Evans, Lakata win first stage

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Twelve hundred mountain bikers started stage one of the Cape Epic with a rude awakening at the Diemersfontein wine estate, just outside of Wellington in South Africa. Kevin Evans and Alban Lakata (MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon) won the opening 117km stage of the Cape Epic on Sunday. Rounding out the podium for both the day and the general classification were Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander (Songo-Specialized by DCM) at nearly three and a half minutes and Emil Lindgren and Fabian Giger (Rabobank-Giant Off Road) at 4:15.

Hannele Steyn-Kotze and Ivonne Kraft (Sludge ladies) finished first among the women while Bärti Bucher and Esther Süss (Wheeler - BiXS) topped the mixed field.

Steep climbs gave them an early taste of some forest singletrack. After that, another steep climb on dirt tracks took the race halfway up the tarred Bain's Kloof pass to Water Point 1. The smooth tar descent is well known for its tight turns, so riders had to stay alert. A flat section then took them to Water Point 2 at the base of a 5km climb on smooth dirt tracks through Kluytjieskraal. Once they managed to cross to the other side, riders were surrounded by mountains, with no sign of civilisation. Then it got rough on some rocky paths descending to Water Point 3. After traversing the valley, riders dreaded the final sting in the tail - a 7.8km section over the iron sleepers and sharp stones of a railway line. This murderous stretch took them to their final destination in Ceres.

MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon wins first gruelling stage

One of the South African favourites to take top honours at this year's Absa Cape Epic, 31-year-old Kevin Evans, and his Austrian Marathon Champion teammate 30-year-old Alban Lakata of Team MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon showed their metal by finishing first in stage 1 in a time of 4:35.42.

They were followed by the Songo-Specialized by DCM team of Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander in a time of 4:39.08 by the
Rabobank-Giant Off Road team of Emil Lindgren and Fabian Giger in a time of 4:39.56. With only a three minute and 26-second gap between the first and second place winners (overall), this year's event promises to be one of the most exciting to date.

Fourth place went to last year's overall winners Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm of the Bulls 1 Team (4:40.18). The Flückiger brothers, Lukas and Mathias of Trek World Racing, finished fifth (4:40.22).

"Normally my first day is not a good one, but obviously we got a few things right today," said Evans. "It was a roller coaster ride, and I even had a puncture, but we kept it together with Alban saying it's never over until it's over."

"We chased the leading riders and were all riding together again before we knew it. Alban said we should keep it steady, but we really put the hammer down on the railway tracks like a steam train. It's great riding with him. I have so much to learn from him and it's such a pleasure riding with someone of his caliber."

Lakata added they were not planning on a stage win for today, but rather a podium finish. "We achieved a lot today and riding out of Ceres tomorrow with the leaders' jerseys will put some pressure on us. At one point I felt really tired but no one noticed as we were controlling the pace."

"When Kevin had a flat, at first I didn't notice. The helicopter was above us at that point and I didn't hear him call out. When I turned around to see where he was, he was already on his way to join me."

Evans reckons Lakata is only going to get stronger with each day. "I just hope I can keep up with him," said Evans.

South Africa's Burry Stander, the reigning Under 23 World Champion, said it was not a good day for him. "This was really not my day as I felt ill. It was difficult to hang on to the guys in front. I also had cramps in my legs on the railway line, but luckily a bad day is normally followed by a good one."

"The field is really close this year, so it's going to be an exciting race," said Stander. "I hit a very fast pace from the beginning as riding in a pack in the technical sections with lots of sand and gravel is particularly difficult. I therefore tried to get ahead to ride on my own, which I did. At the first major climb of the day we took off with MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon."

Evans fixed his flat as fast as he could, even using a Mule Bar to seal the tube, the team quickly made its way to the front again. They caught up with Songo-Specialized by DCM at Water Point 3, where they saw this team also changing their wheels.

