Spaniard Joaquim “Purito” Rodriguez was sold a “tourist trip” by his partner José Hermida when it came to entering and riding the Cape Epic, which gets under way on Sunday.
“He said it would be good food, good people and easy courses,” said Rodriguez, the former world number one on the road.
José Hermida and Joaquim “Purito” Rodríguez will be tackling the eighth Cape Epic when it kicks off March 19. Photo: Gary Perkin
“He promised me the good weather, but I got scared when I saw the wind at the road race (Cape Town Cycle Tour) last weekend.”
Rodriguez, who retired from competitive road racing last year after a glittering career that included 14 grand tour stage victories and overall podiums in the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta, joked that he was looking forward to riding as a “tour guide” further down the field.
“It is funny to see a guy with such a big CV so nervous,” said Hermida, the former world cross country champion who has five top-ten finishes in the Cape Epic to his name.
Rodriguez, who was nicknamed Purito after a type of cigar he once lit to celebrate a victory, said he was under the impression that the race was going to be more of a tourist trip than the mountain bike version of the Tour de France.
Meanwhile, Team Trek Selle San Marco have had to make a last-minute change to their rider line-up after Italian rider Damiano Ferraro decided a niggling neck injury had not healed properly. He will switch with Russian marathon champion Alexey Medvedev, who was set to ride in the back-up team.
VIDEO: Why Purito Rodriguez almost did not make it to the Cape Epic.
