{"id":22400,"date":"2012-03-08T06:40:00","date_gmt":"2012-03-08T06:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/niyonshuti-and-janse-van-rensburg-target-african-leader-jersey-in-absa-cape-epic-r94\/"},"modified":"2023-02-08T12:42:20","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T12:42:20","slug":"niyonshuti-and-janse-van-rensburg-target-african-leader-jersey-in-absa-cape-epic-r94","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/niyonshuti-and-janse-van-rensburg-target-african-leader-jersey-in-absa-cape-epic-r94\/","title":{"rendered":"Niyonshuti and Janse van Rensburg target African Leader Jersey in Absa Cape Epic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rwandan pro-rider Adrien Niyonshuti (25) will be participating in this year\u2019s Absa Cape Epic with South African Jacques Janse van Rensburg (24) as team MTN Qhubeka<\/em>. The event, which takes place from 25 March to 1 April, will see 1 200 cyclists from around the globe take on the 781km and 16 300m of climbing, starting with a prologue at Meerendal Wine Estate in Durbanville and finishing 8 days later at Lourensford Wine Estate.<\/p>\n

Niyonshuti began cycling when he was 16 after he received a bicycle from his uncle. In 2006, he won the inaugural Wooden Bike Classic in September 2006. He hit the international stage at 21 years of age when he competed in the 2007 Absa Cape Epic, riding with coach and American former pro cyclist and Tour de France rider Jock Boyer. It was a story of hope, about to unfold. In a mid-race interview, shortly after crossing the line in Villiersdorp, Boyer said about a very youthful Niyonshuti, \u201cThis guy is amazing, he\u2019s waiting for me \u2013 his first time in a mountain bike race and he\u2019s so strong. He\u2019ll go far.\u201d Since then the Rwandan has ridden the race 4 more times, garnering the African leaders\u2019 jersey in 2011, riding with mountain bike legend and 2004 Absa Cape Epic winner Mannie Heymans. Heymans was equally in awe, \u201cIt was a real privilege riding with this guy. He\u2019s as strong in his legs as his head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Niyonshuti.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Adrien Niyonshuti during stage 2 of the 2011 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race held from Saronsberg Wine Estate in Tulbagh, South Africa on the 29 March 2011. Photo by Sven Martin\/Cape Epic\/SPORTZPICS<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

His campaign on the road is no less impressive, with two victories at his home race, Tour of Rwanda. On his first trip to Europe to compete in the Tour of Ireland, he found himself racing against Lance Armstrong. Team manager Douglas Ryder says, \u201cAdrien\u2019s an icon \u2013 about 70% of Rwanda know him. If he walks the streets everyone shouts out his name. If he ran for president he\u2019d get 70% of the vote!\u201d But fame doesn\u2019t always lend itself to good results. \u201cIt\u2019s not easy for Adrien in Rwanda. The trouble is everyone wants a piece of him so he can\u2019t prepare as well as he\u2019s used to. He wants to train here in South Africa, where he can focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

As former under 23 South African Road Champion (2008), Janse van Rensburg needs no introduction. He placed third at the recent MTN Barberton cross-country marathon, first at this year\u2019s Central Gauteng Road Championships, the third African in last year\u2019s Tour of South Africa and 6th<\/sup> overall and first in the Tasol Solar Race to the Sun. In 2008 he finished in first place in the under 23 division of the Giro De Capo and 3rd<\/sup> overall.<\/p>\n

Niyonshuti says that he really enjoys stage racing. \u201cFor me, the Cape Epic is one of the most important races on the calendar and I believe each time I take part in it, I grow as a rider and gain strength. It would be a dream to finish in the top 5 in the Absa Cape Epic this year with my team mate Jacques Janse van Rensburg, and podium in the African Jersey.\u201d Adds Janse van Rensburg: \u201cStage wins will be a dream goal for myself and Adrien and so will an overall win, but our main goal for the 2012 Epic will be to podium in the African Jersey and to race for a win in this category.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Niyontshuti, Janse van Rensburg is a great rider: \u201cHe is on Team MTN Qhubeka with me and we did Cape Pioneer together last year to see how we\u2019ll work as a team. We\u2019re similar in strength and have been doing a lot of training together. I think he\u2019s the perfect partner for the Absa Cape Epic for this year. Let\u2019s just hope we have some luck too and not too many mechanicals, which I think everyone hopes for! We hope to ride consistently and if we\u2019re feeling good on a day and can go for a stage win, we will. But that\u2019s not our focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Janse<\/a><\/p>\n

GREYTON, SOUTH AFRICA – Jacques Janse Van Rensburg of Team DCM Chrome MonaVie leads the field during stage five of the Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race held between Greyton and Oak Valley (Elgin \/Grabouw) on the 26 March 2009 in the Western Cape, South Africa. Photo by Gary Perkin \/SPORTZPICS<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

