by World bicycle relief Eno sha Sebastian finny and uh Matt and and hun becking and Mart
Alan in touch with each other C is little doing a fantastic job how she has uh well she’s got four second places in the abser cape epic and would dearly love to correct that this year she’s got a work cut art but she’s got a very very strong partner in the
Olyp the marathon world champion and uh also she has now the years of experience and I think a new lease on confidence and belief in herself that is uh really given her such power and strength I think the second place of the world championships and she’s won some races
In Europe last couple of weeks so she’s feeling confident and she knows what comes so she definitely has done these uh these roots here um and she’s the only one in in in this group um of of the two teams um yeah and uh I guess she
Can also then in a way just just also how she can Pace up on these climbs and to also take the the final Fenty pass talk to us about how that the importance of winning is to one’s confidence and winning um early on in your career um if
You go back to your first significant win that gave you the belief that you realized this I can I can do this and I’m going to win some big titles yeah it’s actually a long time back so no but also um it was um so 2000 was
For me the big dream the Big Goal to be part of the Olympic Games in Sydney and um at that time it wasn’t about being winning or get going for podiums place because I also realized I wasn’t I wasn’t that I wasn’t at that stage yet
So but I took um with uh being part of the or joining the Olympic games um gave me actually so much motivation than the following year 2001 that actually what that was my my breakthrough where I was like um I became uh won the bronze medal
At Worlds I I won the silver medal at the European championships so that actually so the the the yeah this this um motivation which I took from the Olympics that because I said okay this time is still too too early but next at the next Olympics I want to be on that
Podium that was my that was my goal I saw you do that as well actually in Beijing so 2 and 2000 Olympics was the motivation and then the the confirmation with those two medals the next year that actually I’m motivated and my motivation helped me get to the medals I can do
This I’m going to now on and you you you see that it uh that it works that you are actually able also that you are competitive that you can that you can’t that you don’t have to stick back behind the big names that you in a way also uh
Become a bit I wouldn’t say cheeky but yeah you you just gain self-confidence and I’m also someone and I also have skills and uh have the performance I can perform and I think that’s what we we’re seeing from someone like anster as well you know that that slightly I mean Mona
Mital is 22 and she’s already world champions on but an turer has taken a while to mature into race winning at World Cup levels uh Candace Lil’s performance at the world championships and it does instill you with that I belong and I’m I I can win here yeah and
And of course things also sometimes it’s like things need to fall a bit into place and kend is also since um she she I think she works now with Barry ausen very good coach since about two years which also showed her like maybe also a
Bit of different path of how you also um find a good balance between training but also recovery because if you train too hard too much when it’s like you fatigue your body permanently and when you if it comes to the to racing when you actually you can’t push anymore so it’s also a
Good balance between um training and uh recovery did you have a coach for most of your career and critical that it’s uh for me it’s essential because also the knowledge and but also it’s it’s also body feeling because you also need to communicate back to your coach how do
You feel and what works for you what doesn’t work maybe also find um other way I mean there are many Ro ways to roam so just maybe find another way which works for you better to get to to the same goal right fascinating uh thanks Sabine unfortunately our our
Signal out in the more remote areas of the trail is very intermittent uh we do apologize for that we’re trying our utter best to bring you IM of the race but as soon as we get the clean and consistent pictures we’ll bring you that
But for now let’s take a look at uh a a bike check and every year when we come to the abser cape epic there’s uh oh hundreds of new bikes if you like the different manufacturers are bringing out the updated models adding new tech and new design and uh well the Bulls media
Ebike is something uh that has pushed the boundaries and I think Neil Gardner was the man who did the little bike check on that let’s have a look at it than Bart oh BART BART BART branches so let’s have a look at it next to one of the ebike Riders but
Also a very uh famous Rider Sten Sam welcome at the kic I think you are one of the most experienced ebik Riders of this race I think so yeah I 2016 was the first time we we did the the ebike project with with the live stream and the cameras
Following the guys so yeah it’s number this is number eight but also yeah following the riders with an ebike it was back in the days definitely something new and KP came up uh for the first time with it it was it it a bull’s project was it your idea who came up
With it yeah it it kind of was my my idea like when I was when I was racing I thought hey how can I how can I bring the experience that I have in this race which is so cool and I love so much to to the people out there to experience it
Like like we are we are doing and then I thought hey why not attach a lot of cameras to the bike or the rider and this and that to to yeah get all the different angles but you explained it very simple but I think you have to be
More like a pro just to follow to follow the pros in real I mean you you need to have the skills also at an ebik of course you have the yeah some support on the CLS but the the the the desent there’s no support at all you still have
To do it yeah yeah yeah I’m really looking forward to all the climbs and the steeper the better for me so I can relax but like you said like that I mean those guys are the best in the world they are the best cross country riders
In the world and they are super fast on the downhills with the with the light bikes and of course we carry more equipment even even with the backpack with all the camera equipment and it’s it’s it’s tough to to to follow on the on the downhills but yeah some somehow
We try to manage and do you get the respect of the rid as well I mean you riding like a rider in a Pon in in a group on the single tracks um how do they react to you oh I mean everybody everybody knows the the benefits of of
Having cool footage and and stuff so they really they really value it and and we get the respect of the Riders but also we try to be there like in the Life action but in not interfere anyhow so we always take a step back if we see yeah
The situation might come up up and I think it also helped that I was racing the Epic before just to just to predict certain situations and and how things will how the movements are in in in the field and in the rider interesting stor is what you’re telling now um but the
Bike now um tell us a bit more about this completely new Bulls ebike we have a complete new Bulls bike everything on the yeah it’s literally it’s the game changer so it’s called the bubuka Evo am2 we have a full carbon front triangle we have a rear alloy swing arm 150 mm
Suspension front and rear bulletproof tires just so we don’t get get any Flats we have a new nice uh carbon uh cockpit which keeps controls very clear and the the game Cher and and really also a proof of concept for for here for for us for the race in South Africa is the
Opinion uh mgu it’s motor gearbox unit and it’s it’s basically all the gears 12 gears integrated into the motor so you have electronic shifting very precise all the time there’s no setting of of gears and uh also with a belt drive now which means it’s pretty much maintenance
Free so s and forget and there’s a lot of there’s a lot of cool options that that come with with this setup like for instance for us we need to focus on so many things um the filming the riding not to be in the way and sometimes you
Just for instance in a trail you just forget to shift in the right gear and now with this you can just coast along and choose the gear that you want or even if you’re standing still you can choose another gear and be in the right amazing amazing how quick uh the
Development of bikes comes actually every year again but also yeah a segment the ebike M which probably is the the the the best in in sales for the the bike Market at the moment but impressive how quick the improvements and developments uh coming every year it’s
Nice to hear this yeah it’s it’s for me it’s just fun and and I think everybody profits from from these type of developments all type of riders can can yeah just have fun and enjoy the and it’s a never it’s a Never Ending Story Probably do we have to wait this bike
Too we did all the all the the pro bikes we did we we can last time the scale didn’t went up that high so maybe it’s nice I don’t know maybe we have to lift it together but yeah maybe oh you can hold the microphone it’s 25
But the scale only goes up one more time time let’s see Arrow again Arrow again it goes above 20 Stephan even as a ebike rider you have to ride all the stage just um I wish you good luck for this week the weather forecast it’s good maybe a
Little bit of rain on Friday what I saw but um yeah good luck and uh nice to see that footage what you all make every again thanks V yeah really looking forward ni see you around yes fascinating uh our technology is moving at such a pace uh well every industry
But uh in the mountain biking uh and cycling World unbelievable integrated gearbox in that ebike belt driven um Neil you almost couldn’t sit down you were so excited with that technology well it makes perfect sense and uh it’s definitely a a new development and we expect to see more in the future there
Is uh there’s certainly more in the Horizon watch the space um in terms of internal gearboxes and belt drives and uh just it it’s a big transition it’s a big move but there will be there’s certain to be more of those back with the action live action now cameraman
There on that motorbike is keeping a close eye on this it is uh Sebastian finny at the back evat alaman and then Nino sh to the man setting the pace up front is the Dutch Champion hun becking hammering it along as they get to the top of the pass and they start The
Descent down off the top of Fun’s pass asai BOS away it’s a beautiful Trail for them but this is the race these are the two teams at the sharp end of the men’s race on stage one of the ABS pepic well we can see there just from the fact that
The Bulls Med ebik is Behind These two teams that there is a big gap to the next place teams we saw willia Victoria Factory in the mix earlier on we saw Toyota specialized 91 Matt beers uh and hards just falling off the pace a bit Oria Le speed company 1 minute back and
It’s those five teams that were in contention for the stage and now it looks pretty much between those two teams World bicycle relief and buff meamo all to play for now for these two they’ve got uh they they breach the highest point in the race it’s not necessarily all downhill from here they
Still have to navigate the asai boss section and then the long descent into the race Village in sensburg yeah nothing like uh the climbs that they’ve had to deal with just some short sharp little uh Peaks but nothing too serious but yep it’s going to be come down to
Your field these two I don’t know how far back the willia Victoria teamr and beers and grz are where they are well off the pace and won’t be able to make their way back but that is all part of the fascinating story unfolding here so just those two teams on the
Front of the race at the moment World bicycle relief and the yellow jerseys having won the prologue yesterday Nino Sher and Sebastian finny were those gvt yellow jerseys at the start of today’s stage buff meamo the Spanish team with two Riders one from the Netherlands and
One from Belgium they are in that group and they started the day 1 minute and 32 seconds behind World bicycle relief and third on the trail when last we checked with willia Victoria Factory and uh they were started today somewhere off it now this is a little perspective on where the gaps
