Swedish rider Jennie Stenerhag, who recently won the Attakwas, has formed a formidable partnership with Germany’s Nadine Rieder ahead of the Cape Epic, which starts on March 15.
Stenerhag, who won the Epic women’s category alongside Esther Suss in 2017, will build towards the eight-day mountain bike race by participating in early-season events.
She will join Rieder at the upcoming Tankwa Trek, from February 6 to 9, where the latter will ride in her first SA race of the year.
It will not, however, be their first outing as a team as they paired up for the Wines2Whales last year.
Jennie Stenerhag will team up with Nadine Rieder at the Cape Epic, which starts on March 15. Photo: Ewald Sadie/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS
“It is very difficult to find a good stage-race partner, since it is not only important that you race well together, you must also get along well off the bike,” said Stenerhag, who will team up with Rieder as team Fairtree.
“I was looking for a partner for Wines2Whales but also had Tankwa Trek and the Epic in mind when I met Nadine before Wines2Whales.
“We had only ever greeted each other before at events, so it was actually the first time we spoke properly. But I immediately knew we would get along well and be a good team. We are very similar and have the same values on things that matter in a stage race.”
Rieder said for her the most important thing was to race with a partner who was not only on a similar level performance-wise, but with whom one had a harmonious personal relationship.
“And after racing Wines2Whales together I definitely can say we are a perfect team, on and off the bike.”
Stenerhag felt the more technical Epic route would make it more challenging, especially as the race reached the later stages and riders became more fatigued.
“It also creates a bigger risk for technical problems. So it will be very important to look after the equipment and not take any unnecessary risks.
“The shorter stages can also mean tighter racing with smaller gaps, making it more exciting for the spectators to watch. Not that the shorter stages are any easier though. Sometimes the shorter the race, the harder it is.”
Rieder says she is glad she has the opportunity to prepare fully for the 2020 race, with all its unique challenges.
“Last year it was a very last-minute start for me and I’m happy I performed that well without proper preparation for it,” she said, referring to her fourth-place finish alongside Sabine Spitz.
“This year my preparation was different. I changed coach last season to Jeroen Swart and my feeling is pretty good. So let’s see what we can do.
“But the most important thing is to get safely through the eight days of racing. If we do that then I think everything is possible.”