These two do a lot of mountain bike races together and try to train together at least four times per week. \u201cWe\u2019re doing the Tour de Langkawi together, which is a 10 day stage race. I think that will be good preparation for both of us for Cape Epic,\u201d says Janse Van Rensburg.<\/p>\n

Niyontshuti puts in 20 hours of riding per week, with four hours per week of strength, stretching and core exercises. \u201cMy diet includes lots of fruit, rice, potato, chicken, vegetables, pap and supplements.\u201d Janse van Rensburg adds: \u201cObviously hours in the saddle is the most important and December and January were the most important months for building. We did 2500 to 3000km per month in December and January. With regards to our diet, we focus on recovering well after each ride to be fresh for the next day of hard training. And then obviously to make sure our bodies get used to consuming all the amounts of food you need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niyonthuti admits to having injuries that can affect his performance. \u201cIn the Tour of Rwanda last year November, I fell really badly and dislocated my shoulder. I\u2019ve been going for physio regularly and doing strength exercises, but it still hurts on long rides. Hopefully it will be good for the Absa Cape Epic and hopefully I can stay on my bike!\u201d<\/p>\n

His advise to other riders is to \u201ctrain hard and rest well after long efforts. I\u2019ve come to realize that recovery is just as important as exercising. You also need to have a programme that you follow to keep you motivated and you need to eat and supplement well. The most important ingredients in this event are mental toughness and belief in your partner.\u201d Janse van Rensburg\u2019s advice is to \u201cjust to stick with what you\u2019re used to in terms of nutrition and drinks during the race, and focus on consuming enough food at regular intervals during each stage. You also need to focus on recovering enough after each stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Janse van Rensburg is looking forward to all the climbing in the race. \u201cThat is myself and AD’s (Adrien) strong point! The first stage is always the most difficult for me. There are a lot of nervous riders in the first 2 stages of the tour. When everyone settles in to the race after the second day, everything runs much more smoothly in the bunch. It\u2019s a real good feeling to cross the finish line on the last day \u2013 it\u2019s a feeling of having achieved something big and completing the race with your partner. I did my first Cape Epic when I was only 19, the youngest in the race… on the 5th<\/sup> day I wanted to quit cycling, but I pushed on with some motivation from my coach and parents and managed to finish strong!\u201d<\/p>\n

Niyonshuti is hoping to \u2018do even better than what I\u2019ve done before. When I was younger and living in Rwanda, I didn\u2019t know that you could make a career out of cycling. My message would be – if you\u2019re passionate about something, believe in yourself and follow your heart. The path will be created if you believe in it and put in the hard work.\u201d To him, every stage is tough. \u201cYou need to be mentally as well as physically strong every day. Every day is as tough as the day before. The emotions when you cross that finish line on the last day are overwhelming. You don\u2019t know if you should laugh or cry. You\u2019re exhausted yet your mind is busy. It is a bittersweet feeling. Last year was definitely my biggest highlight \u2013 me and my team mate Mannie Heymans finished in 9th<\/sup> place overall and won the African Leaders Jersey!\u201d<\/p>\n

In his free time, Niyonshuti likes to watch movies and read, or catch up with his friends and spend time with them. \u201cI\u2019ve been selected to take part in the London Olympics for cross country, so for me I\u2019d really like to finish that event and make Rwanda proud as they\u2019ve never had an athlete selected for Olympics cross country. I\u2019m so grateful to the sponsors and the support I have that allows me to continually come back and take part in the Absa Cape Epic, as having sponsors that believe in you and regular funding is hard to find.\u201d<\/p>\n

Janse van Rensburg likes to \u201crelax in front of the TV or computer \u2013 \u201cyes, I still like playing games now and then, but it keeps me relaxed so that’s all that matters. And then to go to different types of malls all over Gauteng with my fianc\u00e9 Genee. This year, I\u2019d like to podium in the MTN National XCM series and to win a major international road race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lourensford Wine Estate will once again host the finish of the race and the Grand Finale celebrations on 1 April 2012. The Grand Finale will kick off with live entertainment by well-known South African band Freshly Ground, a Farmer\u2019s Market, delectable food and wine as well as glorious scenery. Vantage points will be accessible to the general public, so that all may have a piece of the mountain biking action. Entrance is free.<\/p>\n

Visit www.cape-epic.com<\/a> for more details and to see online where the riders are during the race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rwandan pro-rider Adrien Niyonshuti (25) will be participating in this year\u2019s Absa Cape Epic with South African Jacques Janse van Rensburg (24) as team MTN Qhubeka. The event, which takes place from 25 March to 1 April, will see 1 200 cyclists from around the globe take on the 781km and 16 300m of climbing, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":53923,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-22400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22400","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=22400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22400\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22400"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=22400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}