Also on the fourth day of the Absa Cape Epic it should not fail because of the tension and the South African tragedy. Two of the favorite men's teams suffered severe setbacks on Thursday. Karl Platt from Team Bulls even had to give up the race completely. After his fall on Tuesday, he was increasingly struggling with knee pain, so today he had to throw in the towel after just seven kilometers and let his partner Urs Huber continue the race alone.
“Up until today I was able to finish every stage of the Absa Cape Epic, but today the pain was so intense on the first climb that I couldn't pedal properly anymore. I had no choice, the pain was too much. It frustrates me so much because I was in top shape and we had a good chance of winning,” said Karl Platt about his withdrawal.
Christoph Sauser and Frantisek Rabon, the winners of yesterday's third day, got hit twice. They set a strong pace behind Schurter and Buys, but were prevented from attacking by a broken chain. When trying to get back to the top, Sauser caught his pedals on a rock and fell. Despite chest pains, he put in a strong race that saw them cross the finish line in sixth place at the end of the day.
Schurter and his South African partner Philip Buys celebrated their first stage win today. The slightly shorter distance of 88 kilometers suited Schurter, allowing the two XC specialists to make up time, especially on the singletrack sections, which they maintained even on the flat, fast stretches. "Philip is getting stronger every day... if he keeps going like this, I'm going to have a real fight on my hands soon," Schurter commented with a smile on the stage victory.
Markus Kaufmann and Jochen Käß followed them in second place, 1.26,8m 11.47,5s behind. Robert Mennen and Kristian Hynek from the Topeak-Ergon team defended the overall ranking of the men with their solid third place and have a lead of XNUMX:XNUMX minutes due to the problematic drive of Sauser and Rabon.
The women's duo Esther Süss and Sally Bigham, who had been leading to date, already lost valuable time at the beginning of the stage. Suess' damper lost air and so the Swiss rider had to ride in a very uncomfortable seating position throughout the stage. Especially on the many steep climbs, she had to struggle with an ascending front wheel, which cost her valuable strength and therefore time.
Annika Langvad and Ariane Kleinhans, on the other hand, secured their third consecutive victory and now lead the overall standings for the first time. "It's obviously frustrating that it was a mechanical problem, but luck and misfortune are often so closely intertwined here. Despite our relatively large lead, we can't rest on our laurels and must continue to attack ," said Kleinhans. Jennie Stenerhag and Theresa Ralph also rode a consistent race today, Thursday, and completed the podium with a gap of 23:44.1 minutes.
result men
1. Nino Schurter / Philip Buys (Scott Odlo MTB) 3:46.04,9
2. Markus Kaufmann / Jochen Kaess (Centurion Vaude) +1.26,8
3. Robert Mennen / Kristian Hynek (Topeak Ergon) +1.41,7
4. Roel Paulissen / Riccardo Chiarini (Torpado Factory) +1.57,2
5. Tim Boehme / Simon Stiebjahn (Torpado Factory) +3.01,4
result women
1. Ariane Kleinhans / Annika Langvad (RECM 2) 4:13.08,4
2. Esther Suss / Sally Bigham (Meerendal) +12.33,6
3. Jennie Stenerhag / Theresa Ralph (Cape Brewing Company) +23.44,1
4. Milena Landtwing / Hielke Eiferink (Meerendal Wheeler) +28.15,2
5. Sara Mertens / Laura Turpijn (Meerendal Wheeler 2) +40.02,0
Rating men
1. Robert Mennen / Kristian Hynek (Topeak Ergon) 18:44.28,4
2. Christoph Sauser / Frantisek Rabon (Meerendal Songo Specialized) +11.47,5
3. Tim Boehme / Simon Stiebjahn (Bulls 2) +13.46,5
4. Roel Paulissen / Riccardo Chiarini (Torpado Factory) +26.05,5
5. Nino Schurter / Philip Buys (Scott Odlo MTB) +37.15,1
Appreciation women
1. Ariane Kleinhans / Annika Langvad (RECM 2) 21:39.50,2
2. Esther Suss / Sally Bigham (Meerendal) +1.11.1
3. Jennie Stenerhag / Theresa Ralph (Cape Brewing Company) +1:03.44,7
4. Milena Landtwing / Hielke Eiferink (Meerendal Wheeler) +1:39.23,7
5. Sara Mertens / Laura Turpijn (Meerendal Wheeler 2) +2:06.51,2