{"id":61588,"date":"2023-02-23T14:51:24","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T14:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/?p=61588"},"modified":"2023-03-20T08:50:26","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T06:50:26","slug":"canyon-northwave-returning-to-unfinished-business-at-absa-cape-epic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/canyon-northwave-returning-to-unfinished-business-at-absa-cape-epic\/","title":{"rendered":"Canyon Northwave: Returning to Unfinished Business at Absa Cape Epic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Canyon Northwave teams are unquestionably among the favourites for the 2023 race. Their pedigree speaks for them. As does their historic success at the Absa Cape Epic. Yet, one cannot help but feel they have unfinished business at the Untamed African Mountain Bike Race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Martin Sto\u0161ek and Andreas Seewald during stage 5 of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Elandskloof in\nGreyton to Stellenbosch, South Africa on the 25th March. 2022. Photo Sam Clark\/Cape Epic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2021 Andreas Seewald and Martin Sto\u0161ek won Stage 3 in what appeared to be a momentum shifting attack. The next day Sto\u0161ek withdrew from the race with a stomach bug. In 2022 they dominated Stage 1 and held a firm grip on the yellow Ciovita leader jerseys. Sadly for Seewald a crash on his way to that victory came back to haunt him later in the race, as his body began to tighten up as Speed Company Racing surged ever closer. On Stage 7 of last year\u2019s race Canyon Northwave lost the race despite a 2 minute 45 second lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understandably the team are thus highly motivated to avoid the mistakes which cost them in previous years. To aid in this attempt Seewald and Sto\u0161ek will be joined by Petr Vako\u010d and Marc Stutzmann of Canyon Northwave 2. The assistance of a support team will provide the insurance of having a rolling set of spare wheels nearby and aid in the chasing down of dangerous attacks, should any of the team\u2019s rivals make a potentially race-changing move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter last year\u2019s second place we are of course aiming for the podium again,\u201d Sto\u0161ek confirmed of their ambitions for 2023. \u201cAndreas and I learned to cooperate well last season; so, I think that there is a good chance to have a strong race.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Martin Sto\u0161ek and Andreas Seewald during stage 6 of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Stellenbosch to\nStellenbosch, South Africa on the 26th March 2022. Photo Sam Clark\/Cape Epic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Their cooperation clearly extends to how the pair express their race goals, as Seewald\u2019s views echoed his partners: \u201cWe clearly aim for a podium spot and if things go smooth, for example if I don’t hurt myself again on Stage 1, we will also be going for the overall victory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe route looks like it will contribute to be tight racing until the Grand Finale,\u201d the 2021 World Marathon Champion predicted. \u201cThe time trial on Stage 4 could provide the decisive time gaps however.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sto\u0161ek was also eager to point out that the team\u2019s reasons for returning to Africa extended beyond their desire to win the Absa Cape Epic, though that of course was essential too. \u201cFor me, personally, it\u2019s the greatest experience of the year,\u201d the Czech rider said. \u201cIt is also the most important event of my season, together with the Marathon World Championships. The atmosphere, the routes and the people all come together to make a very special race. The Absa Cape Epic provides a week of racing in one of the nicest places in the world and the platform to take on the best riders in the world too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newcomer to the race, Vako\u010d, is undaunted by the unknown. \u201cIt will be my first participation,\u201d the 30-year-old from Prague stated. \u201cI\u2019m excited about everything that lies ahead! It is something I have been looking forward to for years. I have done the Tour de France twice and I would rank the Absa Cape Epic just below that as a must do event.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Andreas Seewald in the leaders yellow jersey in the mix with Christopher Blevins and Matt Beers during stage 6 of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Stellenbosch to Stellenbosch, South Africa on the 26th March 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vakoc, a former professional for Soudal\u2013Quick-Step (2014-2019) and Alpecin-Fenix (2020-2021) was part of Mathieu van der Poel\u2019s 2021 Tour de France team as well as the 2016 Tour when Marcel Kittel won a stage for the then Etixx – Quick Step squad. His partner, Stutzmann, hails from Switzerland and placed fifth in the mountainous Marathon World Championships which Seewald won in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To see if the Canyon Northwave team can achieve in 2023 what they failed to do in 2021 and 2022 tune in to the Absa Cape Epic from Sunday, the 19th of March. The race will be broadcast live on www.epic-series.com\/capeepic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Canyon Northwave teams are unquestionably among the favourites for the 2023 race. Their pedigree speaks for them. As does their historic success at the Absa Cape Epic. Yet, one cannot help but feel they have unfinished business at the Untamed African Mountain Bike Race. In 2021 Andreas Seewald and Martin Sto\u0161ek won Stage 3 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":61592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[24],"featured_location":[338],"class_list":["post-61588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-cape-epic","featured_location-bottom-row"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61588","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=61588"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61594,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61588\/revisions\/61594"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61588"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=61588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}