March 22, 2009 (Villiersdorp, South Africa) – Young South African mountain biker, Burry Stander, proved he could compete with the best by finishing first with his teammate, reigning Cross Country World Champion Christoph Sauser (team songo.info) in the first stage of the world renowned Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas. With only a 4 minute and 6 seconds gap between the first and second place winners (overall), this year’s event promises to be one of the most exciting to date.

Songo.info crossed the finish line of Stage 1 in a time of 04:50:11. They are the overall leaders of the race with a time of 05:31:09. The German Bulls team Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm finished in second place in a time of 04:52:23, which also secured them the second place overall (05:35:15). In third place were Tim Böhme and Thomas Dietsch (Bulls 2) in a time of 04:54:42, finishing in fourth place overall (05:38:28). Bart Brentjens and Chris Jongewaard (Trek-Brentjens) finished in 4th place today, but secured the third overall position (05:37:44).

Brentjens and Jongewaard together with Sauser and Stander broke away from the rest of the riders early on in the race when riders had to tackle the first climb at Steenbras Dam. They soon gained a time advantage with Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm leading the chasing pack and on the 200 meter single track downhill and technical part, they were able to maintain their comfortable lead. After they passed the second water point, Jongewaard suffered from severe muscle cramps after which he and Brentjens rode at their own pace, keeping a close following distance with visual contact. One of the rules of the race is that team members cannot be more than 2 minutes apart so as not to be penalized. They had to let Sauser and Stander take the lead in the early stages of the 5km climb up to Groenlandberg, when Jongewaard started feeling too weak. Following the treacherous downhill, Sauser and Stander still maintained their lead and charged down towards the final section of stage 1, followed by Trek-Brentjens and team Bulls who had caught up with them. Seven km before the finish, Platt and Sahm (Bulls) overtook Brentjens and Jongewaard, who pushed too hard during the early stages of the race.

Twenty one year-old Stander of South Africa says that mentally he found the first stage of the race a lot easier than last year: “After the first hard climb, Christoph did 90% of the pacing on the flat road. Towards the end my legs came back and I could help again.”
Says Sauser: “Although one can’t really preempt what all could happen during a stage race, today went very much according to plan. We decided to stay with whichever team would attack and maintain their pace until the finish. We managed to overtake Bart and Chris in the climb at Groenlandberg. Unfortunately we had a flat 10 km before the finish which we repaired with paper — a quick fix – so that we didn’t lose too much time and could maintain our lead.”

Sauser says they are very different riders. “I’m a diesel and Burry is very explosive – if you know your strengths, you can ride smart and work with it. The long downhill off Groenlandberg was very rocky and that woke us. There was also one stretch when we thought we’re almost there, only to realize we had to do another loop. One had to really be strong mentally to carry on. Our four minute lead in a stage race is nothing — one small technical issue can even the playing field. We’ll continue to ride strong.”

Commenting on whether he was surprised when Platt’s shoulder dislocated yesterday during the prologue, Sahm (Bulls) says that it was nothing new. “I’ve experienced it a couple of times before with Karl. Whenever there’s an obstacle in the road, which twists his bike — his shoulder always pops out, but he knows what to do by now.” Platt fell during a race at Fort William in Scotland at 50km/h during a mass start, whereafter the entire field of riders rode over him. His shoulder, which he built up with weight training, was good for a couple of years, but recently started giving problems again whenever his bike makes any jerking moves. Sahm says that he could see this morning that Platt was not feeling well, while he in turn was feeling great. “In the flat and sandy parts I could be strong and lead us. But I also recalled from last year that I get weaker as time goes by, so it was actually ideal that we weren’t pushing so hard today. I was relieved when Karl felt better later in the day and took over at the second waterpoint before Groenlandberg. In the end, we entered the typical Platt terrain — hilly, vast and fast.”