Are again short sharp climes that just flicking forward so they’re not that far off the pace that looked as though it’s GRS could be grots and beers a lighter colored the Victoria pair will Victoria Factory pair rabenstein and por and the darker jerseys well all credit to if if
We are correct all credit to the Toyota specialized 91 team it’s so hard when you lose touch with the lead group there is such a it does affect the morale a little bit and the key job at that point when you do lose touch if you’re a team
That is not quite on the pace is to keep the Rhythm and mattz is an expert at that he’s an expert at managing Partners expert at keeping a good Rhythm and all credit to them for keeping their hopes of a stage win alive and also their
Hopes on overall GC alive they are 51 seconds back of the lead on General classification of Nino shter and Sebastian fi and uh they know exactly it’s a long week it’s a 26 hour week and we’re only into our number four at the moment or just coming into hour five and
And it is going to be a big a big day out and a big week out as well we expect to see if it’s this close with the top three teams and also don’t forget we’ve got allia Le speed company who could easily come good during the week they
Were only a minute back at that Traverse time check and willia Victoria Factory the everpresent rabensteiner and Samuel aoro five big teams still in the mix here they come yeah met beers here sh P pulls uh um Howard grz and he tries of course to bring him back his partner to the leading
Teams and he has a good Pace yeah he’s a phenomenal he’s got he has been in in unbelievable form he broke his colone late last year in the lifetime series in the gravel and this is the ravener portal combination the willia Victoria Factory team in fourth place also
Dragging themselves back perhaps we will have them all four teams coming down the mountain and heading into tilb all together that’s it’s a gap that’s for sure and the the key thing is here they’ll be able to see how close they are absolutely that helps also to in a
Way to give you an idea how far um the the other teams are ahead and that you’re also trying in a way to just you count the seconds and see if you can if you can even so even so slightly close the gap and it’s after fonty uh there
Was there are still some some kicks where are still it’s written up and down so and um yeah maybe they can still make it work to to close the gap a bit more tell Howard grz is getting an idea of just what an engine that uh Matt beers
Is because he is he’s just powered his way back onto the uh onto that group phenomenal he pulls he pulls him to to the other two teams yeah and if we think about about back to 2018 how it gr have a familiar feeling fighing with y har
Another massive motor of the Pelon so he’ll be he’ll know exactly what to rely on and exactly when but the gaps are not big we could well he probably he probably has still the bite marks in hand yeah this is this is this spectacular asai BOS Trail and there’s
No question that the the cartet up front were determined not to try and let them join that group and they are hammering here hun becking it might be also that h is uh hunts backing is not aware how quickly uh M beers is actually coming from behind so we are just now focusing
Um on the on these two teams and uh but mat beers he has like them ahead of him and it’s like it’s really like a magnet and he just gets sucked to it he’s got them in the sights in his sights and Howard GRS is just hanging on for dear
Life behind and uh well behind them ravenstein poro were also trying to latch onto this train look at them here they come just yeah second and yeah he’s almost closing now G then you’ll have to jump in front of Stefan if it’s Stefan or if it’s I think it might be yeah
That’s beers is just uh an absolute Powerhouse looks over his shoulder Mak sure his partner’s with him and he’s managed this really well clearly that the the the funy pass took a toll on them and they said right don’t worry let them go we’ll we’ll we’ll we can get
Back and this is exactly what he’s doing and Howard gr’s showing incredible determination here to to hang with his partner it’s very encouraging um from the how Howard grz is uh he had big shoes to fill with Chris Levens and of course with Jordan suu both world champions in short short track format
Speed merchants of note and uh there was there were some questions as to whether he’d be able to match the speed of the likes of Nino show to Sebastian finy and of course the buff mega mo team but uh those DS are being put to rest right now
Certainly with resolve and strength of character being able to get back after losing touch fantastic performance from the American all credit to this team and in touch back in touch are the top three teams it’s a world bicycle relief buff meamo Mo and Toyota specialized 91 short
Way back we saw willia Victoria Factory they should they would want to take just a few risks hopefully just to get back in touch with these top three teams to keep their GC hopes alive they always seem to come good later on in the week and they are coming good early in the
Week too impressive they’ve had a great showing ravenstein and Samuel porro at the race the team has been appeared at the ABS aepic in various liveries we saw them here as that we used to call them the trekkies and now they are riding will Air bikes and Victoria is another
Title spor of the tire sponsor ravenstein and Samuel aoro often swap Partners they always come seem to come with a team of four and uh the last minute keeping their opponents keeping their Rivals guessing and make some last minute changes just the perfect combo and ravenstein and S for good
Communication between these two they are a tried and tested partnership for sure again exploring these beautiful Trials of tilb here they have done the M bike Community Pride the passionate M bike Community here in Tobak Deon Wilkins and his team gr clack and Tim Wilkins and bringing in the trail
Builders like Manan bua to help them out it really is fantastic and these very best riders in the world are doing them Justice here Howard gr sticking in to stay with this group now he’s made they made the effort now they must just uh absorb a bit of the uh pressure and then
Prepare for what could be a thrilling F oopsie down goes our media ebike briefly just slipping out that 25 kg beautiful bike but uh no problem at all and now he’s got a Chase back to to regain contact with that lead group so interesting to see that they uh that
The world bicycle relief allowed say allowed but they’ve let hunts becking set the pace on this downhill section and that could be telling we know how good the skills of Nino shahan he could pose an advantage on these on this section perhaps giving themselves a bit
Of a gap him and could get a bit of a gap for a stage win but we have seen them ride very defensively haven’t always seen them Le lead we’ve seen them have been in the front a couple of times but there’s been no aggressive Drive coming from Nino sh and Sebastian finny
They know what they’ve got to do they’ve got to defend those yellow jerseys and the less they stick their necks out the better it’s all about measuring your efforts and they know that they can defend today they could be they could match the pace of any of the teams out
There and they are happy to uh to follow buff megao down these Trails they drop out of this beautiful TR the two media Bulls media bikes now with this group there but they are now in race red hot mode because the Finish will come rapid now most of the climbing
Is pretty much done and it is now a race to tilb and uh well overall the yellow jerseys will be looking good now let’s see here here they come there rabensteiner yeah and poro not far off oopsie he’s missed the Turning he’s missed the Turning oh no he
Hasn’t I thought he missed that one over there I would say 15 seconds or so that’s that’s a completely it’s a it’s a gap that is uh that is is closable you could say and they just might need to take a few risk they RI just seems a
Little bit more frantic than uh than the pace set by the uh the Front Runners that’s because they are just a little bit closer to their limit we look down the trail to the top three teams in contention for the stage win with Willer Willer Victoria chasing madly behind hav
Caught sight of where Al aad speed company is George Edgar Lucas B we expected big things from them they had a slightly disappointing prologue 2 minutes 48 seconds off the pace and they were vowing to make good vowing for Revenge again today and today is not
Their day but we’ll be able to see at the time check exactly what their losses have been at willia Victoria Factory have every chance of getting back into that lead group they pass through the Us in hydration Zone Here no takers Sebastian finny drifted quite close to the tables there maybe want to do a stretch an arm out and just take something on the way but Nino’s on a mission here well that would be telling if they did stop it would allow the team
Of will Victoria to catch up thing about the water points it does create a bit of a cono effect but no luck for the Italian pairing but yeah also if you just look on the map now it’s really like um after that hydration um point it’s just downhill back to the to the
Finish and um yeah I mean if you if it comes to sprinting of course M beers he has like uh quite some punch but it’s about also his partner um Harold Harold BRZ how he um how he would manage well Nino sh on the front here has gone on
The offensive you feel he’s been riding fairly defensively for much of the day but now he and Sebastian finny are putting the hammer down V alaman who’s been much done much of the front riding today in third place and hunts becking who led them down through the asakai BOS
Trail in fourth place but look at Nino sure to go unbelievable just let the bike go yeah absolutely sensational there is no one like him not really not really I mean he he does extraordinary things him he himself is he said like he’s he’s um not like specifically super good in
One specific thing but he’s on a high level as a as a whole so his strength is in in each in in in if you go if you see the what what the um a perfect mountain biker needs he has like goes in all Direction like has a has very good good
Good skills he covers every base at a higher percentage than any other Rider does across all of them and uh look at him he’s Sebastian finny’s dropped significantly off it not not badly so but that’s a mark of how strong this man is look at that Gap already we’ve seen a
Gap back to uh that’s a gap back to hunt becking hunt becking is slightly off the pace he will need to pick it up and close that Gap back to the his partner certainly B alaman alaman is barely in touch with Sebastian finny we’ll be looking I think it’s the hopes of we
Spoke about earlier the hopes of willia Victoria Factory of catching back on but with the the pace that nino Sho is setting it looks unlikely at this point Nina shter has flown searing pace and uh yeah it’s snap Denny thought I think that willia ftor had of of joining this
Group he sensed I can maybe deal with these couple of teams but another team in this mix is not going to be what what we wanted to finish well we still got over 5 km to go we’ll know when they hit the 5K to Mark 5K mark because we have a
Time check there we’re able to get exactly what that time Gap is but we have uh definitely there someone has thrown down the gauntlet for sure and that person is Nino sh credit to Sebastian finny he is looking to get back in touch and we’ll be soon
Seeing what damage Nino sha has done to the field just seems like they also needed a bit of stretch but it’s also if you see um n i mean um he spends also a lot of time in South Africa um riding these conditions you know like it is different to riding
In in Europe um with the loose gravel and uh and and anino can also like can go with a high speed can do these things and Finny was also still like back in Denmark so that’s also if uh if you don’t have the same time or like the
Same same experience over the years like how to actually deal with these kind of conditions that that brings her gets a bit on the back foot well there’s a problem here because zat alaman has clearly got the legs and the power he’s joined finny and shter be King is really
