Robyn de Groot and Sabine Spitz have joined forces for the 2017 Cape Epic kicking off on March 19.
Last year South African De Groot, riding with Swede Jennie Stenerhag, won the prologue and stage one.
Robyn de Groot and Sabine Spitz have joined forces for the 2017 Cape Epic kicking off on March 19. Photo: Ewald Sadie
Unfortunately Stenerhag fell ill during stage three and had to pull out of the event.
Later in the race German mountain biking legend Spitz, racing with Ukranian Yana Belomoina, won stage five, six and seven and ultimately finished second.
De Groot and Spitz have now paired up as Team Ascendis Health.
“After finishing second in my first Cape Epic in 2016, I wouldn’t be going for third place,” said Spitz.
“So of course the overall win will be the goal for this year, but it is a long race and a lot of things can happen.”
To get there they will have to topple Ariane Lüthi of Switzerland, who has won the category for the past three years with Dane Annika Langvad (the team that won stages two, three and four last year).
Significantly though, Langvad has study commitments at the time of the 2017 Cape Epic and Lüthi will be riding with German Adelheid Morath (Team Spur).
The Ascendis Health and Spur combinations will start as category favourites with the Swiss/Swedish combination of Esther Süss and Jennie Stenerhag (Meerendal CBC).
