Riders had to head into the Koue-Bokkeveld, known for its spectacular sandstone formations and summer temperatures regularly in the upper-30 degrees Celsius. Riders put mileage into their piggy banks early on when they scaled Middelberg Pass, 900 meters of altitude gain over the first 18 kilometers, on tar and smooth gravel. The descent onto the plateau was fast with a few sharp bends. Riders made up some time until just before the halfway mark, where a four-kilometer climb took them to the highest point of the entire race (1 150 meters above sea level). They were then rewarded with a five-kilometer single-track section that wounded through red sandstone formations. This stage felt fast and relatively flat, until the rugged and challenging wagon trail took the field into the Witzenberg Valley. Cleared for the race by local mountain bike-enthusiast farmers, this part of the race offered some of the finest terrain the Western Cape provides. The best was saved for last: a technical five-kilometer single-track, an old wagon trail opened up for the 2010 Absa Cape Epic, which plummeted into the Tulbagh Valley. It was a challenging transition onto a new playground, from the rugged and remote Cederberg to the fertile Tulbagh Valley with its quaint village and wine farms.<\/p>\n
The temperature during stage 2 was ideal and not as hot as during stage 1. It was less sandy and a fast rolling stage with exciting racing. The course was particularly rugged and there were two major casualties in the pro-field – the first being the yellow zebra leader jersey and the second Jos\u00e9 Hermida picking up a five-inch nail. He had to repair it to get him to the next tech zone for a wheel change. This cost the team over 11 minutes at the end of the day. Riding at the front were Karl Platt and Urs Huber as well as Jaroslav Kulhavy and Christoph Sauser, until Kulhavy broke his chain. They lost a few minutes repairing the chain and in the process broke the chain tool. With a bit of improvisation, they managed to get it back together again, but lost 9 minutes in the process.<\/p>\n
Men\u2019s Category<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The Men\u2019s category of Stage 2 of this year\u2019s Absa Cape Epic was won by the Bulls team of Karl Platt and Urs Huber in 5:35.32,1. Platt has won the event four times and this is his thirteenth Absa Cape Epic stage win in his career. They were followed by the Bulls 2 team of Thomas Dietsch and Tim Boehme in 5:41.20,6 with Christoph Sauser and Jaroslav Kulhavy of Burry Stander \u2013 SONGO in third place (5:44.16,2). Yesterday\u2019s winners Jos\u00e9 Hermida and Rudi van Houts finished in fifth place in 5:47.00,4.<\/p>\n Platt and Huber (Bulls) now lead the men\u2019s category by 6 minutes and 23 seconds (11:05,08,4). Dietsch and Boehme (Bulls 2) are placed second overall (11:11.31,4) and Sauser and Kulhavy (Burry Stander \u2013 SONGO) are third in 11:13.12,3. Multivan Merida\u2019s Jos\u00e9 Hermida and Rudi van Houts are in fourth place overall (11:14.14,2).<\/p>\n Says Huber of the Bulls team: \u201cIt all feels like a dream. It\u2019s my first stage win at the Absa Cape Epic. We were fighting hard today and it was a really good day for me. I hope we can keep our rhythm for the next few stages.\u201d Platt adds: \u201cI can\u2019t find any words to express how I feel. We were hoping for a stage win at this year\u2019s race, but didn\u2019t expect it on Stage 2. This is the Absa Cape Epic \u2013 you need to improvise, take your chances and go for it. We were also riding conservatively today. At one point Kulhavy attacked and we just tried to keep up. He was going very fast \u2013 I can see why he is the Olympic champion.\u201d<\/p>\n Says Van Houts of Multivan Merida: \u201cWe lost some time today as we had a puncture and had to replace a tube.\u201d His teammate Hermida adds: \u201cAnd if you ride on your own it\u2019s difficult to ride as fast as when you\u2019re with the group which keeps pushing you. But we rode at a steady pace and eventually joined up with the second group. We also rode carefully as we didn\u2019t want to get a puncture again.\u201d Van Houts continues: \u201cEspecially after winning yesterday, we had to push hard. Sauser and Kulhavy were riding hard again today, but everything evened out again on the flat sections. We\u2019ll check the map tonight and be careful tomorrow. We\u2019re still in a good position in the overall and will keep on fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n Jaroslav Kulhavy (Burry Stander \u2013 SONGO) broke his chain during the race today. \u201cIt was very hard and very hot. Now I know what everyone means when they talk about how hard the Absa Cape Epic can be.