Having to bury himself to go to the front and Alan is now going to try and put himself on the fronti here and say no I’m going to try and just ease this off a little and see if I can bring Hunt’s becking back yeah clever move
From the Belgian just to try and control the pace a little bit perhaps have a word with n shter or Sebastian fi just to try and distract him but I don’t think Nino sha is distractable it looks like hunt becking is going to need he
Will rely on the help of Matt beers to help Pace back to the front Matt beers of course of course is giving the buff mega mo Rider a free ride back to his partner he just also hopes where is how that Howard gr is also with
Him look at them all coming back wow what a race we’ve got on our hands here it is a world bicycle relief it is buff meamo and it is Toyota specialized 91 all in the mix here as we get to the uh most exciting part of this stage right
Towards the finish at sburg really is enthralling becking digging deep to regain contact and beer is doing all he can to get every ounce of effort out of his partner Howard grz who’s back on at least Beer’s wheel and pulling him back to the group here and perhaps the three
Teams will be sprinting it out for the win very shortly so a race of real drama unfolding here as they charge towards the Finish you know all these Riders have been racing on High level at demand at Cross countries and Marathon events around the world Howard grz hasn’t done a serious
Mountain bike event since 2022 the American national championships and before then since well 2019 and then 2018 was his last full season on the uh big mountain biking circuit he has been doing a lot of racing on the gravel circuit he did take time out of the SP
Completely to complete his studies but uh that’s a mark of this man he is right there in the heat of the battle here sitting on the wheel of Matt beers who’s managed him superbly today managed their their team Dynamic very very well indeed
To be right in the mix at the uh the the serious end of the race and if you cast your mind back to stage one Matt Bez and his partner Christ Christopher bevens had a very bad day and it last shipped I think almost over 8 minutes and uh
They’ll be relieved that day one is done without incident even if they lose a few seconds here in the Sprint finish it means that they’ve achieved their goal of staying in touch with the race lead with the overall General classification and still within all within a minute of
Each other so will bicycle rela on the front Nino sh and Sebastian Finny the race leaders in the gvt jerseys defending those for all their worth today against the marauding buff Mega team spearheaded by the power skill and strength of V alaman with hunts becking the Dutch champion on his wheel and
South African Champion Matt beers guiding and cajoling his partner Howard grz towards the Finish Under The Canopy they go and we are very close to the finish here 3 and 1/2 hours was just over 3 and 1/2 hours of racing a little bit of single track just to add to the mix near
The Finish closing in on the finish of stage one of the ABS Cape epic and sburg is not far away it’s flattened fast now after the tri tribulations the ulations and the trails of the day 3 hours and 32 minutes of Helter Skelter racing has boiled down to three teams on the front
The early aggressors were the buff Mega Mod team V Alan and hunts becking trying to set a pace they started the day 1 minute and 32 behind the world bicycle relief team and they are with them now but they’ll be delighted will the world bicycle relief team of Nino sherter and
Sebastian finny that they haven’t lost time to that pair the specialized team are yo-yoing off this this lead group that’s the top two teams in the canopy of trees there and now again it’s apparent that Matt beers and Howard GRS have lost a bit of time again to them
Having put in a huge effort to regain the place back in in the wheels there just a few seconds Gap it’s it can seem like a lifetime but it’s testimony to the fact that Nino shter and Sebastian are pushing the pace the two yellow JS are on the front they’ve been defensive
All day and now they are 100% pure AG agression and uh we did see in stage one was actually won by vout alaman in when they headed into hermanus and uh maybe looking to do a repeat but if he wants to repeat that he’s going to have to
Make sure his partner is back in touch with Nino sh and Sebastian finny split time at 832 kilm that was what it was there so nothing between the top three in the women’s race they’re on Fun’s pass at the moment from a distance at look like there may have been uh four
Teams four riders in there they’re snaking now they’re looking over his shoulder Nino shter waned to go early here with v alaman and hunts backing on his whe on their wheel but they are off the pace just for now very close to the Finish yellow jerseys doing a Justice today who’s
Going to win this need difficult to to better G in you know shter they certainly got the speed and B Mo are traditionally marathoners Alan one stage one into hus as we were talking about he was riding with Fabian ravenstein incident and ironically now his new partner hunt Bing is more than
Up to the task and uh it’ll all be about the tactics of the Finish we would say on paper that the cross country Riders Nino shter Sebastian finny are faster off the mark they might be faster sprinters but it all depends on how the tactics play out as they head into the
Finish shoot on the right hand side you can see Canada L and monal and the ghost Factory racing team making their way up the agonizing climb of Fun’s pass quite in stark contrast it is the pair of Sebastian finny and Nino shter going absolutely flat out for the
Finish which is just around the corner here at sburg it is finny on the front of shter just following his wheel looking over their shoulders alaman looks over his shoulder and sees becking do they see the uh they don’t see the specialized team behind them because it’s a media
Ebike just behind them so that means that the beers gr’s combination of lost touch again and again little surge of speed pulls finny and shter away well if there’s any any doubt at all ever about Sebastian F’s ability to match the to match the abilities in a mountain bike
Stage racing of Nino sha these doubts have been put to rest now Sebastian finny is setting the pace a cracking pace and putting vout alaman and hunts breing under big pressure and not only them the Toyota 91 specialized team have already been gapped so it could well come down to a
Two team Sprint to the line here in sburg which way is you going to go Sabine yeah would almost think that uh Sebastian Fin and Nino are taking to win difficulty to yeah go against them isn’t it they’ve been so so impressive and uh yeah difficult to bet against that man
Youo shter also remember they’ve been uh they’ve been a little bit defensive throughout the day they haven’t had to expand much energy and both megao have been pushing the pace uh just consistently whenever they can and that does take it out of you so they might be
A little bit fresher and perhaps even have a bit more speed and it also seemed like that hunt backing now in way bit to the end of the race that he was the one who was always bit dropping back suffering just a little alaman clearly in some seriously good shape at the
Moment v alaman he’s the third Rider there in the European Champions Jersey and uh just behind him the Dutch Champion he’s just ahead of us now hunt becking uh fantastic supporter of this event still twisting and winding through these Farm trails and Roads and there’s no let off absolutely
None at all becking again just trying to hang on to the will alaman is right in there he wants to make his presence felt he’s trying to get in between them he is going to get in between them very clever riding now if he can stay there and
Becking can go long that is the tactic that they perhaps are going to employ here we’ve seen it before alaman very very smart in getting himself ahead of Sebastian finny they blocked almost blocked finny here well that’s the that’s the tactic that we saw from Christopher blevens and uh and Matt
Beers Matt beers went up the road in hermanus on the in the Sprint finish going into hermanus and uh left left um Christopher blevens to sprinted out with Nino sha and Nino sh will be wise to that now he’ll know the tactics and it’s unlikely he’ll be uh he’ll be making the
Same mistake twice and it’s always wise also to just uh to have a look for how to finish uh how how actually you approach the finish line so which corner or how many corners are coming and Val you also then just be on the right side here they go charging towards the finish
Of stage one of the UPS of cap epic it’s Sebastian fin Nino shter up against hunts becking and his partner V alaman and it looks like alaman and becking are going to get the win what a tactical Masterpiece over the last couple of kilometers by hunt specking and V alaman
To outwit the yellow Jers and particularly Nino shter who is a pass master at tactics what a clever piece of racing Victory again for V alaman on stage one of the ABS epic but the yellow jerseys will stay with the leaders will bicycle relief and Matt beers and his
Partner Howard grz rooll home in third place they have managed their losses very very well indeed and they will be very satisfied with the way they’ve gone they’re just 21 seconds behind the buff Mega Mod team who have taken the stage Victory and the willia Victoria Factory team Fabian rabensteiner and Samui poro
Take fourth place after a grueling first day stage one 3 hours and 39 3848 and they finished 42 seconds down but what a clever piece of cting and racing from alaman and becking very good move and very good tactically we expected maybe some long hand tactics but uh it became
Down to a bit of Firepower and bit of positioning a combination of those two and the buff Meo and vman makes it two out of two he’s won two stage ones in a row now and he’s brought along his new partner hun becking fantastic performance from the Dutchman and the
Belgian very very clever racing by alaman and becking getting in amongst the those those two now you’d think that Nino shter and Sebastian would be a little bit disappointed by that they have def they’re hungry for victory hungry for for wins for sure but they cannot be disappointed they have
Defended that yellow Jersey perfectly finishing at the very front of the field losing only 2 seconds to buff megao which means they still have a 1 and a half minute Advantage but the big Riders the big Losers of the day you could say are the speed company racing team egar
And bomb they lost over 3 minutes or they were 3 minutes behind at the 5 km to go checkpoint and we’ll be looking at that finish line just to see how much time they have shipped just looking back at that time check 5 km to go they were 3 minutes and
39 seconds behind so we expect to see them in a couple of minutes they are the next team on the road dgar and bomb looking to get revenge from last year’s loss and uh they are certainly on the back foot today we expected to see more from them certainly in the prologue they
Had a disappointing time and uh they vowed to do better today they are still let’s face it in the top five on the teams that are finishing today but they did expect to be right at the front this is a team you cannot uh discount at all they are super aggressive real real
Chargers and today they’ve had to take a take a a bit of a loss but you can bet they’ll be uh not holding back any day they certainly are are never ones to give up and never ones to shy away from a challenge they will keep attacking they’ll keep being aggressive all week
And any team that ignores them will do so at their Peril edar and Bal having won the 2022 event in dramatic style the absolute underdogs and uh loss really last year due to a catastrophic mechanical which they managed to repair really quickly but uh still lost them up
To about about 11 minutes or so and uh also the second last yeah that was crucial for them and uh it just illustrates you know the luck here they turn into the finish at sburg Lucas Bal and go Gaga they will finish the day in fifth place today as they
Charge towards the line they’ve lost a bit of time but do not discount this pair of German Riders they are unbelievably strong edar has been doing a lot of cross country racing this year and uh he does still focus on that fourth place beg your pardon fifth place fifth place behind willia Victoria
