Two teams have emerged as favourites to win the 2016 Absa Cape Epic, which starts at Meerendal Wine Estate tomorrow.
Experts believe that Team Bulls’ Karl Platt (Germany) and Urs Huber (Switzerland) and Topeak Ergon’s Alban Lakata (Austria) and Kristian Hynek (Czechoslovakia) are most likely to take over where five-time winner Christoph Sauser has left off.
Platt is one win away from equalling the Swiss’s record and both he and Huber have been in excellent form of late.
Lakata, the marathon world champion, has finished sixth, fifth, fourth, third and second and has been robbed of possible victory by bad luck in the past. Hynek has raced the Epic twice, winning with Germany’s Robert Mennen in 2014 and finishing second alongside Lakata last year.
If these teams falter, novices like Greece’s Periklis Ilias and Portuguese champion Tiago Ferreira (Dolomiti Superbike) will be there to pick up the pieces. They have outstanding records in marathon racing and recently won the six-day Andalucia Bike Race in Spain.
Italians Damiano Farraro and Samuele Porro (Trek-Selle San Marco) are another team with an impressive marathon resume making their debut.
On the South African front, three teams look to be in contention for the African jersey, if not the overall podium.
Darren Lill and Waylon Woolcock (USN-Purefit), Nico Bell and Gawie Combrinck (NAD Pro MTB) and James Reid and Gert Heyns (Spur) all have the ability to rattle the Europeans.
In the women’s category, Ariane Kleinhans of Switzerland and Annika Langvad of Denmark (Spur-Specialized) – who placed third and first in the recent Bestmed Tour of Good Hope – will start clear favourites for a third victory in-a-row.
They will be up against England’s former winner Sally Bigham and German Adel Morath (Topeak Ergon) as well as double champion Esther Süss of Switzerland and her British teammate Catherine Williamson (Meerendal Wheeler).
Also in the field and as strong as anybody on paper are German Sabine Spitz, a former Olympic gold medallist, and Yana Belomoina of the Ukraine (Sport for Good).
Local hopes will be on national marathon champion Robyn de Groot and her Swedish partner Jennie Stenerhag (Ascendis Health), who finished second last year.
The Cape Epic finishes at Meerendal on March 20.
For more news, results, photos and stats, go to Cape Epic.
