{"id":18804,"date":"2016-01-28T18:35:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T18:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/2016\/01\/28\/team-ascendis-health-aiming-for-absa-cape-epic-success-r4051\/"},"modified":"2023-02-08T08:45:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T08:45:09","slug":"team-ascendis-health-aiming-for-absa-cape-epic-success-r4051","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/team-ascendis-health-aiming-for-absa-cape-epic-success-r4051\/","title":{"rendered":"Team Ascendis Health aiming for Absa Cape Epic success"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2004 Sweden\u2019s Jennie Stenerhag worked as a volunteer on the first ever Cape Epic. Eleven years later she was standing on the stage race\u2019s podium, having finished second overall in the Women\u2019s category with South African Robyn de Groot.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt is amazing to see how it has grown since the first edition in 2004. When I worked as a volunteer at that first one I did not even dream that I would stand on the podium of this race one day, so it makes it special for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year she will be back with De Groot (Team Ascendis Health) on the starting line on March 13.<\/p>\n

In recent years De Groot has dominated South African women\u2019s marathon mountain biking while Stenerhag has done much the same in Sweden.<\/p>\n

The latter lives and spends much of her time in South Africa, where the two of them have become good friends and regular stage race partners.<\/p>\n

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Stenerhag believes that their friendship is key to their successes: \u201cRobyn and I make a very good team since we get along very well both on and off the bike and we are good friends, which helps when racing. We have done a lot of stage races together and know each other very well. We do have different strengths and complement each other in a good way.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Groot concurred: \u201cJen and I have been fortunate enough to race a number of stage races together, and develop a really good friendship and understanding over the years. She got me through the Epic last year when I hit some very low times on a bicycle, and wouldn\u2019t leave my side.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a bike \u201cJen\u2019s strengths would be that she never gives up, always gives 100% to the partnership and is highly motivated to perform \u2026 she is also able to keep everything in perspective and smile at the end of every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Groot laughed when asked what her objective might be: \u201cTo survive again. No \u2026 well not just that: if opportunities arise to go for stage wins that would be something we would aim towards. If these opportunities arise and put us in a winning position overall, that would be a wonderful bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Stenerhag said: \u201cOur goal for the 2016 Absa Cape Epic is to finish on the podium after the eight days. We managed to do so last year and it would be a great achievement to get back on to that same podium.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching the route launch certainly got my heart beating faster,\u201d admitted De Groot. \u201cWith an increase in the amount of singletrack in the 2016 route, I have no doubt we will need to work harder. The route looks extremely challenging, which is what the Absa Cape Epic is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stenerhag added: \u201cAs much as I have seen of the route it looks like a very nice one, a bit shorter but more intense with more single tracks \u2026 which I think will make for a more fun race, but it will be tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Groot was looking forward the seeing the impact the new starting batch for women would have on the racing: \u201cFrom what I understand it may change the racing a little, and potentially lead to longer days out on the bike.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Both said they had been training well and their first (De Groot) and second finishes at the Attakwas Extreme MTB Challenge earlier this month was a \u201cgood sign since it means that we are on the same track for the Epic,\u201d said Stenerhag. They were 12th and 13th overall and only minutes apart in that 121km race, suggesting that they are in excellent shape as the Absa Cape Epic approaches.<\/p>\n

And what keeps them coming back each March for eight days of gruelling riding?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the ultimate MTB challenge,\u201d explained De Groot. \u201cYou suffer out there, but the sense of accomplishment at the end of it all is worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2004 Sweden\u2019s Jennie Stenerhag worked as a volunteer on the first ever Cape Epic. Eleven years later she was standing on the stage race\u2019s podium, having finished second overall in the Women\u2019s category with South African Robyn de Groot. \u201cIt is amazing to see how it has grown since the first edition in 2004. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":44697,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[76,24,314,361,894],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-18804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-absa-cape-epic","tag-cape-epic","tag-jennie-stenerhag","tag-robyn-de-groot","tag-team-ascendis-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18804","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=18804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18804"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=18804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}