Champagne all round for Cape Epic winners
THE champagne bill for the Investec Songo Specialised teams will have been a large one yesterday after both 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 teammate, Howie Grotts, his first.
Dane Langvad and Courtney, of the US, won every stage except for the seventh stage at Val de Vie yesterday.
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 (Silverback-KMC) third.
“It was not expected that we would win today,” Goulao said.
“We were just fighting for the top three again, but at about 15km we saw the top riders were looking a bit tired and 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 Absa Cape Epic is the hugest goal for me and I am leaving here with a new highlight.”
“That was a good day,” Langvad, who won by a mammoth 46 minutes, said. “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 Absa Cape Epic is unbelievable. It has been amazing to race with Kate and I have enjoyed it a lot.”
Courtney said: “It is definitely a bit of an emotional finish for me. When I set out to do the Absa Cape 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] Specialised 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.”
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 Specialised 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, ahead of Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini.
“For the first few days I was struggling quite a bit, but things changed in the last few days,” Grotts said.
“I felt comfortable on the climbs and I’m happy with the way things have worked out.”
Kulhavy said: “It is amazing – we had a pretty good ride.”