Factory and they’ve lost four minutes that’s to the yellow jerseys so they will be disappointed with that they did set the early Pace on the uh climbs up rakes and uh the uh climb up Raptor rise but uh clearly a little bit too early that was for
Them so this is a phenomenal ride by the team honeycomb proing pair Mark priten and Tristan noria noia new to the team priten is a former South African road race champion and a man who spent last year racing on the road but uh they have put in a phenomenal performance here
They turn into the finish and the first South African team first African team across the line in sixth place today Mark priton and Tristan no here what a performance by this pair they’re throwing their hat into the ring in the African jersey category because they
Have put time into the uko pair of Marco and vess Bera and Philip base and Peter detoy so they are really are in the mix well at the last time check 5Ks to go they were over 3 minutes ahead of the uko team and with P you still having a
Great early part of the stage we’re 9 minutes back off the main off the front of the leaders about a minute and a half further beyond the team of buo but we’ll wait for the final time checks or final finish times the official times will be
Posted in a few minutes and we’ll be able to see exactly what the State of Affairs is going into stage two Simon Steve John and yob Hartman of singer racing coming in in seventh place and this another team who have lost time again today the Canyon City pair of and sealt and Mark
Stutzman they’ve crossed the line in seventh place but they’ve lost 6 minutes so the Swiss and German Champions maybe the day will get they will get stronger and stronger now charging towards their line is the second of the Canyon City pair Martin STK and Peter vot inside them Scott caland I think
Sergio M guz and pav beras polish Champion one final turn you don’t want to overcook this one you could end in the Bonnet of the car as they drive towards the line now it’s the second Rider across the line that counts for Canyon City so they well depends what
Happens in this Sprint doesn’t it did they get a perhaps the Scott candida got in two Riders just ahead of Canyon City to but very very tight well dramatic day in the men’s race and not in the women’s race that is unfolding as they are making their way
Up fy’s pass we’ll be bringing them home as well in the next 40 minutes or so yeah the African jersey leaders out African jersey leaders Marco Y and vessel bua they had a Tor day clearly they want to defend that Jersey today but have they lost it we’ll only know in a few
Minutes time noia and priten are the pair who could take those jerseys off them they went into today’s stage in fact I think they probably will take them from them as they come into the Finish n vessel ber to the T of the two on the front there and Marco
Y Buco a their team and they will cross the line at the finish and do they retain those red jerseys we’ll wait and see so the day started with the yellow jerseys on the shoulders of Nino sha and Sebastian finny World bicycle relief 88 km 2450 M of
Climbing and behind them in second place with the specialized team of beers and grots and then backing and alaman 132 back so just 90 seconds really between the top three 1 minute and 45 between the top five charged away from the line at break next speed and there this is where there
Was a little coming together literally as they were leaving uh the start Precinct someone went down at high speed here well it’s not a surprise there into the fence wow that’s the dust isn’t it yeah and maybe also just um something was lying and
Didn’t saw like a bit of rock up but it also really looked like from this perspective that he was like just just yeah went and you and you definitely don’t want to go the fence yeah off the road and N Go so none of the looked like
None of the major contenders were caught up in that it was quite far back in the this batch it does ease things down so alaman all smiles and chatting along to see Ste John alongside him but it was clear very early on that the AR speed company team wanted to do something
Today he was like yeah lookas B was always like a bit in the lead or trying in a way to to pull here your intention to try and put the pressure on and split this group up make up the time they’d lost yesterday in the time trial and as
A result they set a cracking Pace in this beautiful Early Morning Light flying through the lowlands and the farmlands of uh Tobak here just outside tilak at sburg and that injection of pace very quickly and I spose the crash as well splited the split the main group of 100 Riders there
54 of these UCI teams here split it up very very quickly High Pace the pace is just phenomenal uh you consider this as an 8 stage race it’s like a cross country race but also maybe also just with having in mind how how hot it gets today
So if you can still get it over with if you if you still can finish your day earli or the the time on the bike then the better P still trying to get in the mix here there’s the jersey of the yellow jerseys of the leaders as well as alaman
And becking but it was all about in The Moody Dusty again that’s what it like if you riding into that exactly if you now would just you imagine you would riding opposite direction like how dusty and you don’t see anything when Mechanicals happen and in with the dust and with the high paast
There are risks and the risks mean that there are mechanical but seem to be pretty easily dealt with although incidents are not what the inuko team need they had two incidents yesterday despite their performance but they seem to be back on track and back in the
Group at early at this point yeah but they if they had to put in get back does take his toll and so that that all multiplies and adds up for them making a little bit off the pace having to catch up and Mark Briton and trist noia but even this early stage
It’s a strung out which is an indication of the pace another crash rer going down couldn’t quite make out who that was but uh gives you an indication it was quite a frantic frenetic start to the race how grz it was who went down there there was beers going back for him
Okay so grz had a four gr has had a busy day this is his second four yeah so here it is that pace by or speed company well they they had known for their Dynamic sh buckling way of riding and throwing down the gauntlet and Philip Bas and Peter D toy
Trying to take the racing to the African leaders in bua based on the toy of p urel and uh bua and P urel in the end as we know now were overshadowed by a phenomenal ride by the honey proing prin so this is where things started to get
Interesting s yeah the um vot alaman actually increased the pace and uh really like spring like like yeah sprank this this uh this bigger group and uh then it was like just uh n shter and uh Sebastian finny who could stay with him or with them with him and Hunt
Becking close to Nino shirt becking at the back of this little group there’s a surge of pace from H from V alaman we saw at this stage already that Toyota 91 the specialized were already in a little bit of trouble um although they were able to
Close the gap and get back in touch and will willio Victoria also having a good day out very much in touch with the leaders now they’re heading onto the funy pass which is the critical area here because it soon saw the gaps appear here as willia Victoria were struggling as were
Specialized Hard GRS and Matthew beers and it was there that becking and alaman and the shter pH combination managed to get away this is long after that and the gaps were been closed by a massive effort from Matt beers who dragged his partner American Howard grz back onto the group
Here phenomenal effort but this pair of ravenstein and por try as they might couldn’t match the specialized team’s efforts and rejoin the group but they did everything they possibly could to try but I think the world bicycle relief sherter and Finny were determined not to bring another team to the final they
Would know very well that having an extra team in the mix when it comes to a Sprint makes things a lot more complicated they preferred to just be able to manage the two teams up that were with them and they managed they kept the Willer team at Bay and also
They’ve managed to distance the Toyota 91 specialized team this is a tactical piece of riding here right towards the Finish Line V alaman tucked himself in between finny and shter becking then joined them on the front there and created an opportunity for alaman to put his nose in front becking managed his
Effort all he had to do was try and get ahead of one of the two men in yellow and the turn into the Finish to just that V alaman and hunts becking taking the win just ahead of Nino shter and his partner Sebastian finny beers and grots in third call You So hi drama today in the men’s race and we will be catching up a soon as we possibly can getting signal is uh a premium I’m afraid uh today on these trails the remote Trails out in Tobak getting consistent clean coverage is tricky bear with us please there are all sorts of
Issues that uh are creating that difficulty but this is the women’s race and still the two teams together here have been the canadel factory racing and the ghost Factory racing team yeah the group uh Candace L is actually leading here the group MAA mner sit sitting
Behind her and uh then it’s the factory the the ghost Factory racing team um in uh second position and the ghost Factory racing team arrived at the race in lenford in their red jerseys the red Livery the team Factory racing team now they are in the leaders orange jerseys
The CH leaders jerseys and tsta and niol CA and the canal Factory racing at the 68 km Mark and that was uh just before they headed right up to the top section of the fany pass so at BO PL 68 km they were riding with ghost factory canadel
Factory racing ghost Factory racing and 44 seconds off the pace Toyota specialized 91 filif and Shephard managing their efforts not quite able to manage the to manage the pace set by the top cross country Riders and fourth spot at that time check 2 minutes 34 back Vera Loza Alexa Scara efficient Infinity
SCB stram team and in fifth spot hitting that uh time check the 68 km Mark eforge Private Client Holdings the podium in of stage one at the 2024 Absa epic in third place South African Champion Matt beers and Howard Groth and the toyoto specialized team dug deep today grz had a crash a couple of crashes and suffered a little bit on the climbs beers brought him back and in
Second place will bicycle reliefs Nino shter and his Danish Champion partner Sebastian finny and onto the top step of the podium the broad Smiles of Team buff meamo on the left the Dutch Champion hunts backing on the right the European Champion V alaman it’s not often that
Nino sh will stand on a Podium and be one of only two of six not to have a national or a world champions Jersey on his back but uh he’s got them all in multiple numbers but just not right now and amazing to see the same three teams
On the podium as yesterday just complete swap of positions every every one of those teams is standing on a different step this day so it looks like that could be the week could be the theen for the week the teams that we see on that stage could be just swapping spaces but
There is to be a challenge certainly coming from the willia Victoria Factory team who are showing very good form this year laid out the race Village here the motor homes for those Riders and teams who prefer that then the nice canvas tents and the slightly smaller camping
Tents all the dining facilities here the massage facilities mechanics everything it’s all on here still in the yellow jerseys of the chiev yellow jerseys of race leaders n sh and his partner Sebastian the world of bicycle relief a team that was formed because they ride for different trade
Teams but Nina wanted a ride and they’re putting something back to a program that is doing an immense amount to get uh people on bicycles around the world high fives for Nino shter and Sebastian INF never mind they didn’t win the stage they’ll be delighted they’re still in yellow going into
Tomorrow little glance at some of the Masters and we’ve got uh Masters men and women Grand Masters men and women great grand Masters men and women mixed as well as amate men and women and the xyro category plenty of categories are being erased all the way through and it’s