\u201d<\/p>\n Urs Huber and Karl Platt of the Bulls celebrate after winning stage 2 during stage 2 of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Citrusdal to Saronsberg Wine Estate in Tulbagh, South Africa on the 19 March 2013..Photo by Karin Schermbrucker\/Cape Epic\/SPORTZPICS<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Thomas Dietsch and Tim Boehme of Bulls 2 celebrate after finishing in second place during stage 2 of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Citrusdal to Saronsberg Wine Estate in Tulbagh, South Africa on the 19 March 2013..Photo by Shaun Roy\/Cape Epic\/SPORTZPICS<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Jaroslav Kulhavy and Christoph Sauser of Burry Stander – Songo cross the line in third place during stage 2 of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Citrusdal to Saronsberg Wine Estate in Tulbagh, South Africa on the 19 March 2013..Photo by Shaun Roy\/Cape Epic\/SPORTZPICS<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Urs Huber and Karl Platt of the Bulls celebrate after winning stage 2 during stage 2 of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Citrusdal to Saronsberg Wine Estate in Tulbagh, South Africa on the 19 March 2013..Photo by Karin Schermbrucker\/Cape Epic\/SPORTZPICS<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Absa African Jersey<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The Absa African Leader jersey was won by Darren Lill and Charles Keey of team Cannondale Blend (5:47.01,0; overall 11:26.46,7) for the second day in a row. Says Keey: \u201cWe tried to ride as conservatively for as long as possible. Around the middle of this stage, 5 or 6 teams broke away and we rode together until we got to some jeep track where we started splitting up. We managed to stay with the Bulls team at first but couldn\u2019t keep the pace. We\u2019re happy with our performance.\u201d<\/p>\n Exarro Jersey<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Prince Maseko and Phillimon Sebona of Exxaro PwC Academy 1 won the Exxaro Jersey today in a time of 6:58.01,8 (overall 14:07.38,0).<\/p>\n Ladies Category<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n African\/British duo Yolande Speedy and Catherine Williamson (Energas) won today\u2019s stage in a time of 6:51.21,7. They were followed by the Pragma Volcan Ladies, Hanlie Booyens and Ischen Stopforth in 7:18.30,2 (overall 14:37.37,8). In third place were Kath Kelly and Erin Greene of www.rrsport.co.nz<\/a> in 7:27.53,9 (overall 15:06.25,6). Speedy and Williamson now lead this category by 36 minutes and 7 seconds.<\/p>\n Says Speedy (Energas): \u201cI must confess my partner is a powerhouse – she\u2019s really strong. Esther and Jane must have had some problems. Hanlie and Ischen caught up with us and we were riding as hard as we could to the finish. It was a super fast stage for us, even with the sting in the tail at the end. It\u2019s very nice to win a stage. We just hope that Esther and Jane are ok. It\u2019s so sad that Sally and Milena had to withdraw yesterday due to illness.\u201d Adds Williamson: \u201cIt was a very long, hard stage, but winning a stage is brilliant. I kept looking behind me \u2013 I was really worried that the others were going to catch up with us. I think we ruined a few egos along the way today.\u201d<\/p>\n Esther S\u00fcss and Jane Nuessli of BMC Wheeler had some bad luck today. Says S\u00fcss: \u201cI had a tummy bug and felt very weak. After the first few kilometers I said to Jane that my legs aren\u2019t feeling strong and that I\u2019m not sure if I can do this. Jane said that whatever I decide to do, would be fine – she\u2019ll support me.\u201d Adds Nuessli, who was in tears: \u201cEsther just carried on. I\u2019ve never seen such courage. She\u2019s a real tough cookie and I\u2019m so proud of her.\u201d S\u00fcss added: I would not have been able to finish today without Jane. She supported me the whole way without complaining.\u201d<\/p>\n Catherine Williamson(front) and Yolande Speedy(rear) during stage 2 of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Citrusdal to Saronsberg Wine Estate in Tulbagh, South Africa on the 19 March 2013..Photo by Sam Clark\/Cape Epic\/SPORTZPICS<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Telkom Business Master\u2019s Category<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The Telkom Business Masters category was again won by Carsten Bresser and Udo Boelts (Juwi) in a time of 6:04.23,5 (overall 12:05.38,5). They were followed by Nico Pftizenmaier and Abraao Azevedo of the Bridge team in 6:05.36,2 (overall 12:22.24,6) with Neil Bradford and Tim Osrin of HCL\/Harvest Foundation 1 in third place (6:28.46,7; overall 12:47.01,4).<\/p>\n Bresser and Boelts now lead this category by 16 minutes and 46 seconds and are placed 15th<\/sup> overall.<\/p>\n Pfitzenmaier of team Bridge says: \u201cAbraao had a sore back yesterday and we had to see a chiropractor. We\u2019re very happy with today\u2019s stage. We rode with Bresser and Boelts until the last steep hill, when they started running off their bikes. We couldn\u2019t chase them down again, but it was good riding today. It\u2019s still a long race and anything can happen. We\u2019re optimistic and looking forward to having a close race.