Completely overwhelmed that they completed Stage 1 in third place behind their fellow team mates (Bulls) and coach Karl Platt were Tim Boehme and Thomas Dietsch (Bulls 2). “While we were completing the stage today, someone told us on the route that we were in seventh position. So when we crossed the finish line to find out that we actually made the podium today, we were ecstatic and couldn’t believe it,” says Boehme. Referring to their prologue race the day before as a “disaster” when they came in at eleventh place, Boehme explains that they didn’t know each other before the race. “We only trained together for five hours before the event. So after the prologue, we sat down and talked, and today during the longer ride we had time to get to know each other. I’m a classic cross country rider and used to short distances while going strong. After today’s long and gruelling stage, I’m a bit anxious about the next six days. We don’t see the other teams as our competitors, rather the course, the heat and getting up so early. But stage racing is the best training to make you an experienced racer. After eight days you know yourself, your body, your limits and your strengths. I was a bit surprised that Thomas was a bit weaker than I thought he would be, but it is logical — I’m a cross-country racer, and his endurance will no doubt come in at a later stage when I’m tired and will have to rely on his stamina.”

Dietsch says that their achievement of securing a third position during Stage 1 was amazing. “What an unbelievable race! It’s my first time participating in the Absa Cape Epic after wanting to do so for a long time, and also my first visit to South Africa. Apart from the wonderful riding experience, the views are just breathtaking! And then to finish third during the first stage? It couldn’t get better.”

Karl Platt, team manager of the Bulls team, says that he refers to Dietsch and Boehme as “Tim and Tom” after a short story that he is reading to his own kids about two unintelligent frogs who cross the street due to their ignorance. “In the story, one frog says to the other, “˜Careful, there’s a car’. The other replies “˜Where? Pffff’ SPLAT! I am joking with Thomas and Tim that they are like the two frogs in the story as they are now “˜Pffff’ after Stage 1″.

Absa Ladies Win Again
The first ladies to complete Stage 1 were Hanlie Booyens and Sharon Laws (Absa Ladies) finishing in 06:38:33, also keeping them in the overall lead (07:34:59).  Finishing in second place were the 2 Swiss Epic Girls, Sarah Koch and Daniela Hartmann (07:43:13), securing their second place overall in a time of 08:45:44. In third place were Robyn Adendorff and Sarah van Heerden (WSP — Jeep Girls) in a time of 07:43:29. They are also placed third overall in the Ladies (08:51:31).

Laws, a conservationist and Booyens, a self-employed architect, are both happy that the first stage of this tough race went so well. They knew the first day would involve the most climbing of all the stages and since they both enjoy ascents, they wanted to do well. Says Booyens: “I think I’m happier just to be here and having survived this tough course than I am about winning the stage. I found the last 20km to be extremely hard, but of course one is always honoured to do well in such a prestigious race. When I heard about the new route and that most of it will be in the Overberg region, I felt very positive. Today’s route proved that this year’s Absa Cape Epic will offer some great mountain biking. It was just too hot which made it even tougher.” Laws adds: “”Right now, I’m not sure if I can get back on my bike tomorrow, but during the last Epic I got stronger every day, and hope it will also be the case this year. I can tell that I haven’t been on my mountain bike for a long time.” Booyens comments that she’s usually strong in the first four days, and then her strength declines. “Hopefully Sharon will then take over.”

As a vegetarian, Laws also needs to ensure that she gets enough protein during the race, so brought loads of canned tuna and wasabi to make sure she will be energized for the duration of the event.

Sydor and Pfitzenmaier Scored the Mixed Team Category
Nico Pfitzenmaier and Alison Sydor (Team Adidas Big Tree) walked away with the leader jersey in the Mixed category in a time of 05:31:26 putting them in the overall lead (06:20:30). They were followed by Marcel Bartholet and Esther Süss (Wheeler — IXS Pro) in a time of 05:44:38 (2nd overall — 06:37:48) with Paul Cordes and Yolande Speedy in third place (05:51:22). They are also third overall (06:43:11)

Says Alison Sydor: “According to the course profile, today was the toughest stage of this year’s Absa Cape Epic. We wanted to do well and to be in the lead overall, you have to win the toughest stage. Actually our plan was to start riding conservatively, but we were riding with strong groups and both had good legs, so we simply went for it. When you have a good day, you must make up time if you can. Nico is a great partner and the best I’ve ever had. He’s extraordinarily generous with his energy and really supports his team mate. That is what this race is all about — you have to work together to do well as a team.”