Highly competitive these races uh commit many many hours to the sport and preparation for this event and uh they’re very very competitive indeed which is great to watch they bring their racing to the event and uh they sustain so many events around this country and around the world
By committing to come and race it and this looks like it is car plant and Thomas valesa the leaders in the Masters well got that with five uh Elite wins in the race is uh well a fairly decent Master’s Rider as well he likes to collect those jerseys maybe he’s aing
For five Masters jerseys too I guess uh but he also had said um I think he also did all epics but just couldn’t finish because of if it was like tummy Buck or like got sick or yeah so it’s uh but he also has a lot of epics under his belt
That’s a abolutely and here he goes KL plat a wonderful friend of South Africa loves coming out here and riding as much as he possibly can here and clearly still in very very good shape start of the day with a 4minute lead over Craig urri and Mike
Postumus a pair who have won the Masters in the past and another pair of workingclass Heroes if you like uh Craig chiropractor Mike a very very well-known coach who gives much to teams and Riders around uh around the world it might be said right we are on
The in that Asos section after Fun’s pass this is and this is the leading women still Candace Who U making the pace so the orange leaders here will be fairly satisfied they’re a minute and 5 Seconds ahead of Candace Lil and Mona madala going into today’s stage so if it
Stays like this they’ll be happy they they retain their Jersey yeah definitely also and to in a way just maintain and to stay with the two um um with with kandace L and monner um because I mean it’s it’s a comfortable situation and um yeah I guess also when you don’t know
What’s the what the coming week or the next day still brings so it’s better in a way to pace yourself and uh yeah y just just just stick or just stay with uh the two in in the front yeah Candace is the most experienced uh ABS epic Rider in this
Quartet the other three not having ridden it before so she knows above all what it’s like yeah so they we got a nice name here at the cape epic with the with the Newbie name so it’s uh and Candace sheet has uh six or seven Cape epics uh already yeah this is
Seven started her first one was 2017 and uh since uh finishing fourth in 2018 she has finished second second second and second so uh this is a uh very important year for her she’d like to break that Trend upwards rather than anywhere else and uh she’s going about
The right way here very experienced Mona Mella the 22-year-old she’s still very very young and uh we’ve seen Young Riders win this race before um the likes of Cena fry and U but yeah which also was was actually also surprising how well we actually managed to sustain in over the over the
Week especially since it was two Young Riders because before we saw Kate Courtney who rode with LFA she had a Mentor clearly who’d won several times before but uh two Young Riders having said that they had the mentorship of the specialized team which does help a lot
It is it’s a surprising because the athletes still have to ride the course but that that Backup Service does but also if you out on the course like on just in a way if you yeah if you have an older experienced DW then it’s still
Like on the course then you’re in a way like you look after your partner and you give advises but if you to Young one uh Young Guns when it’s also like you don’t also know exactly um how and where to push or how when maybe to just take back a little
Bit well Cilla is providing that for mono I suppose although she doesn’t have the Epic experience and turer for ni Cola a little as well but these four are going very very solidly up here so Lil M May well will go to the Olympics as well possibly I would think yeah she
Will yeah tster Will and possibly Cola that’s a very deep deep team in in Switzerland to get it very difficult probably not it’s just that Switzerland has so many good uh female and and male Riders and you just have two spot two spots uh per Nation that’s the
Maximum um so it’s very unlikely that niol Cola would be at Olympics they did sweep in in Tokyo Switzerland so yeah they are um pretty special and that won’t happen anymore because you at that time it was like that you had uh the top teams had the possibility to send three
Riders and but now it’s a maximum of two two but like on that point um they’re riding this would would you I mean if you would you have written the the ABS Cape epic when the Olympics was your one of your big goals later in the year
Um I did it 2016 yeah and uh it was uh um so for me also like the pre or the years before there was always the situation that um it was almost a bit too close between the the end of the EP or the the cape epic the EPA Cape epic
And the first World Cup and you still need a bit time to just digest this massive stage race and then you need to prepare with quite specific um and and high intensity intervals short but really short uh um um uh Punchy training to prepare for the for the cross country
Season and 2016 actually like the way how it looked like finish of the cape epic and and then when the first with the first World Cup just in May gave me actually enough time period uh to prepare nicely also for the World Cup and so it worked for you yeah M um how
Did you go in the Olympics not so good I had um I had a crash a fall just two weeks before uh which uh which just uh didn’t allowed me actually to perform yeah so it is it’s all part of your Year’s planning and uh getting it all in
Place and and and what’s what’s priority with the Olympics actually not just the one year because like it’s the buildup already earlier Candace Lil and Mona mital Lil is doing all the work she has been for kilometer after kilometer and behind an turra and nickl colon these beautiful
Trails as they ride high in the mountains not so high now they’ve come down or fany’s pass and they are going to be very shortly dropping down off the asai BOS Trail and towards the Finish which is Fast and Furious as we’ve seen with the men doesn’t take them long to
Bring it home at sburg and Lil and mital well she started the day monal she suffered from Heat yesterday from the heat she said before the race that she uh before this morning’s race that yesterday she was really boiling hot when she got to the top of the uh climb
The young bufana climb and then going down she had the Shivers and was cold which is a is an indication of some sort of heat stroke so she was this morning a little bit cautious about how she might go today but uh it looks like she’s been
Well managed by Candace Lil and they’ve managed the pace well and she’s looking strong it was just uh I mean um lady start was uh 5 minutes past 7 so definitely also having like this this colder start um was was also welcome for her and now in uh South Africa here 10
11 and uh the heat of the day probably only uh in a couple of hours time and never mind uh the amateur Riders it’s well it’s 29° now there in their BS uh probably peeking a little later on today at around 30 33 34 um but in the mountains there
Where there is no wind that temperature feels a lot warmer than that so hydration and uh taking on food and nutrition is C critical to your success today yeah also especially if you’re a bit if within the bush like it it’s just it it it it the heat is trapped like it
And you just you just ride through this uh yes down the trails they go knowledge local know knowledge Candice L um it’s unlikely that either these three or any of the other three Riders have ridden here before but Candace certainly has this uh this is the corner there call it
Uh um Robin Steiner and po like Miss that and flying down now this is the last little section that they’ll ever more into the flat comes to the open area so we saw some very clever tactics in the men’s uh Sprint winning a stage it’s uh certainly an honor and a
Prestigious thing to win a stage at the abser cape epic every Rider will want to try and do that that’s for sure uh you recall winning your first St uh with Jana was it with Jana B also also I want to say in in BOS doll
Would that have been right or was it before then so 2016 we so it was like also the first stage um Yana went very hard mhm so and um when when she I mean we had that that time I think was over 100 Cas on on the first stage and
Uh after 60 km she was just done and when we just had in way I had to get her back to the finish and we had to just recover cool her down reset yeah and um she did then to the end of the Epic she
Did very well also because it got a bit colder we went also over Baines CL and then the next days um the temp had bit some rain and definitely like the cooler temperature that helped her to to recover and uh to perform you won three
In a row I think there I think Sun like that could could be yeah you should remember these things you know let’s not catch up with I’m not for the statistics no no yes yes that’s Guru next to us will tell us so they go past the leading
Women past the usn hydration station which tells you now that they are within 8 km of the finish a quick word though from our Elite men’s the winners today let’s hear from them a win the first stage and a win yesterday Podium HT I have watching the
Race live at the Absa boot you did a lot of work well I think only there when the camera was there because I hang on for my life for a while but yeah we felt good I knew the States from 2021 I informed rout about it that the last
Climb on the funy pass would be really hard and again we were in the front at the right moments feeling really good from the start and yeah to top it off with a Victory it’s been two amazing days and like I said yesterday the momentum we we want to keep keep it and
Even go farther for the next six days if I watch the TV there are so many tactics involved single tracks wide open roads you have to be in a position all the time How does it go how is it from the start on yeah it’s just key to stay
Concentrated and to always try to stay in the front and uh yeah I think today we managed it really well and that was the key to success today but it went fast from the beginning there was no more of rest thanks to speed company I don’t know what their tactic was but
They hurt everybody from the start and they had a nice ride till till the first big climbs and then we could do our things I know for me I’m a bit older I need some time to get in the Rhythm and after two hours everything is fine for
Me so I super happy to be in the front there and I said to about today is going to be a good day but the win was even more than expected H for you this is the fourth stage win uh W for you the third stage wi the first stage win together
How does it feel in general amazing and and the good part is he cannot pass me with Stage wins because we’re riding together so at least he have to go he have to come back one year to beat me congratulations again and enjoy it and
Good luck for the rest of the week thank thank you will bicycle relief n Sebastian finny what happened oh yeah what happened we finished second we had a good race I think uh we stayed all day together we really try to uh just do our own pace
Sit in the group not waste too much energy still a long long race um so yeah the German speed company they were quite eager to uh to make it make it really hot from the beginning and and I think we just uh tried to stay there sit on
The wheel a bit and then in the last climbs it got quite selective and and we were still there together with uh bu Mega so yeah and then we we finished second so it was good Nina when I see you riding and pushing in the desense pushing so hard on these single tracks
It looks amazing so fast cornering you you dropped everyone what’s the feeling if you’re coming so close to the Finish yeah that’s the fun part when he goes downhill yeah it was a tough St and for sure it’s nice uh yeah when you get close to the finish and uh we saw then
Uh we can squeeze out maybe a few seconds out of specializ so we went a bit harder in the last downhill and tried those last single tries to to go as fast as possible and uh yeah was was nice nice finish but yeah it was a tough
Day also the last time I started to get quite hot so it’s it was tough yeah and how was it this morning with all the dust I I saw the peleton the start immediately so so fast and so I felt dangerous to me because it’s hard to see
