Speedy Overcomes Broken Ribs to Win Cape Epic

Yolande Speedy and Catherine Williamson (Energas) won the category in an overall time of 38:58.51,9. In second place overall were the Pragma Volcan Ladies Hanlie Booyens and Ischen Stopforth in 40:32.56,3, with C-Bear’s Sara Mertens and Laura Turpijn in third place in 41:11.13,5. C-bear won today’s stage in 3:18.57,9.

Yolande Speedy of Energas says: “It was better than I thought, and we played it safe knowing we had the lead. We kept it steady on the climbs, and I was very careful on the downhills. We’re very happy that we made it, and we had amazing support. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. It’s amazing to take away this win. It’s such a prestigious event.”

Says Williamson: “I won’t forget this week in a hurry, and it’s a very special win knowing what we’ve been through. We’ve really had the true Epic experience.

On the effort to motivate the injured Speedy towards the final finish line, Williamson said: “We just tried to keep humoring Yolande today. I was acting like a marshal. I needed one of those stop-start signs today. We made a lot of friends and they were helping us frequently.

“This is the biggest victory yet. I won’t forget this one at all. It’s brilliant; it’s massive,” says Williamson.

“Three times second and two times first,” said stage 7 winner Turpijn. “We knew Yolande unfortunately had to take it easy, but we decided to go for another stage win.”

Adds Mertens: “We really wanted it. It’s great! Before it was living the dream but now it’s playing the game with Laura.”

Mixed Category:

The RE:CM team of Erik and Ariane Kleinhans won their category in a time of 34:59.54,4. In second place were Australians Peta Mullens and Jarrod Moroni of Target TREK-Moronis Bikes in 37:18.49,4 with Exxaro Cycle Lab 1’s Johan Labuschagne and Yolandé de Villiers in third place in 37:27.29,8. Erik and Ariane Kleinhans (RE:CM) won today’s stage in 2:54.44,8.

Says Erik Kleinhans: “It was a fantastic experience and our biggest goal of the year. We’re very glad to be here without any issues. We tried to keep it consistent and we had a safe race. We know how to win these races, and were very prepared for this.

“We’re extremely happy,” continued Kleinhans. “Ariane was a bit nervous and we made some small mistakes today. Over the last 20km when we came over the big climb, we knew we’d be safe. It’s a fantastic feeling; it’s amazing.”

Adds Ariane Kleinhans: “It’s a huge relief. It’s such a long, long way with so many challenges. We had such amazing support from our team RE:CM. It feels really nice and I’m so happy.”

The final stage of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic was short with only one major climb at the halfway mark. Riders left Stellenbosch along the mountainside through Coetzenberg and Eden Forest, then worked their way into the Stellenbosch Winelands.

The trail climbed up through the vineyards, opening up spectacular views of False Bay, as far as Cape Point, and back to Table Mountain and Durbanville, where the journey started seven long days ago.

Having mastered the nine-kilometer climb up the side of the Helderberg Mountain into the Lourensford Neck, the finish line was almost within sight as the view into the striking Lourensford bowl opened up.

This was the first time in Absa Cape Epic history that riders approached Lourensford Wine Estate from a totally different direction and not Gamtouw Pass. The final 25 kilometers were predominantly downhill, on forestry roads on the higher elevations, interspersed with some single-track, and into the orchards and vineyards on the lower slopes.

The final run onto the lush green polo field packed with grandstands, marquees and supporters was unforgettable.

This year’s Absa Cape Epic saw 1 258 participants starting the Untamed African Mountain Bike Stage Race last Sunday (17 March 2013) at Meerendal Wine Estate, with a total of 1,105 riders at the start shoot this morning. Those who finished today (Sunday, 24 March 2013), enjoyed the ultimate reward of receiving the highly-sought after finisher t-shirt and medal, when they crossed the final finish line at Lourensford Wine Estate.

Find all of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic stats at www.cape-epic.com, the mobi site (m.cape-epic.com), on Twitter (#absacapeepic), Facebook (www.facebook.com/capeepic) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/absacapeepic).