Todays pro event was won by the team of Chris Sauser & Burry Stander, both world champions, with a time of 1:10. The masters event was won by Udo Boelts / Carsten Bresser at 1:18. They have won every stage so far. Udo may be a familiar name to road cyclists as was 9th in the 1994 Tour de France & finishing 12 consecutive Tours. As Jan Ullrich was about to crack en route to winning the 1997 TDF, Udo pulled him back & offered these kind words of encouragement: Qual dich du Sau (meaning something along the lines of "Goddammit, move your ass, you son of a bitch". This is also the title of Udo's autobiography. 5th place in the Master's G.C. is Thomas Frischknecht - 5 time world champion in MTB, MTB marathon & cyclocross. Thomas was 2nd in the 1996 Olympics - behind Bart Brentjens who is kindly riding the pro class in this years Cape Epic & sitting in 7th overall. The list of Olympians, Tour riders, current & past world champions stretches on. This is one impressive field!
Tomorrow is the Queen Stage at 143km and 2300 meters climbing. Here is the route description from the organizers:
It's a real classic epic day out, the longest stage in years. With fast open roads, marked by 3 obstacles along the way, riders are advised to save their strength and cooperate with other teams to form larger groups, to take turns at the front to lighten the load. The first climb of the day will be a shock to the system, not only from the gradient but also the track?s surface. In parts, the climb is rideable, barely, and only the fittest and best bike handlers are likely to make it up without dabbing a foot. As with everything, what goes up must come down, and those with full suspension bikes will be grateful for their weapon of choice. More open roads will help get some kilometers under the belt before the radio mast comes into view. Down the other side of this deceptive climb is a fast chute into farmlands and waiting for them is a set of rolling hills that?ll deaden the legs of even the most hardened campaigner. At the 100km mark, riders reach the foot of the exquisite Groenlandberg, the grand old legend inviting us back in 2011 thanks to Cape Nature Conservation. The 15% gradient on the concrete path should be paced conservatively, with the remainder of the climb taking most riders well over an hour to complete. The north-facing slope will make for a challenging ascent on a hot afternoon but the rocky downhill section leads to the famed Oak Valley singletrack to make it all worth it.
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| Master's General Classification after stage 4 |
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| Mike & Thomas with our younger, faster & skinnier friends - Mike Blewitt & William Hayter of MarathonMTB.com. They are sitting in 39th place overall. Check out their much more professional web site at: MarathonMTB.com |
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