The Absa Cape Epic Grand Finale: Stage 7 Day 8
Nino Schurter's SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing take the win
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| Shaun Roy/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS
The Absa Cape Epic finished for the first time at Val de Vie and its renowned polo fields – the fourth host for the Grand Finale in the race's 14 editions.
After leaving Oak Valley the finish was just 85km away and the riders had the least climbing to do which would be fair considering it being the last day of the Cape Epic. The riders experienced the climb up the Franschhoek Pass which came after about 40km. This marking the last major climb of the 2017 Absa Cape Epic for all 1200 riders who entered the epic.
The men’s category was set for a thrilling finale after Olympic cross-country champion Nino Schurter and team-mate Matthias Stirnemann (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing) claimed their first stage win of the 2017 Absa Cape Epic on Friday (March 24) and on Saturday (March 25).
This year's Cape Epic definitely saw some fairytales from teams like Centurion Vaude, Cannondale Factory XC, Kansai Plascon to name a few but also experienced some major downsides from the race's favourites with Karl Platt of Team Bulls having fallen off the radar together Alban Lakata of Team Topeak Ergon. These teams were some of the favourites from previous years too. The biggest shock was Investec-Songo-Specialized who finished 2nd overall to make podium but managed a 4th position at the finish line. Christoph Sauser came out of retirement to claim a 6th Cape Epic win but his legs seemed to have let him towards the end and they just couldn't catch up their time after suffering a major puncture during one of the stages in the week.
The day and year definitely belongs to Nino Schurter and SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing who didn't have a good start to the epic but managed to pick themselves up and win over many fans of this elite race. Schurter who was nicknamed 'The Hurter' won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and he sure will be celebrating for a long time to come. One impressive and exciting rider on the other hand is Matthias Stirnemann his understudy. Stirnemann who is 26 and had no experience in riding the Epic definitely left his mark on the trails and with the mountain-biking fans respectively.
What a glorious week it's been for team SCOTT-SRAM but quite the week for the rest of the riders. The Absa Cape Epic is not called #UNTAMED for no reason.
Another category that deserve a round of applause are the women in the Hansgrohe category who stood out and showed themselves among the strong male contenders. They came, they saw, the conquered. These women are the epitome of strength in the Cape Epic with the likes of Sabine Spitz, Robyn De Groot, Esther Suss, Ariane Luthi fighting it out till the end no matter what was thrown at them during the stages of the week. In the end, there could be only one winner who takes it all and that is Esther Suss and Jennie Stenerhag who finished 3rd on the day but went on to claim the Hansgrohe Women's category. What a week its been for them.
These are the top three results in the men and women's category:
1.Scott-SRAM Young Guns 2:57.14,9 Andri Frischknecht, Michiel Van Der Heijden
2. Trek-Selle San Marc 2 2:57.32,3 Damiano Ferraro, Fabian Rabensteiner
3. SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing 2:57.53,2 Nino Schurter, Matthias Stirnemann
Hansgrohe Women:
1. Ascendis Health 3:34.27,0 Sabine Spitz, Robyn De Groot
2. Hansgrohe Cadence OMX Pro 3:34.27,5 Mariske Strauss, Annie Last
3. Meerendal CBC 3:34.41,9 Esther Suss, Jennie Stenerhag
That's a wrap from us at The L.A Dosage. It's been a very fulfilling but untamed week for us at the 2017 14th edition of the Absa Cape Epic.
Till next year! Take care. . . |
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