Anything yeah I I don’t think it was dangerous but for sure at some points in the single tracks it was hard to see the all the rocks and and actually the trail uh but but yeah I think further back in the Pelon it’s a a different story I
Think we were lucky at the beginning was like a lot of the the some from behind and not from the front so it wasn’t too bad today tomorrow maybe could be different if you go first in the other direction towards the sun it could be different you have the next stage
Already in mind yeah for sure the next stage uh goes over a big big mountain there so another day in the leaders jersey andjoy tomorrow and good luck thank you much Howard Gods Matt beers Matt you came back to the leaders when you were dropped a little bit in the
Last CL was it like that uh yeah we um I think Howard said that we should just set our own pace and it was actually a really good plan because yeah they were like maybe going a little bit too hard but then yeah we just rode back and um I
Like it because hary knows he’s got a bit of a better sense whereas I will just go and then just explode so it’s been nice to have someone that has a better feel that’s really important also for the rest of the week but how how was
It in the beginning it must be quite hectic to find your positions uh when the group is that tied together yeah every everyone is here to to win you know that that first single track they’re they’re going to win it uh and we paid paid a little bit but you
Know came back it was tough and it seems like that’ll be the tone for the rest of the race at least you did a very good job another Podium finish uh what’s what’s for the rest of the week what’s in your mind for tomorrow’s stage the tactics yeah uh obviously tomorrow we
Did in 2016 so a few a few of the Riders who are the old old guys like me and we’ll know that stage and um it’s a tough one so um it’s going to be a big fight and it’s going to be a yeah next two stages are going to be proper is
This something what you discuss uh after race and in the preparation tomorrow as well together yeah yeah we definitely look look at the next stage and we have you know a lot of people with experience on the trails here so it’s it’s really helpful good luck for tomorrow thank
You inside and thought from our top three in the men’s race meanwhile the women’s race is boiling up now a two team tussle for stage honors today with around 5 km to go and it’s flat and fast towards the finish here Mona mitala second whe to Candace Lil who spent a
Long time on the front there and behind them well just biting their time and very comfortable looking an turpster and ni Cola at the moment they’re looking very good yeah I guess also cace is aware that uh under these circumstances she won’t really make a breakaway so um
She’s just riding also a nice Pace but also which doesn’t hurt her too much um I almost could think that they have maybe a little bit of slight Tailwind um um so because it’s like it’s yeah no one of them is like really going a bit in
The arrow position so it’s like more um yeah be riding together and see how then the the final 200 300 M to the to the Finish Line will be um of course I say I would say with um the ghost Factory team sitting in the back they could maybe
Then also make a good move and uh sprinting um over to uh Mona and and um Candace yeah there’s a there’s that fascinating Dynamic that goes on now where the teams are just uh just I want to say cruising but they’re going along without any real intent to uh to to get
Away and then suddenly that’ll change is it going to change now oh can this little and uh Mana Min Val perhaps wanting to I mean there an opportunity if they can get away put a few seconds you heard um sh and Finny talk about putting a few you know couple
Of seconds into the specialized team you know this is what they maybe will try but it’s uh difficult to dis Lodge the will the ghost Factory team they’re looking so so comfortable I think they’ve still got a reach not I think in fact I know they
Still have to reach the 5 km to go Mark we can see we have a very good visual of these two teams that they are in contention these are the two leading teams what we don’t know yet is how far back the Toyota specialized 91 team is
No doubt we get that information as soon as it comes in we’ll be feeding it straight back to you and in fourth fourth spot on the trails today the team of Alexa SCA and ver Lo the defending Champion they look like they are losing more time more minutes today and they
Bit of drama there oh Candace’s Mr turning yep there’s the turn and Mona MVA doing very well in that little block where the the Rocks were there just ensuring that uh she couldn’t let Nicole Cola go through and giving Candace still a chance to backtrack and get back on the trail that can
Happen very easy yeah it can happen and but I that’s also bit like in this situation um like yeah like a an agreement that you now wouldn’t is a truce but but just in way you wouldn’t now try take advantage of of that situation so they’re in the canopy of
Trees now and uh yes there’s still a bit of a truce and a bit of a a a lull in the uh the racing but it may well come alive as we saw with the men’s race well the the team that are uh the two teams that we see in front of us
Right now they will they’ll most likely want to put more time to take more time off the specialized team they are of course the 20 it does contain the 2022 winner and that’s no mean feat to win this race so they know what it takes
They know what uh what it means to put more time in when they can because uh when the tables are turned the uh the any of these teams will be on the back foot they wish that they took as many seconds as they possibly could when
They had the chance teams a split now as a result of that little directional challenge for Lil so it’s turpster on the front then mitala then Cola and then Lil at the back and uh that’s where they’ll stay until they get out of this uh single track uh very shortly along this
Riverbed beautiful Trail weaving its way through this bsh like a bush tunnel absolutely beautiful okay just highlighting how amazing these Trails have been and uh that’s what uh it has been uh I think the Hallmark the memory of from this race com the end of the
Week will be of the amazing trails that these Riders have enjoyed well they’ve certainly had a fill of it today and more to come throughout the week and uh they have already the team of canadel factory racing and ghost Factory racing the two teams in the lead on the trail
At the moment moment they have come through that 5 km to go Section and we wait with baited breath just to see how much time the Toyota specialized 91 team have shipped yes Alexis Scar and beg you pardon Sophia Gomez vfan and Samara Shepard the specialized team started the
Day 1 minute and 11 seconds down on the ghost with canel’s gap to the lead is 1 minute and 5 Seconds anything you can eek out any couple of seconds you can get back uh even even though it’s an 8 day race and uh there’s so much uh opportunity well there isn’t
Really that much opportunity at this shop end um you normally would you know like if it’s if you see it also bit from a from a energy saving perspective um you would try in a way to make time on a climb where you also where others also
Have to put in an effort if wake at a free ride and you just pull them and it’s like you have to definitely put in more power more energy and I are just like yeah rolling behind you so you have to also hurt the other ones if you want to make really
Move you or she who hurs least winds and uh or prevails now this is a nice little Dynamic going along here Mitten Val and turb alongside each other and little trying to get in there she has managed to get in behind the turst strip starting to wind up now they close in on
The the Finish Lil now moves to the front yeah so if you see tomorrow’s stage um I mean the wagon trail climb that’s actually because it’s a single Trail and if you um if you could technically or good technical r or good technically team then you’re in a way
You need to make the move in the have to make sure that you in the that you actually get into that climb first because you can’t really overtake in in that situation and that’s a very long climb up the mountain 2 km to go you saw
From that board very well picked up from the helicopter by cameraman Barrett and he’s given us an idea so now it is into the last kilometer and a half Candace Lil and M M now back on the front well let’s talk about that Sprint what do you think do you think
What do you think saine as a Sprint if it comes to the Sprint qualities I would uh think that uh the ghost Factory team that both have the good the Sprint qualities and they’ve been fresh they’ they’ve been defensive all day they haven’t spent a
Lot of time at the front they pushed the pace a little bit on occasion but uh the uh protagonists of the day have certainly been the can factory racing team it’s hard to see it’s hard to say but uh could come down to positioning going into that final quarter does
Happen rather quickly and uh but it’s it’s really it’s it that’s the thing about a Sprint finish it it sometimes can just be a lottery not necessarily always down to Firepower and in two person race I mean it’s uh that that’s the key if it was a individual race very
Different uh you would back Nino sh to win any time of the day in a Sprint like that but um this is very different it’s all about where the second Rider is positioned in the the Finish yeah and it’s like you have a Left Right Turn both 90° and it’s it’s actually quite
Open but the the second Rider team Rider has has also make sure that um does that doesn’t get blocked that you just in a way can also that really you can uh ride your pace and that you can take all the momentum around the corners you just lost our picture there
But I can tell you that where Jesse Nixon you see on the graphic there that graphic in Bulls M ebike uh token that is where the leaders are so very very close to the Finish she’s following the top women as they head along the CL B the
Small Berg River a time check at the 83.5 km 5Ks to go uh we saw the canal Factory racing and ghost Factory racing heading through the 2K to go but just having gone through 5K to go Section time sector is Toyota specialized 91 V and Shephard have lost 5 minutes so far
On the trails it’s a perceptible uping of the tempo in this group of four as they start gearing up for the finish on the left now we see also that nickel Cola definitely tries in we also to make now to increase the pace and uh to get a good position around the
Corners when it goes into first left corner on the grass and then the the final right corner on the on the stretch to the to the Finish Line we saw some clever tactics by V Alan and Hunt becking in the men’s battle for the Sprint this is a a similar scenario here
And turra digging deep there m Mitten Vala on her right hand side of that world champions rainbow Strife Jersey doesn’t look magnificent and here Candace Lil on the outside of this little turn he turning into a bit of a drag race on these open roads so Mona
She um also if you see cross country races like you come you come to the corners in they go the final into the final it is the ghost Factory racing team and they look as though they’ve got this Mona mitted Val is going to be
Battling to keep Pace it is a second win for the ghost Factory racing pair and turra and nickl cola have Consolidated their position in those orange Chita leaders jerseys by taking stage one Victory here in s B in the 20th edition of the ABS Cape
Epic 4 hours 26 the time and a very very good result for turra and cola they’ve done the done it exactly what they would have wanted to do today defended their jerseys and Mela and Lil did all the work did a lot of work as they would
Have done as the team position second overall but haven’t lost too much time in fact if they they haven’t lost any time 1 minute and 5 Seconds so is what the Gap will be well the uh the idea is that they’ve they’re chalking one thing off at a time they’ve chalked off the
Fact that they needed to put time into their Rivals Toyota specialized 91 and that is the job done they have yet now the next task is to see if they can put the ghost Factory racing team under pressure we’re about to hear from Candace Lil and Mona