Pfitzenmaier was also full of praise for Sydor. “It was such a privilege to ride with Alison – to see how smart she rides, conserving energy on the climbs and blasting down the descents on her hard tail. She’s truly a champion and I take my hat off to her achievement. Now that we have a comfortable lead, we want to stick to our game plan and ride conservatively and smart. Our ultimate goal is to defend the leader jersey.”

Sydor says that if one has five and a half hours of racing ahead of you, you try to imagine what the course will be like, but reality is often different. “In this case, it was once again a very steep and loose terrain, with a scorching sun that immediately gave you flashbacks of just how gruelling the race was last year.”

Pfitzenmaier says that today’s stage was really stunning. “During our first climb, as the sun was rising in the East, we could see Table Mountain on the horizon which was just mind blowing. Then we moved through a stretch of burnt forest that was like riding through an ashtray. A little later, on the other side of the mountain, we entered lush, green forest that was so beautiful that you wanted to get off your bike and sit down for a while just to enjoy it.”

Pfitzenmaier and Sydor are placed in the 19th position overall, which is no small feat.

Absa Masters in Charge
The Absa Masters, Doug Brown and Barti Bucher completed Stage 1 in 05:25:29, with an overall Masters lead time of 06:12:52. They were followed by Shan Wilson and Andrew Mclean (Cycle Lab Toyota) who finished today’s stage in 05:46:45 (overall time 06:34:03). Third were MC Franken and Lieb Loots (Pragma Masters) in a time of 06:04:58.

Doug Brown says it was a very difficult stage. “I’ve done quite a few Epics, but this was a lot tougher than our usual start from Knysna to Saasveld. Before Groenlandberg, there were a lot of nasty little climbs and thereafter we had to face many steep challenges which I wasn’t prepared for mentally. Our tactics were to stay close to Shan and Andrew, detect any weakness which could then possibly give us the opportunity to attack. At one point we noticed that Shan wasn’t going as strongly, and we decided to give it a go. Today we were lucky. I’ve raced with Shan in the TransAlps, and I know that one day he could struggle and the next day come back stronger than ever.” Bucher adds: “It’s now up to the others to chase us. All we now need to do is stick to their back wheels.”

SA Celebrity Athletes – Tough Challenge
After completing his first stage of the Absa Cape Epic in a time of 09:42:12, one of South Africa’s legendary rugby players Breyten Paulse (Absa/JAG Pocket Rockets) commented that it was “very, very tough”. Paulse is participating in the event for leading sports and education charity, the JAG Foundation. He says that during today’s stage they did an enormous amount of climbing, more than he has ever done before. “I even had to get off my bike at times and just push it. The only thing that comforted me was that everyone around me felt the same about how tough the stage was. I’m very relieved we made it in time, but not proud yet as this is only the beginning. I’ll be proud once I’ve completed the entire race. I’m really grateful to have such a wonderful riding partner.” He says he had a really painful time today, and as a professional athlete is trained to break through the pain barrier. “For every sport you have to train certain muscles and I’ve only been riding a mountain bike for five months… so maybe a year from now it might be a different story.”

Paulse’s riding partner, one of the most prolific Masters riders in South Africa and previous Absa Cape Epic winner Linus van Onselen, says that riding with a weaker partner is a difficult task. “What I realized today is that you mustn’t commit to such a partnership if you’re not very fit, as it’s extremely difficult to get a heavy guy over the hills. You need a different kind of strength and training as a mountain biker, which you won’t necessarily achieve in a gym with weight training that Breyten was used to for his rugby career. But I see potential in Breyten and he’s mentally strong with a lot of pride. He came here to finish and I know that he would be devastated if he didn’t make the cut-off today. He is very determined to do this!”

International soccer star Mark Fish, also riding for the JAG Foundation together with Hannie Owen as Absa/JAG Vuvuzelas, stated that completing Stage 1 of the Absa Cape Epic today was the hardest thing he has ever done. “This is miles ahead of the Cape Odyssey, there is just no comparison. I was dehydrated, exhausted, and don’t know how I made it to the finish. And this is only Stage one!” He crossed the finish line at a time of 09:48:42, which was an achievement in itself as more than a hundred trained mountain bikers were still struggling to make it in time before the cut-off, which was extended to 6 o’clock.

