{"id":13660,"date":"2022-03-04T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T10:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/2022\/03\/04\/pauline-ferrand-prevot-partners-robyn-de-groot-at-absa-cape-epic-r8391\/"},"modified":"2023-03-20T08:52:18","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T06:52:18","slug":"pauline-ferrand-prevot-partners-robyn-de-groot-at-absa-cape-epic-r8391","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/pauline-ferrand-prevot-partners-robyn-de-groot-at-absa-cape-epic-r8391\/","title":{"rendered":"Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot partners Robyn de Groot at Absa Cape Epic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n\tCycling\u2019s multidisciplinary men \u2013 Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock \u2013 battle across three fronts, chasing Road, Cyclocross and Mountain Biking World Titles. The marker they chase was set by the rider who could, arguably, claim to be the world\u2019s greatest cyclist. In 2015 Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot held the rainbow jerseys in Road, CX, and XCO. Subsequently the French star has gone on to add the 2019 and 2020 XCO World Championship titles and the 2019 World Marathon title to her impressive palmar\u00e8s.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Pauline Ferrand-Pre\u0301vot will race the Absa Cape Epic with Robyn De Groot. Image by @Activ-Images-Jacky-Everhaerdt.jpeg\" class=\"ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed\" data-fileid=\"1697445\" data-ratio=\"66.17\" data-unique=\"yfy22bus6\" style=\"height: auto;\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/846214291_PaulineFerrand-PrevotwillracetheAbsaCapeEpicwithRobynDeGroot.Imageby@Activ-Images-Jacky-Everhaerdt.9293b04536d1d8be3908574595b3675c-1.jpeg\" ><br \/>\n\t<em>Pauline Ferrand-Pre\u0301vot will race the Absa Cape Epic with Robyn De Groot. Image by @Activ-Images-Jacky-Everhaerdt<\/em>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\tIn 2022 she will be making her first steps towards adding the World\u2019s Premier Mountain Bike Stage Race to her list of victories. While this year\u2019s edition of the Absa Cape Epic may come too soon in her stage racing journey, Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot has, in Robyn de Groot, the perfect partner from whom to glean Absa Cape Epic experience. The multiple South African XCM Champion and four-time Absa Cape Epic podium finisher possesses a wealth of knowledge. \u00a0<br \/>\n\t\u00a0<br \/>\n\tThe pair\u2019s partnership came about due to their coach, Barry Austin. \u201cMy coach, Barry, is South African and is also Robyn\u2019s coach,\u201d Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot explained. \u201cFor my winter training, he proposed that I race the Tankwa Trek, which I did. I felt so good spending time in South Africa, for my preparation before the XCO World Cup season, that we had a discussion at the end of the Tankwa Trek, and we thought it could be great to add the Absa Cape Epic to my planning too.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Robyn De Groot celebrates her 2021 Swiss Epic win. Image by Michael Chiaretta.jpeg\" class=\"ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed\" data-fileid=\"1697446\" data-ratio=\"66.67\" data-unique=\"ptvm1ew3u\" style=\"height: auto;\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1408659255_RobynDeGrootcelebratesher2021SwissEpicwin.ImagebyMichaelChiaretta.9593c93e185a47f5649557369cdfafda-1.jpeg\" ><br \/>\n\t<em>Robyn De Groot celebrates her 2021 Swiss Epic win. Image by Michael Chiaretta<\/em>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"article_body_aunit\" id=\"div-gpt-ad-1628069077697-0\" style=\"min-width: 300px; min-height: 250px;\">\n\t<script>\n    googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1628069077697-0'); });\n  <\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n\t\u201cFollowing the Olympics, and all I learned there, I wanted to prepare for the 2022 season a bit differently,\u201d the three-time XCO World Champion added. \u201cSo, I had a big technical training block, from November to January, and now it&#8217;s time for me to come back to racing. To prepare for the excitement of competition and the specific skills it requires. Racing in South Africa is the perfect solution for that. The weather conditions are ideal, the country and the trails are just amazing, the timing is excellent, and it&#8217;s new to me. I love to discover new things! If this approach works out well in 2022 and I enjoy the Absa Cape Epic this year, why not come back again in the years to come?\u201d\u00a0<br \/>\n\t\u00a0<br \/>\n\t\u201cEspecially as I\u2019ve had the race on my mind for a few years now\u201d she continued. \u201cDue to the pandemic and then the Olympics during the last two years, participating just wasn\u2019t possible. But it&#8217;s a legendary race, and it&#8217;s ideal because of the weather and racing conditions, the trails, but also the type of effort racing it requires as an athlete and the quality of the organisation.\u201d \u00a0<br \/>\n\t\u00a0<br \/>\n\t\u201cI have a super opportunity to ride with Robyn this year,\u201d Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot smiled. \u201cThis year we built a women\u2019s team for the race and that is exactly the idea of what I want to bring to BMC MTB Racing! I\u2019m excited to start and discover the Absa Cape Epic now.\u201d\u00a0<br \/>\n\t\u00a0<br \/>\n\tFor De Groot, the opportunity to race with Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot has come at a strange time. \u201cThe past year has been a tough one and as many may or may not know, I needed to take time out to gain a fresh perspective,\u201d the 2021 Absa Cape Epic podium finisher and Swiss Epic winner confessed. \u201cThe request from Pauline came during such an interesting time of my career, while I had been taking a break and without the Absa Cape Epic in my 2022 plans.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Robyn De Groot during the 2021 Absa Cape Epic. Image by Simon Pocock.jpeg\" class=\"ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed\" data-fileid=\"1697447\" data-ratio=\"66.67\" data-unique=\"byvg870ur\" style=\"height: auto;\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/755282205_RobynDeGrootduringthe2021AbsaCapeEpic.ImagebySimonPocock.1e2974fb5cc45b0d505ddcb5618f278c-1.jpeg\" ><br \/>\n\t<em>Robyn De Groot during the 2021 Absa Cape Epic. Image by Simon Pocock<\/em><br \/>\n\t\u00a0<br \/>\n\t\u201cPauline\u2019s request came up out of the blue really,\u201d De Groot smiled. \u201cBut, once I heard what Pauline\u2019s objectives for her Absa Cape Epic campaign would be, I told her I\u2019d be honoured to join her. I also saw it as an opportunity to race my final Absa Cape Epic, as I enter a transition phase in my career.\u201d\u00a0<br \/>\n\t\u00a0<br \/>\n\t\u201cAs I mentioned, the late decision to tackle the Absa Cape Epic together means we will work with what we have to do the best that we can,\u201d the South African stated. \u201cWe\u2019ll take each day as it comes, use our experience \u2013 Pauline is no stranger to stage races in the sense that she has experience from road racing where multi day tours have also been a part of her career \u2013 to offset the lack of route homework we have been able to do. The Absa Cape Epic is relentless so if we can finish it with good feelings and ticking the boxes of our objectives then it will have been a worthwhile project.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cycling\u2019s multidisciplinary men \u2013 Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock \u2013 battle across three fronts, chasing Road, Cyclocross and Mountain Biking World Titles. The marker they chase was set by the rider who could, arguably, claim to be the world\u2019s greatest cyclist. In 2015 Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot held the rainbow jerseys in Road, CX, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":59534,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[24],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-13660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-cape-epic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13660"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62159,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13660\/revisions\/62159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13660"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=13660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}