Cycling: Four exciting days await athletes and fans at the 19th edition of the Afxentia stage race. Led by Olympic champions Jaroslav Kulhavy and Julie Bresset, as well as double world champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot, world number one Jolanda Neff and the legendary Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa, the fire will be opened on Thursday, February 26th. Athletes from 28 different nations are represented, which is a record.
Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized Racing) prepares his second start at the Cape Epic in South Africa in Cyprus. “Cyprus and the Cyprus Sunshine Cup are an important point for my preparation. There are many world ranking points to be won and the sporting quality is very high. I love the many great trails at Afxentia”, Kulhavy comments on his comeback on the island after being absent last year due to injury.
Last year's winner Fabian Giger (Colnago-Südtirol) says something similar. The Swiss is Vice European Champion and is also preparing for the Cape Epic with the Afxentia. “The format and the stages in Cyprus suit me quite well and I enjoy racing this race. I think the competition, like every year, is pretty strong. I would like to get on the podium. If it's even enough for the overall victory again, I'd be happy too.", says Giger.
Indeed, there is a lot of competition for Giger and Kulhavy. For example Jan Skarnitzl (Sram Mitas Trek), the EM third from the Czech Republic and of course Manuel Fumic (Cannondale Factory Racing). The German is downplaying his ambitions a bit, but at least he's starting fifth in the world rankings. "The Afxentia helps me to get into the rhythm of the competition", says Fumic. He will be joined by his new Brazilian team-mate Henrique Avancini, who is no stranger to Cyprus.
In addition, the two BH Sr Suntour-KMC drivers Stephane Tempier and Maxime Marotte will certainly play a role in the fight for the podium, as will Florian Vogel, who now drives at Focus XC in the team of German champion Markus Schulte-Lünzum.
In the women's field, you'll discover a lot of world-class riders. When Jolanda Neff (Stöckli Pro Team) won the 18th edition of the Afxentia stage race last year, that was a little surprising. A few months later, not anymore. Now the Swiss "Femme Fatal", as she was called by one newspaper, arrives in Cyprus as the world number one and youngest overall World Cup winner of all time.
If Neff says her form is "better than expected" at this point in preparation, her rivals should be wary.
In Cyprus, the 22-year-old will meet her previous teammate Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Rabo-Liv). The French is cycling's other big talent. World champion on the road, world champion in cyclo-cross and all before her 23rd birthday.
Ferrand Prevot rode cyclo-cross until the end of January, so her preparation is probably completely different from that of Jolanda Neff. It will be extremely exciting to watch the two over four days.
It will also be interesting to see how Olympic champion Julie Bresset (Fra) performs. After a difficult year, Bresset (BH Sr Suntour-KMC) is looking to get back to the very top of the world, back to the level she was in 2012 and 2013 when she became world champion.
Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa (Multivan-Merida) prepares for her Cape Epic debut. Now that the Norwegian can draw on last year's Afxentia experience, she should be able to put some pressure on the other women.
Marathon World Champion Annika Langvad (Specialized Racing) from Denmark should at least be considered a podium candidate. Slovenian Blaza Klemencic (Habitat Mountainbike Team), Annie Last (GBR National Team), Eliminator World Champion Kathrin Stirneman (Haibike-Ötztal) from Switzerland, Austrian Lisi Osl (Ghost Factory Racing), French Margot Moschetti (Betch.nl Superior) and her Ukrainian teammate Yana Belomoina are other top riders to beat on the challenging and scenic trail on the Mediterranean island.
“It's quite a success for the Cyprus Sunshine Cup to have all these great people here for training and racing. And it's also a very good sign that athletes from 27 different nations are taking part again. Our organizing team is very proud of the development of our races, but we try to keep improving so that we can keep up with the level of our participants," says Mike Hadjioannou. The managing director of the organizing agency Bikin' Cyprus can continue to count on the support of the Cyprus Tourism Organization, which is constantly trying to further develop Cyprus as a mountain bike destination.