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<\/a><\/p>\n42-year-old Dahle Flesj\u00e5 has an Olympic Games gold medal in the cross country discipline (2004), nine world championship titles (four in cross country, five in the marathon discipline) and many more European and national championships. She has also won scores of other races over the years. Stirnemann is 25-years-old, but Dahle Flesj\u00e5\u2019s pedigree suggests the age gap won\u2019t be a factor: \u201cI think my endurance will be as good in a stage race as it has been before, both on the road and mountain bike,\u201d said the Norwegian. \u201cKathrin will be a young-minded rider and will inspire me and keep me in a good mood. I think we will have a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stirnemann said she and Dahle Flesj\u00e5 would race the Cyprus Sunshine Cup at the end of February \u201cand will spend some time together and do some riding and racing together. I think it will be a perfect combination,\u201d she added. \u201cMy strengths are my technical skills and setting a fast pace in flat sections. Gunn-Rita will probably be physically stronger than me, especially on the uphills, and so I hope we will complement each other pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dahle Flesja believes \u201cgood humour, direct communication and a positive mindset\u201d will be the keys to good teamwork for the Absa Cape Epic stage race. Stirnemann is also alert to the importance of the team dynamic in the rugged challenge: \u201cI thinks it’s a very important part. We\u2019re going to find out during the eight days if we really harmonise as a team.\u201d She thought last year\u2019s champions, Ariane Kleinhans and Annika Langvad, and former women\u2019s winners Esther S\u00fcss (riding with Alice Pirard) and Sally Bigham (with Bla\u017ea Klemen\u010di\u010d) would be at the head of the women\u2019s field. Dahle Flesj\u00e5 stressed though that \u201cKathrin and I will not aim for the overall at all\u201d, and would be enjoying riding with some of the strongest teams in world marathon racing. The two women race for different professional outfits on the World Cup circuit so have banded together under the World Bicycle Relief charity banner for the Absa Cape Epic.<\/p>\n They will ride different bikes. Dahle Flesj\u00e5 will be riding a full-suspension bike in a race for the first time \u2013 the Merida Big Ninety-Nine \u2013 while Stirnemann will be on a Haibike Sleek 29er. \u201cIt is one of the lightest 29er full-suspension bikes in the cross country World Cup circuit and also perfect for marathon races,\u201d said Stirnemann. \u201cI won the Cape Pioneer Trek on the same bike in 2012.\u201d<\/p>\n Dahle Flesja knows the Absa Cape Epic by reputation as \u201cone of the hardest stage races in the world as well as one of the greatest adventures on a mountain bike ever \u2026 time will tell\u201d. Stirnemann had heard that it is \u201cfamous as the hardest mountain bike stage race, and maybe comparable with the Tour de France\u201d.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s race takes place from 15 to 22 March and will once again take 1 200 riders through some of the Western Cape\u2019s most unspoilt territory. The race kicks off with a prologue on Table Mountain, starting from the University of Cape Town, and finishes eight days later at Meerendal Wine Estate in Durbanville.<\/p>\n Meerendal will host the finish of the race and the Grand Finale celebrations for the first time. The Grand Finale will commence with live entertainment, a farmer\u2019s market, great food and wine and unmatched scenery. Vantage points will be accessible to the general public. Experience the Grand Finale in style, Hospitality tickets are available on the website – http:\/\/www.cape-epic.com\/involve\/hospitality\/grand-finale-hospitality<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n