After injury intervened last year, South Africa’s Candice Lill will finally get her chance to partner with German Olympian Adelheid Morath at this year’s Cape Epic.
The pair, who will ride as Team Summit, would have ridden together in 2018, but Morath withdrew with a broken wrist at the last minute.
This resulted in Lill teaming up with compatriot Amy Beth McDougall – a partnership that led to the inaugural African women’s title.
Lill said she chose to ride alongside Morath in this year’s race, which starts with a prologue at the University of Cape Town tomorrow morning, as they complemented each other on various levels.
Candice Lill (left) will finally get her chance to ride alongside Olympian Adelheid Morath at this year’s Cape Epic, which starts tomorrow. Photo: Supplied
“We do not have the same strengths and weaknesses, but, being able to understand that and communicate while racing is what makes you successful,” said the 27-year-old.
Lill said she expected another tough course but was looking forward to making an impact on the technical single-track sections.
“I think there is so much variation in the route that there will be parts that suit us and parts that don’t, but we will always give our best as a team.”
She added that they had not earmarked a specific stage and that their focus would be to achieve the best possible result each day.
“There are some super long and tough stages, which I’m sure will have a big effect on the results.
“The time-trial stage, which takes place halfway through the event, could be deciding if the racing is still very close.”
The Cape Town local, who won the Cape Town Cycle Tour Mountain Bike Challenge and placed fifth in a sprint finish in the Cape Town Cycle Tour road race this month, felt she had done everything she could to be competitive in her third Cape Epic.
“I have worked hard, planned tactically and done my homework on the route, but so has everybody else. I feel confident that we can achieve our objective of finishing on the podium.”
