![\"ccs-58780-0-26408300-1490535349.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-58780-0-26408300-1490535349.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Esther Suss & Jennie Stenerhag of Meerendal CBC celebrate winning the 2017 Absa Cape Epic. Photo by Greg Beadle\/Cape Epic\/SPORTZPICS<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI can\u2019t stop crying. I am so happy \u2026 it is just unbelievable,\u201d said Swede Stenerhag. \u201cI don\u2019t know what date it is today, but I think it is four days until exactly a year after my heart operation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stenerhag pulled out of the race while lying second in 2016 and then had surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince that day my biggest goal was to try and come back to win this race,\u201d said Stenerhag. \u201cTo pull it through is something completely unreal. I cannot believe that I am standing here as the winner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experience and consistency were key to that win when S\u00fcss from Switzerland and Stenerhag crossed the line as third women\u2019s team at the final stage to Val de Vie Estate near Paarl, but having done enough to claim a convincing victory overall in the Hansgrohe Women\u2019s category.<\/p>\n
The Meerendal CBC team\u2019s total time was 31 hours, 39 minutes and 43 seconds, 35 minutes and 19 seconds ahead of Sunday\u2019s runners up, Mariske Strauss and Annie Last (Hansgrohe Cadence OMX Pro), with the final stage winners Robyn de Groot and Sabine Spitz (Ascendis Health) a further 12 minutes back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been a tough week. It has not been an easy week,\u201d added Stenerhag. \u201cBut Esther and I have been in such good form that I have not found it as tough as I expected. I think that was because we have been so good this week that it did not seem so hard.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously (Spitz and De Groot) had some bad luck, but on the day they had the biggest bad luck we had ridden away from them, so I want to believe we could have beaten them anyway \u2026 and staying on your bike is part of the game.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we won by keeping everything smooth and consistent. We just kept calm and never thought we could win until now when we crossed the line. I think that helped because we never stressed about anything \u2013 just kept it smooth.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a fairytale. I put so much into it. Everything I have done for the last three months has been to just with this as a goal. It is just amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>Sabine Spitz from team Ascendis Health during the final stage (stage 7) of the 2017 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race. Photo by Mark Sampson\/Cape Epic\/SPORTZPICS<\/span><\/p>\n