\u201d<\/p>\n CITRUSDAL – Leading Masters Carsten Bresser and Udo Boelts of Juwi during stage 2 of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race held from Citrusdal to Tulbagh, South Africa on the 19 March 2013..Photo by Gary Perkin\/Cape Epic\/SPORTZPICS<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Grand Masters<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n B\u00e4rti Bucher and Heinz Zoerweg of Songo.info again finished in first place in the Grand Masters in a time of 6:23.57,7 (overall 13:02.04,7). They were followed by Linus van Onselen and Doug Brown (BALAMORY) in 6:37.07,1 (overall 13:32.10,1) with Paul Furbank and Chris Brand of Genesis Capital in third place in 6:52.53,7 (overall 13:54.25,2).<\/p>\n Says B\u00e4rti Bucher of Songo.info: \u201cToday was much better than yesterday. It wasn\u2019t as hot as the day before and the heat was more manageable. It was also greener and not so sandy. Every day we give our best and it\u2019s nice to have a lead. It\u2019s great fun riding with Heinz, but also tough.\u201d<\/p>\n Mixed Category<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n It was a hat trick for the RE:CM team of Erik and Ariane Kleinhans when they won the Mixed category in 6:27.02,8 (overall 12:51.11,0), followed by Theresa Ralph and Damian Perrin of Biogen Britehouse (6:35.11,5; ovcerall 14:29.27,0). In third place were Peta Mullens and Jarrod Moroni of Target TREK-Moronis Bikes (6:45.03,6; overall 13:34.49,7).<\/p>\n Johan Labuschagne and Yolandi de Villiers of Exxaro Cycle Lab 1 finished in fourth place in 6:45.14,5 (overall 13:40.10,5). Erik and Ariane Kleinhans lead this category by 43 minutes and 38 seconds.<\/p>\n Says Ralph of Biogen Britehouse: \u201cWe started hard and were in front of Erik and Ariane. I thought we lost them, but when I looked over my shoulder shortly after the climb, they were on our heels. We had a very nice cruise down the hill chatting and sharing the work, and rode together to around the 90 or 100 km mark. From there I just couldn\u2019t keep up and we lost 4 or 5 minutes on them. It was such a pleasure riding with them. Yesterday we had some bad luck \u2013 Damian had a fall and we had to try and repair his bike ourselves. We lost a lot of time \u2013 probably an hour or so. Yesterday was a tough day.\u201d<\/p>\n Erik Kleinhands(L) and Ariane Kleinhans\u00ae during stage 2 of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Citrusdal to Saronsberg Wine Estate in Tulbagh, South Africa on the 19 March 2013..Photo by Sam Clark\/Cape Epic\/SPORTZPICS<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Stage 2 Photo Gallery:<\/strong><\/p>\n Stage 3: Saronsberg Wine Estate (Tulbagh) to Saronsberg Wine Estate (94 km, 1 950 m of climbing)<\/strong><\/p>\n Mountains surround the town of Tulbagh and stage three offers a tour of the basin, with a figure of eight traversing the vineyards and farmlands, skirting these mountains. By now riders should be used to starting with a climb. This 400-meter climb over 15 kilometers, with a short warm up, should be rather gentle on the legs. This is followed by three kilometers of sweeping single-track, finishing off with a section through popular forest. This is a pleasant day, with lots of ups and downs interspersed with flowing single-track sections. The day is more gentle, the soil is softer, the vegetation more lush and the hills shorter. If riders happen to hear the finish line, smell the race village, but their odometer only reads 55 kilometers, they need to keep pedaling. The second part of the figure of eight is shorter, but includes the same amount of climbing as the first one. Dr Evil and the route-design team show their true colours after water points three: a 1,5-kilometer climb on a steep farm road, followed by a short descent and three more short but sharp climbs on rough surface, before it is finally (almost) all downhill and back to the fields of Saronsberg Wine Estate.<\/p>\n Follow the riders on the live site at www.cape-epic.com<\/a>, the mobi site (m.cape-epic.com<\/a>, on Twitter (#absacapeepic), Facebook (www.facebook.com\/capeepic<\/a>) and YouTube (www.youtube.com\/absacapeepic<\/a>).<\/p>\n Share in the legend!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Riders had to head into the Koue-Bokkeveld, known for its spectacular sandstone formations and summer temperatures regularly in the upper-30 degrees Celsius. Riders put mileage into their piggy banks early on when they scaled Middelberg Pass, 900 meters of altitude gain over the first 18 kilometers, on tar and smooth gravel. The descent onto the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-21962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21962","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\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21962\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21962"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=21962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}