Absa Cape Epic Partners with Mr. Recycle
In yet another first for the event, the organizers of the Absa Cape Epic have joined forces with Mr. Recycle to collect all the waste generated by participants and spectators, and where possible, taking the materials to registered sorting facilities before land filling the actual waste (which is only a small portion at the end of the process).

Mr. Recycle is a specialist in job creation through waste minimization, and collecting recyclable materials from participating domestic, commercial and corporate entities (collectively known as PlanetGUARDIANS). Apart from creating work for the unemployed, the organization also donates to registered charities including old age homes, children’s homes and the SPCA / Animal Welfare, apart from playing an important part in saving the planet.

The waste materials generated over the first 3 days (at the Herzlia School in Cape Town) were taken to the Athlone Transfer Station, which has already created 152 employment opportunities.

The materials generated at the Gordon’s Bay start line today, and the grand finish at the Lourensford Wine Estate, will be delivered to Wasteplan’s Registered Sorting Facility in the Helderberg.

Stage 2 – 100km Challenge w/1,527m Climbing
Tomorrow’s Stage 2 will be a 110km ride with 1 527m of climbing. Graceful oak trees and tranquil fruit orchards will stand in direct contrast to the furiously quick start towards Elandskloof. Heading up to Worcester, the road hugs the foothills on the mountain range for 12km, darting in and out of the vineyards. Sixteen degree slopes are perfect for crafting fine wine but makes for tired legs, early in the stage.

This kind of climbing requires expert balance and poise just to avoid having to climb off and walk. With a clear view of the “The Pearl of the Overberg” riders make their way towards Worcester, past Brandvlei Cellar then back to Robertson. In a loop that circumnavigates the valley, there are several more steep climbs. A trip through a private game farm distracts from the fatigue as kudu, eland, gemsbok, springbok and ostrich spectate.

One of the main obstacles of the day is a 3km, technical 8% climb, but riders can not just put head down and grind. They have to pick the best lines to navigate the sharp rocks. The ruts and loose shale that characterises the Karoo region could end a rider’s race on a single corner. The last 15 km will be tough with a sting in the tail for tired riders.

Visit www.cape-epic.com for more details and to see where the riders are online during the race.

Results (brief)

Men

1. Christoph Sauser, Burry Stander (Team songo-info) 4:50:11
2. Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm (Team Bulls) 4:52:23
3. Tim Böhme and Thomas Dietsch (Bulls 2) 4:54:42

Women

1. Hanlie Booyens, Sharon Laws (Absa Ladies) 6:38:33
2. Sarah Koch, Daniela Hartmann (2 Swiss Epic Girls) 7:43:13
3. Robyn Adendorff, Sarah van Heerden (WSP — Jeep Girls) 7:43:29

Mixed

1. Alison Sydor, Nico Pfitzenmaier (Adidas Big Tree) 5:31:26
2. Marcel Bartholet and Esther Süss (Wheeler — IXS Pro) 5:44:38
3. Yolande Speedy, Paul Cordes (IMC/Momentum GT/Activeworx) 5:51:22

GC after Stage 1

Men

1. Christoph Sauser, Burry Stander (Team songo-info) 5:31:09
2. Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm (Team Bulls) 5:35:15
3. Bart Brentjens and Chris Jongewaard (Trek-Brentjens) 5:37:44

Women

1. Hanlie Booyens, Sharon Laws (Absa Ladies) 7:34:59
2. Sarah Koch, Daniela Hartmann (2 Swiss Epic Girls) 8:45:44
3. Robyn Adendorff, Sarah van Heerden (WSP — Jeep Girls) 8:51:31

Mixed

1. Alison Sydor, Nico Pfitzenmaier (Adidas Big Tree) 6:20:30
2. Marcel Bartholet and Esther Süss (Wheeler — IXS Pro) 6:37:48
3. Yolande Speedy, Paul Cordes (IMC/Momentum GT/Activeworx) 6:43:11