Mitala fortunately we not able to hear from them right now but uh as soon as we can we’ll bring you a audio of those finishes so second stage win for ghost Factory racing two out of two in their debut race they are going about it in very impressive
Fashion couldn’t ask for anything better from their perspective for the specialized 91 team things are not going quite as they would have liked that to specialized 91 team sopia Gomez vfan and Samara Shepard 5 minutes they were down and verossa and Alexis scarter 7 minutes down at that final checkpoint so they
Are going to have a lot of work to do to get back in the mix here and to challenge for the overall title well they lost a significant amount of time between the 68 k Mark and the uh 83 km Mark um only 44 seconds back at 68 km
And we’ve seen they already shipped already 5 minutes and they have yet to arrive at the Finish we expect to see them very soon but uh something might have happened we’ll be able to catch up with the Riders on the finish line and understand exactly what happened between
That time it was that was one small aspect that uh that we might not uh account for is Fan’s pass yes which uh we saw some of the many of the Riders losing touch with the leading with the leading groups and that could have that could have been it well earlier on going
Up the towards the clip R climb to descend we saw Sophia Gomez very slide back to join Samara Shepherds so she was suffering on that early climb as well so it is likely that they may well have lost the bul of that time going up Fun’s pass he a specializ 91
T snaking in towards the finish on these Trails of course Riders will be doing so for hour upon hour still as they come to the finish so over 5 minutes down to to specialized pair I think this might well be them actually the front yeah yes just
In front very F and then Samara shepher on her wheel we F that has been very very successful on the gravel series circuit in the United States which is massively popular and has become quite lucrative for the very top Riders and uh she’s she dominated the series last year winning
Four or five of the six seven races so she won that series um and yes it takes in some of the toughest gravel races and some of the mountain bike races as well you the team behind could be lro and Haley PR because um Alexis scar would actually be in the
The the um in the stars and stripes in the American national Jersey champion jersey it looks like know at this stage efficient Infinity going through that 83 just updating on that uh time check that uh Vera and Alexis were just over 2 minutes behind uh Sophia and Samar
That’s probably a men’s uh Team the back end of one of the early groups so here they come to the Finish Sophia Gomez vifon and Samara sheer the oceanana champion from New Zealand they’re going to cross the line and take third place on stage one in the
Amar women’s race well done this pair hard day but they managed their efforts well and into third place which they will retain overall as well so uh just again Samar Shepard’s the debutant here she’s getting the feel of the after Cape epic at first big Marathon stage after what was a not Inon
Not not an easy prologue yesterday uh it takes a while the in a way the shock value of the prologue and then stage one the short sharp blast around those Trails for just over an hour and then this big Marathon stage a day later this you cannot underestimate the shock value
That yeah definitely and also if you just then still consider that there was like um Al the transfer to get from laford here to uh sensburg which also take a bit some recovery away from the Riders absolutely the chance to recover they’ve and they would have finished
Unlike the only day of the entire race where the elite and the fastest Riders finished latest in the today um and then they come here the early Riders some of them finished by uh 9:00 were um still having breakfast and then lunch and a rest and a sleep and they had plenty of
Time to recover from now on though the boot is on the other foot because the amateur Riders further back would have started an hour and a half Behind These Riders the very back of the field and that’s uh a serious serious challenge for those Riders and uh well The Last
Riders to roll off the start line are the two hyenas who will do the sweeping as they go along to the uh through the route there are various points at which there will be uh maximum times allowed and if Riders reach those points outside of that time they will be told their race
Is no longer their stage is no longer uh to be completed um and the hyenas as they are known will sit just on the back of that on that time on that cusp of that time all the while doing nothing other than just sitting back and monitoring the back of the field
Yeah they’re characterized by their hyena jerseys the chiita jerseys uh the hyena pattern on them and they’re a very important part of the race because of the access not all of vehicles let’s go to the bigger part let’s hear from the winners go our Pace in the first two
Uphills then we try to to hang on to Kendale and uh I think and aot time we we got a little bit of a gap but could close it again in the downhill but uh yeah pretty pretty exciting racing is it more difficult Anna when you start in the leader
Jersey um well it for sure changes your plan a little bit to be honest uh of course people watch us now and I felt especially specialized was afraid we would get away in the downhill maybe because they always try to to block us a
Little bit um but uh in the end I think this can give us confidence I mean it’s cool to wear the leadest Jersey I think everybody wants to have it so we can just be happy that we’re wearing it at the moment was a I saw I mean more than
4 hours 4 hours 25 almost was it that hard from the beginning or it was more hard at the end yeah it was for sure like the the last uphill fenty’s uphill it was like really hard and also hot not my favorite but uh yeah the beginning was what was
In the pack and controlled and yeah I think it made it easier to get there a little bit fresher want to tell us a bit about the Dust I mean what’s your vision if you’re riding on the trails with riders in front of you and and especially in the morning with the
Sunrise it’s horrible you don’t really see anything um we practiced it a lot and if you with just two like the first one sees good the second one sees actually yeah I don’t I would say not even 50% anymore and then if you’re the third or the fourth you can only guess
Like where you should go so you really have to navigate and hope the rider in front of you goes right and there’s nothing hidden there in the dust because that’s the problem if there would be a stone or something that surprises you it’s it’s quite dangerous so my strategy
Until now is to try to stay very close to the wheel and then hope that the dust is not that bad yet but it’s not easy no congrats again tomorrow another stage have a good recovery and good luck for tomorrow thank you congrats and thank you ladies thank
You in interesting uh hearing the thoughts from the two very animated loveely here an turra and Nicole Cola talking about their their day out there today uh we talked a lot about the blust but firsthand from them that’s what it’s like reflection on the women’s race
Today as they rolled away from the start just 3 minutes after the elite men in their own specific racing batch which has made a huge difference did you ever race in when it wasn’t a specific women’s batch um no so so 2016 was this was the first
Year we had to own our own stum which is the way it has been and should be and very very important as well Samara shepher reflecting you can see tension in the face there C still taking the drink settling into the day monal had a difficult day yesterday just uh easing
Into the pace here and it wasn’t long before the group started to stretch out as under the pace of canadell factory racing and the ghost Factory racing team headed out beautiful conditions for them early on but uh you heard the dust does play a role and you want to be uh very very
Vigilant and perhaps as close to the front as you can as you can be if not right front yeah and it’s really like just the rising like just when the St when the Sun starts to rise this very low angle which is like was it’s just terrible and
Uh Nino mentioned also for tomorrow um we could be maybe lucky that before we actually get to the vagon trail that the sun is still behind covered by the behind the mountains now yes this in 10ks and they’re enter it so so they may well the Sun May will still be behind
The vitenberg mountains as they they go in there as the road started to go uphill so that group started to thin out Lil and mital were there on the front turra and as well as sopia Gomez Vian who was Keen to get in the racing here
But she had to be mindful of her partner Samara sheeper who then dragged herself onto the back of that group and slowly but surely the main protagonist emerg to the front front of this race they were ghost Factory racing specialized 91 and the canell factory racing team and in the men’s race while
There was a lot of jostling and uh of opposition and some aggressive work done by the uh German pairing theia leot speed company racing and the women’s it was much more of a slow burn and a kind of a roll out you could say as the pace
Just just rolled up and up and up and up and eventually there were casualties just came off the back of that that pace set by Candace Lil and of mner and of course the leaders in the leaders Chita leaders jerseys the team of gross Factory racing behind Natalia Fisher
Right now on board with the bulls media ebike just a just including there to go around these B some of the trails quite loose but really just uh fantastic exhibition of uh the trails here in tulbach today as yeah the the orange leaders did do some work early on that’s
For sure got themselves uh out front early and then began the uh climbs on the front four teams there and the uh the ARX women’s category leaders starting to take shape here this early part of the stage you can see it’s still quite early due to the uh the shadows
And that is staying out the way which is a good thing there making sure the trail is clear for the teams here now this is where you can see Sophia Gomez trying to get into the single track and tster did make mention of that in her interview this was into
The Toyota tough section because they know the danger of this ghost team on The Descent and just their tactical skills just will give them a little bit of just a few seconds here and there and just half a second per corner all adds up and then they can create Gap and
Perhaps just roll off the bottom section and letting the others putting the others under bit of pressure to Chase and causing split in the field and any pressure means that uh someone at some point is going to crack and eventually well soon it became two teams in the mix
It was interesting there there would looked like a conversation between the two but they knew they were they were the dominant team here because the pressure was being felt by Specialists who were Keen to get in there because they knew they’d be Under Pressure so here is sopia Gomez Vian doing the work
On the front but uh as I said this Samara Shepherd who was the one who was suffering in that combination and uh last she was on the front Sophia Samara was at the back of this group and that wouldn’t last too long because eventually she would have to roll back
And uh be in a company for the time being this was in the early climb of the Year first one up towards the clipp ri a bit towards towards yans saos it was uh V but then it was just four teams uh four Riders at least event whoa that was
Very close well a little boy running out in front of the riders that could have been a disaster they managed to avoid that and it’s came down to these four Riders two teams to sprinted out at the Finish Mona mval the world champions Jersey alongside anster and Candace still M’s partner alongside Nicole
Cola we saw earlier Zara Shepard struggling and even just a little bit before that we saw monal very much at the back of the of the field or or the small group still able to hold her own she is of course the most one of the most pedigreed Riders out there today
Having the she’s the most she’s the rider who’s won the most recent most recently has won a World Cup and of course with those World Championship bands in the marathon discipline she she knows exactly what she needs to do and when it came to the Sprint it was the