After 80 kilometres, the race was back on, and the stage win was up for either team to claim. But Stander started to suffer with severe cramps due to pushing so hard in the beginning, which meant that his team had to let go while MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon carried on at a steady pace on the grueling railway tracks and eventually claimed the first stage win.

Emil Lindgren and Giger Fabian fortunately had no mechanical problems today. "We took it nice and steady," said Lindgren.

Last year's winners Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm decided to conserve their energy for the next seven days as Sahm was feeling a bit weak.

Women

The first ladies to complete Stage 1 were Hannele Steyn-Kotze, Cape Epic Ladies Champion from 2005, and Ivonne Kraft (team Sludge Ladies) finishing in a time of 5:47.28. They were followed by Kristine and Anna-Sofie Noergaard (Team Rothaus-CUBE) in a time of 5:52.17. Giuliana Vitali and Tamara Horn (Team bike2help.ch - Big Tree) finished in a time of 6:13.49, placing them in third position after this stage.

Mixed

Team Wheeler - BIXS, Bärti Bucher and Esther Süss, followed in Team MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon's footsteps by winning the green Leaders' jersey in the mixed category of stage 1. They finished in a time of 5:14.40. They were followed by Yolande Speedy and Paul Cordes (MTN Business Qhubeka) in a time of 5:22.45 with Nico Pfitzenmaier and Sally Bigham of the Adidas Big Tree team in third place (5:22:49).

The Wheeler team is a brand new pairing this year. Bucher managed to win the masters category in 2009, whilst Süss was second in the mixed category. "I finished last year's season very strong and managed to maintain my shape during the winter months," said Süss. The Wheeler team, impressively ranked 21st overall after stage one, and only two places behind Cyclelab who are the leaders in the masters category.

Masters

Cyclelab's Shan Wilson and Andrew Mclean took top honours in Stage 1 (5:10.30), followed by Adrian Enthoven and Gary Marescia (Cycle Lab Jag Foundation) who finished today's stage in 5:35.36. In third place were Pieter van Rooyen and Milan Spolc (Oleander) in 5:42.54.

Wilson had a very bad crash 50 kilometres into the race. "When I saw Shan crash, I thought this was it; there goes the Epic," said McLean. "Shan really looked terrible with a bruised chest, a bleeding chin and scraped knees."

But as a fighter, Wilson kept on racing and the team carried on, managing impressively to complete the stage 25 minutes ahead of their competitors in the masters category.

"25 minutes might seem like a comfortable gap, but with seven stages to go anything can still happen," said Wilson. "We're just very happy that we survived the stage and that we could carry on after my crash. I must say, I felt insecure thereafter and struggled to find my rhythm again, but all ended well."

Commenting on Kevin Evans, who crossed the finish line first overall as part of the MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon team, Wilson says that he is so impressed with Evans. "He has really developed over the years, and I'm very proud of him as in his younger years he used to be one of my protégées. To see him now competing at such a top level is wonderful - what an inspiration! He has truly become a worthy South African idol."

Celebrities at Cape Epic

Sporting and entertainment heroes part of the Absa Cape Epic adventure this year. A host of South Africa's most celebrated sporting and entertainment personalities have donned their cycling helmets - all in the name of the JAG Foundation, a sports and education foundation which seeks to give young people opportunities and pride in themselves through the facilitation of sport at grassroots level.

Former Springbok rugby player, Marius Hurter is once again participating in support of the JAG Foundation. Hurter is joined by Christiaan Schutte, a dentist by profession and a bonified adventure junkie of note, and the team is known as the Reparil/JAG Lab-rats. "The first two days of the Epic are challenging and your body literally goes into shock," said Hurter. "We're excited about participating again, this time as slightly more experienced riders and will be doing our utmost to rise to the Cape Epic challenge."

