Two teams are emerging as the favourites for what promises to be a hotly-contested women’s category at this year’s Absa Cape Epic.
Esther Suss and Sally Bigham celebrate their win in the 2012 Absa Cape Epic. Photo: Karin Schermbrucker / Cape Epic / SPORTZPICS
Will Swiss national but Stellenbosch resident Ariane Kleinhans or her countrywoman Esther Süss stand on top of the podium at Lourensford wine estate, Somerset West, on March 30 after 718km of racing through the Western Cape?
Or could the vagaries of eight days of challenging riding – mechanical problems, injuries or illness being the most common – undermine the favourites and hand the win to one of the lesser-fancied teams?
An added incentive this year is the biggest pot of prize money ever put up for a women’s race – R690 000, matching that of the elite men’s riders.
Kleinhans has won the mixed category of the race for the past two years with her husband Erik, the South African professional.
This year though she will be joined by Denmark’s Annika Langvad as Team RECM 2 in the women’s division.
Langvad has won the world marathon championship twice and, together with Kleinhans, comfortably took first place in their category in the Cape Pioneer Trek in October of last year. “She was a machine. She’s a complete rider – a good climber and very good technically, ” said Kleinhans, adding that “we definitely want to win it”.
Much-decorated veteran Süss is also eyeing the win and will be reunited with Briton Sally Bigham in Team Meerendal 3. The pair won the category in the 2012 Cape Epic and each has tasted success in the race before: Süss twice winning the mixed category and Bigham the women’s category in 2011 with Karien van Jaarsveld.
To view more information on the Absa Cape Epic event, click here.