Dominant pairing of the ghost Factory racing team and a tster Nicole ker just edging out all they had to do was Edge out you could say a slightly struggling am Mona metala and that was a job at hand and following in around about 5 minutes behind the leading teams where the team
Of Toyota 91 specialized top three home and Sophia Gomez vfan and Samara Shephard completing the top three and that was a little reflection on the women’s race today on stage one and this is how it all unfolds on the leaderboard an turra and Nicole Cola second ahead of Mona
Mitala and Candace Lil but now 5 minutes the Gap to Sophia Gomez Sevan and Samar Shephard of to specialized 91 so they have lost nearly 4 minutes uh today Vera loss and Alexa scard also damaged today they have lost another 4 minutes 7 minutes and five done Lena Geral and
Haley PR retain their position inside the top five another solid Day from the E4 Private Client Holdings team so Vera Loza and um Alexis scar really within two minutes of the third space two minutes of the of the potential Podium it did ship quite a lot
Of time yesterday in the prologue but uh could be um that 4minute deficit is not a huge amount of time to make up if they want a spot on the podium that battle is going to be intense p and jro 17 minutes down in the top five in the men’s races is the
Result of the stage they becking and alaman taking the win in that Sprint over shter and FY with beers and grots losing time but managing their efforts today 21 seconds they lost to ravenstein and poro won’t be too dissatisfying with 42 seconds but G Gaga and Lucas Bal 4
Minutes lost today and new leaders in the Absa African jersey honeycomb Pro cycling Mark priton and Tristan L here a phenomenal race today sixth place for that pair and they are now the new leaders in 5 minutes they were behind the stage winners today this is how it
Looks on General classification Nino sh and Sebastian finny by minute and 10 seconds over Matt beers and Howard grz becking and V alaman minute and 30 down Villa Victoria Factory in fourth place edar and Bal 6 minutes nearly 7 minutes off the leaders and priten and L here
Then first African team in sixth place 8 minutes and 2 seconds down well it’s been another fantastic day racing here stage one under the belt for the elites hundreds still out there they’ve got a long day we’ve got stage two to come and stage two is going to be a huge
Challenge as well where that starts with a big climb out over the vitenberg wagon trail and then into the vitenberg valley which is one of the most remote farming valleys in this region with just one Road in and out on the other side of the Seri side of the uh the valley but
They’ll go up the wagon trail from 200 M to 1,000 m above sea level so it’s a massive climb for them and then undulations all the way through the valley around the farmlands before coming back climbing up to the edge of the mountain and then dropping down into
The valley again through the Toyota tough section which will be the bottom section of the Toyota of the Wagon Trails so it’s going to be a very very tough day indeed for all these Riders but one that could uh well they’ve gotten up and down at the the same
Mountain that first climb coming in so early 89k is in warm up is important for that yeah absolutely and um I mean it’s it’s you you really need to be also in a way if possible in the leads to to go up that climb that you have like just you can
Ride your pace and you also like you because it it is a technical climb and that you that if a rider in front of you have to get off the bike or doesn’t clear something then it’s uh yeah when you when you’re stuck behind so it would
Be good to be the first team which goes up that trail the ABS epic is an amazing logistical project and the village beautifully laid out here at sburg weeks in advance the teams are out there putting it all in place and does look a picture well teams coming in in fits and starts
Here at the finish of stage one in sburg just outside TB as stage one is still underway here yes the elite men and women team some of them are in but not all that is for sure because uh today’s stage will take anything between seven
And 8 hours for the back end of the field and they will be out there toiling away up those climbs and down the descents and battling with fatigue and the Heat and all other factors that play a role in making this such an enormous challenge well if was a challenge that
Uh you’ve fancy having a goat well why not you can enter the lottery which is now open for the 2025 abser Cape epic enter the Untamed it is a prized thing the an entry to the ABS Cape epic so if you get in early here you guaranteed an
Entry for next year and you’ve got an entire year to uh prepare mentally and physically for the challenges that this event presents and it does present significant challenges all the way around well it all starts with inspiration and these pictures certainly from the trails we’ve been seeing are
Are truly inspiring and a year would be a good a year is a good time to prepare certainly long enough many of the Riders even the top Riders and experienced Riders take six mons to prepare and uh those entries sought after and in fact historically they have been uh it’s it’s
Well known that they have often sold out in seconds so Lottery gives you a chance gives you a chance at at a lottery of ofland there was often that actually there was like if you see the stages of the years there was always a bit a um a
Swap between between more the coastal one where the S was all honas and Oak was included and the more Inland here with toak where it was always very hot in Wellington so it’s always like one year year more Coastal the other one more Inland and the interesting thing is
That a lot of a lot of the entries are taken up well before the knowledge of the route for the next year such as the cache such as the profile such as the uh the uh you want to ride the abcap here we have a look at tomorrow so this is a
Little more detail what the tomorrow is about we are down there where the arrow is and they will head up the vitenberg mountain range runs like a spine along the eastern part of this Valley and they drop into the bits andberg Valley they’ll head in the southernly direction
Up screen if you like and around around the valley yeah also when the the r is dropping into wisenberg Valley it’s also very very Steep and also loose Rocky stuff so I also remember from 2016 there also um it was quite easy in a way also in the corners to overshoot
Because and and the the the Rocks were just they just rolled under you away and they They Carried you actually on the rocks and that’s the thing to bear in mind if you’re a rider it’s important to ride just a little bit under your limit
If even if you’re at the top end of the field you want to ride within your limits because the uh Trail is very loose and very Rocky and uh there’s some sharp rocks out there and uh small mistake might slash a tire and that could cost uh could cost many of the top
Contenders of the race and uh put a finish a actually an ABS a big finish at in Jeopardy if you have a mechanical that uh that is as disastrous as a as a as a broken wheel or something like that that so it’s uh it’s advised by the by
The course designer to take it conservatively on all of these tricky sections these tricky downhill sections and the uh the bit in between it’s two peaks on either side and a drop off on either side and if you look at the profile that looks a bit like T marks in
That profile haven’t also been to Hom Brothers included I was going to say yeah Sak and H Han of the men who put this stage together really plan it so and they’ve done 10 as a a partnership Sak is riding I think hus is riding this so
There we go the uh Podium for the elite ARX women’s category and again Champions all round isn’t it Grand to see world champions and national champions and Continental champions in third place the PA of Toyota specialized 91 Samara sheeper Oceana champion in thean Champions Jersey and sopia Gomez
Vian Canal Factory racing Mona mitala and Candace Lil the South African Champion gold and silver at the marathon championships last year on the second step of the podium after a very strong day they were right with the race leaders throughout the day and finished just off their wheels but it was another
Superb stage win for ni Cola on the left and an tster on the right there of ghost Factory racing Switzerland and the Netherlands and all six nations represented in a truly International Podium here on stage one of the ABS cap epic and remember we’ve got those mini
Chick also notable on that Podium we see Samara sheeper she was sixth at the World Marathon championships behind first place M and second place Candace L just ahead of ver loso who was the in seventh and Vera riding this year with Alexa Scara won last year’s ABS Cape
Epic with Kim Lort and then went on to win the S epic as well and uh finish in the top 10 of the marathon world champions a really really uh Top Class year Al I did some gravel racing so Podium and then we’ll just get the Jersey the Beautiful Chita leaders
Jersey presented to this pair the overall leaders Cola and TST back up on the stage and on the podium once again ghost Factory racing Andra Nico so the ARX women’s category overall leaders once again in the orange jerseys they know nothing else so th far in their Journey around the ab Cape epic a maiden race it is for the pair and they are proving to be a superb combination into their collection of [Applause] Mascots spectacular jerseys they are too and they’ll be supended in them tomorrow for stage number two day three of of the 20th abser Cape epic here in sburg well it’s been another dramatic days Racing for everyone and uh it’ll be a long hard day for those further back in the field
Who toiling their way back to sburg here it’s another beautiful image of the 20th edition of the Absa Cape epic as we visit Tobak for the fifth time we’ll be back here tomorrow a start and finish at sburg as we spend two days in this beautiful Valley and uh it’s going to be
Another challenging day thanks very much to savine Spitz for joining me Neil Gardner and art on the Finish Line there Bart Brenin doing the uh talking to the the Riders as they finish and ahead of the start and to the entire crew out there bringing you those images it’s
Tough but they’ve done a fantastic job thanks all we’ll join you tomorrow similar time see you then Me Mer He e for
24 Comments
Nice race
Y zugasti cómo salió?
Great racing!
La cámara q este todo el tiempo con Ibon zugasti🎉
Awesome race, poor video quality!!!
Pity about the video feed quality (even from the finish) and lack of time splits. NOT up to par with previous years.
I absolutely LOVE watching this race but honestly, the music. Please! Silence is golden.❤
Crap picture quality, def not 1080p!
Que gran etapa un final al Sprint muy fuerte…..🎉🎉🎉🎉
🎉🎉Colombia MTB 🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴
Ibón y Darío 36 general a 30 minutos de cabeza por delante de klimatiza y mantecón 13 a 12 minutos
only one word AMAZING jaloers 🥰
I watch every year. You all do such great coverage. Appreciate all the folks behind the scenes making it happen.
Great racing, pity about the quality of your feed at the finish.
Are they on full sus or hardtails
What is up with this terrible coverage? Previous years were much better. Are you guys using a different broadcaster or internet provider or what? Something is different, and it is not working. Please fix it. Very frustrating to watch.
R 117 000 000 in entry fees for 2024 and this is the best they can do with race coverage?
Super race…but what a pitty- some stop and go broadcasting troubles…
All the best for the rest of the week…keep on racing👍🚴♂️💨💨
How are the trails not marked so racers can’t make a wrong turn?
The broadcast quality is poor compared to previous years. It is just poor period. This is the world's best mtb race for a reason and the coverage plays a big role in that. I'm sure the organisers are aware of it and lets hope they get it back on par.
So much complaining (WOW) 😡🙁 Why not be glad that you are able to watch the Race at all (and for FREE) – stop complaining.
We love Bart on the bike, not much on the mic. 😩
Again Cape Epic interrupted women's race broadcast to show men's highlights. Pitiful.
2:12:38 at the final sprint, fini watching down to realise his chain is broken …