![\"ccs-62657-0-92503100-1458309365.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-92503100-1458309365.jpg\")
<\/a>Team Sport for Good’s Yana Belomoina and Sabine Spitz on their way to victory during stage 5 of the 2016 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race held from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Wellington to Boschendal in Stellenbosch, South Africa on the 18th March 2016. Photo by Ewald Sadie\/Cape Epic\/SPORTZPICS<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe were supposed to win yesterday on the \u2018cross-country\u2019 stage but coming first on the queen stage is pretty good,\u201d said an elated Spitz, riding her first Absa Cape Epic.<\/p>\n
The 44-year-old revealed that the decisive moment for Sport for Good came in the final 10km of the stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI must say that Annika is riding amazingly well. She\u2019s so strong, especially on the flat where Ariane sometimes struggles. We were together with them all the way until we got to a sandy section where Annika had to wait. That was the moment we got a gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riders awoke to mild conditions in Wellington, with predicted rain only falling for a short while and helping Spitz and her 23-year-old partner\u2019s cause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hoped that it wouldn\u2019t rain the whole day but in the end was only for an hour or so. That made the surface much better for riding as the dust settled and it was compact. It allowed us to ride consistently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Belomoina came across the line smiling from ear to ear, a clear sign that the 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Under-23 champion is finding her feet on the trails of the Western Cape.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m feeling very strong,\u201d she said. \u201cI think I\u2019m getting better and better and I\u2019m very happy to win a stage at the Cape Epic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a relaxed looking Langvad did not seem too concerned about finishing second. Moments after crossing the line, 1.59,7 behind the Sport for Good pair, she said it had been a \u201cperfect day \u2026 it only got hot towards the end after being quite cool\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Dane and Kleinhans both punched the air as they finished, with the former admitting that they were surprised how well they handled the day\u2019s climbing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith all the climbing we didn\u2019t think we would be superior because our competitors are very good climbers. So we were actually surprised; we paced ourselves very well and got a good result out of it in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kleinhans was not willing to let her thoughts turn to the grand finale at Meerendal yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo win a third title in a row would be an absolute dream, but I don\u2019t really want to talk about it apart from saying we will give it our all to achieve it.\u201d<\/p>\n