Undoubtedly one of South Africa's most prominent female cycling athletes, Erica Green with her partner Andrew Paterson (best known for his potent rugby scrimmages), also joins this gruelling challenge as the Absa Cape Stormers team. Green is undoubtedly one of South Africa's most prominent female cycling athletes. Involved in mountain biking and road racing since 1992, she boasts an impressive repertoire with participation in a host of international competitions such as the World Track Championships, World Mountain Bike Championships and most notably the Atlantic and Sydney Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000 respectively. Paterson is an ex-Springbok rugby player. Born in Port Elizabeth, he obtained the coveted green and gold at an early age and together with two of his team mates, he was voted by the British Lions Tour of 1997 as the best front row unit they have ever played.

Joel Stransky, renowned for his winning drop kick in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, is taking part for the very first team as part of the Absa Ghost Riders team (with teammate Pierre Loubser). Stransky has a rugby career that speaks for itself. He played internationally for South Africa on 22 occasions, for the Sharks on 80 occasions, was part of the Western Province team for 55 matches and participated in another 54 matches for the Leicester Tigers. "When JAG approached me to cycle on their behalf as part of the charity celeb team, I said yes without hesitation. I've heard so much about this incredible event and how tough it is. I suppose somewhere in my mind it became one of those challenges that one needs to do and tick off the list."

After not able to complete the Absa Cape Epic last year, soccer star Mark Fish is back as part of the Absa Laduuma! team. Fish is best remembered for being a crucial part of South Africa's victorious national soccer squad when they won the African Cup of Nations in 1996. In total he won 62 caps for the South African national team, scoring twice.

Also back again after not being able to complete the event before is Kabous Marra, an award winning businessmen and CEO of Pacmar. He is joined by ex-South African cricketer and now budding cyclist, Allan Dawson, as team Wilde. With an impressive 184 career wickets to his name, Dawson played professional cricket for 15 years. After his retirement in 2004, Dawson, being an avid sportsman at heart, took up cycling a few years thereafter. "One ride through the Tokai Forest is all it took and today I'm riding the Cape Epic," said Dawson. "Cycling keeps me fit and best of all, allows me to see the weird and wonderful places in and around Cape Town as well as meet interesting people. This is the race that all mountain bikers aspire to do, but very few get the opportunity to. I've been incredibly fortunate to have been asked by Kabous to partner with him and we're both looking forward to this incredibly journey."

"The Black Pearl" Chester Williams (1995 World Cup winner, rugby coach, and more recently, Clint Eastwood's Invictus on-set rugby adviser) is participating in the Absa Cape Epic as team Absa Ebony and Ivory, partnering with cycling veteran and Team Absa Manager, Ernst Viljoen. Williams made his debut for the Springboks in 1993 at age 23. Twenty-seven games in the coveted green and gold and 14 tries later, Williams retired from professional rugby and started coaching shortly thereafter. Says Williams: "I survived Jonah Lomu and the All Blacks in 1995 and with Ernst's patience, know-how and expertise, I'm confident that we'll come out on the other side smiling. With loads of support from friends and family, and knowing we are riding for the JAG Foundation, I am eager and inspired to do my best."

Stage 2 - Ceres to Ceres (90km distance, 1625m climbing)

Ceres is hosting the racers for the first three stages of this year's race. Stage 2 is a singletrack stage, taking riders across contrasting landscapes of farmlands, rocky scrub descents and forest paths.

The route takes the form of a cloverleaf, with Water Point 2 and 3 both at the Eselfontein Farmhouse; this will be a hive of activity. At the head of the race, one can expect a fight for position. Eselfontein is an area renowned for its abundance of singletrack. The narrow, steep and rocky climbs will split the race apart.

The tough climbs (the biggest being Dead Man Walking in the second loop) will be fair payment for the sweeping descent. But riders must be careful - sharp rocks hide around the treacherous bends. Some more forest singletrack will offer temporary relief, but the last 10km, traversing farm paths, will prove that there will still be plenty of hard work to do.

Because of the narrow trails, the organisers have arranged a staggered start, spreading the field out over an hour - seven start groups will head off at 10-minute intervals from 7:00 am until 8:00 am.

Video from stage one is provided by www.rsaweb.co.za.

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