Songo teams conquer the Epic
The Champagne bill for the Investec Songo Specialized teams will have been a large one on Sunday after their teams won the men’s and women’s categories at the eight-day Absa Cape Epic.
Annika Langvad won her fourth Cape Epic and partner Kate Courtney her first at her first attempt, while Jaroslav Kulhavy won his third and his team-mate Howie Grotts his first. Dane Langvad and Courtney of the US won every stage except the seventh at Val de Vie.
The French/Brazilian combo of Margot Moschetti and Raiza Goulao (PMRA/CST Racing team) won the 67km stage from Wellington to Paarl, with South Africans Candice Lill and Amy McDougall (Dormakaba) second and Sabine Spitz and Robyn de Groot (Ascendis Health) third. Langvad and Courtney took a comfortable fourth. Spitz and De Groot were second in the overall standings, with Mariske Strauss and Annie Last (SilverbackKMC) third).
“It was not expected that we would win today,” said Goulao. “We were just fighting for the top three again, but at about kilometre 15 we saw the top riders were looking a bit tired so we decided today was our day. For the last 30km it was full gas and no looking back.
“I have never had this feeling of winning a race like this. The Cape Epic is the hugest goal for me and I am leaving here with a new highlight.”
“That was a good day,” said Langvad, who won by a mammoth 46 minutes. “Our main goal today was just to get to the finish line.
“This is all a little bit unbelievable and a lot more than I could have asked for. Coming here and doing so well with the World Cup win and the Epic is unbelievable. It has been amazing to race with Kate and I have enjoyed it a lot.”
Said Courtney: “It is definitely a bit of an emotional finish for me. When I set out to do the Epic, my first marathon and stage race, people thought I was a little crazy, but my inner circle supported me and helped me get here.
“And [bike sponsor] Specialized gave me the opportunity to race with one of my heroes in the sport and I could not have asked for a better experience.
“And I think I have proved to myself that I can do it. It has been an incredible week of teamwork and so I do not think there is much more that we can ask for,” Courtney said.
Italians Fabian Rabensteiner and Michele Casagrande (Trek Selle San Marco 2) passed the Czech/American pair of Kulhavy and Grotts on the bone rattler descent close to the finish line to take the stage win at the Grand Finale, but the Specialized team decided that discretion was the better part of valour and came home in second place.
Francesc Guerra Carretero and Luis Leao Pinto (Buff Scott) were third. Alban Lakata and Kristian Hynek (Canyon Topeak) were fourth, and secured second place overall.
“For the first few days I was struggling quite a bit but things changed in the last few days,” said Grotts, who made his Epic debut in 2017. “I felt comfortable on the climbs and I’m happy with the way things have worked out for us.”
“It is amazing — we had a pretty good ride,” said Kulhavy. “I’m very happy for Howie.”