{"id":20651,"date":"2015-01-08T08:45:00","date_gmt":"2015-01-08T08:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/2015\/01\/08\/joel-stransky-amp-anriette-schoeman-pair-up-for-absa-cape-epic-r1901\/"},"modified":"2023-02-08T11:23:46","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T11:23:46","slug":"joel-stransky-amp-anriette-schoeman-pair-up-for-absa-cape-epic-r1901","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/joel-stransky-amp-anriette-schoeman-pair-up-for-absa-cape-epic-r1901\/","title":{"rendered":"Joel Stransky & Anriette Schoeman pair up for Absa Cape Epic"},"content":{"rendered":"

He is an iconic rugby player. She is one of the most successful women\u2019s road cyclists South Africa has produced. And on March 15, 2015, World Cup hero Joel Stransky and eight times national champion Anriette Schoeman will line up together to take on the mighty Absa Cape Epic in the Mixed category.<\/p>\n

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The former Springbok, who cemented his place in the history books with his famous World Cup winning drop-kick in 1995, will be taking part in his sixth Cape Epic. Since hanging up his rugby boots he has become an accomplished and competitive mountain biker. Schoeman, who represented South Africa at the 2004 Olympic Games and has won the Cape Town Cycle Tour five times, is relatively new to mountain biking and it will be her first Cape Epic. They have been brought together by sponsors Liqui-Fruit.<\/p>\n

Given their combined sporting pedigrees, will they be racing for a podium finish?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have not discussed it, but I think the goal will be to race wisely but hard, and see how we go. If we are lucky enough to do well it will be a bonus,\u201d said Stransky. Schoeman was also circumspect: \u201cI\u2019ve never raced with Joel before but he’s a competitive and \u2018never say die\u2019 kind of person, so I will make sure I’m fit and strong enough to keep up with him when he is in beast mode. At least we have eight days of character-building to find each other\u2019s strengths and weaknesses,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

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Schoeman is looking forward to her first attempt at the world\u2019s premier mountain bike stage race: \u201cI am nervous and excited at the same time. I think the Absa Cape Epic is one of those events that has to be on anyone that is passionate about cycling\u2019s bucket list. We are so privileged to have an event of this magnitude right on our doorstep. I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stransky shared his thoughts on why he keeps coming back for more punishment: \u201cThe Absa Cape Epic is completely addictive, probably because it is so tough and, I think, because the route changes every year. It is an opportunity to thoroughly test your body and mind \u2013 more so the mind, I think \u2013 against the harshest terrain. The fact that you endure proper suffering certainly ensures a greater feeling of satisfaction at the finish,\u201d he said. Stransky also cited the fact that amateurs get the opportunity to tackle the same course as the elite riders and a \u201cfear of missing out on the toughest race of all\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Schoeman is addressing her relative inexperience as a mountain biker by putting in the extra hours of training: \u201cAt the moment I am doing a lot of base mileage, but mostly on the road. I have road nationals and Cape Town Cycle Tour before the Absa Cape Epic, but any long hours on my bike will benefit my fitness.\u201d She would also be \u201cswopping my thin tyres for fat ones within the next few weeks to do some proper off-road training. I’m really enjoying the mountain biking, especially the fact that I’ve only been doing it for fun. I can\u2019t say I have a lot of confidence on my mountain bike as I don\u2019t really spend the necessary time on it. I normally just train on my road bike and jump on my mountain bike the week before an event to see if everything still works! I must confess I’ve had quite a few \u2018oh well, let\u2019s see what happens\u2019 moments on my mountain bike when it comes to technical sections,\u201d said Schoeman.<\/p>\n

And why did Stransky – like many other retired rugby players – turn to mountain biking? \u201cI think all sports people thrive on competition and even more so on challenging themselves. I have always wanted to be the best I possibly can be at whatever I do. Mountain biking is about getting stronger and more skilful, about pushing yourself harder and suffering more. I love riding and want to be better, and I can ride for as long as my body allows me! It also ensures a properly healthy lifestyle,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Both paid tribute to Liqui-Fruit\u2019s sponsorship and involvement in mountain biking. Stransky said: \u201cLiqui-Fruit, as an outstanding product, has been around for as long as I can remember and is an incredibly funky brand with great brand following and loyalty. It constantly evolves to meet modern demands and I would think that this move into mountain biking is a natural progression! I certainly look forward to representing the brand at the Absa Cape Epic with great pride.\u201d \u201cI am very excited and grateful that Liqui-Fruit came on board and for this amazing opportunity! I think it is fantastic that brands like Liqui-Fruit have the vision to invest in our amazing sport of cycling and promoting a healthy lifestyle at the same time,\u201d said Schoeman.<\/p>\n

Liqui-Fruit managing executive Gareth Haarhoff said it was proud to continue its association as the official fruit juice sponsor of the 2015 Absa Cape Epic. \u201cIt will be the third year Liqui-Fruit has been involved and we look forward to a very exciting few months in the run up to the Grand Finale. We wish all the participants all the best during the race.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He is an iconic rugby player. She is one of the most successful women\u2019s road cyclists South Africa has produced. And on March 15, 2015, World Cup hero Joel Stransky and eight times national champion Anriette Schoeman will line up together to take on the mighty Absa Cape Epic in the Mixed category. The former […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":50143,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[76,1974,24,1579],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-20651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-absa-cape-epic","tag-anriette-schoeman","tag-cape-epic","tag-joel-stransky"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20651","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=20651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20651"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=20651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}