'Freak accident' puts Melisa Rollins in hospital with broken elbow and 'gutted' to miss debut at Cape Epic with Kate Courtney

2024 Leadville Trail 100 MTB winner Melisa Rollins suffered a broken left elbow and injured right wrist in a "freak accident" today and will not take the start at Absa Cape Epic with teammate Kate Courtney.

The top-rated US duo, assigned bibs 'number one' for She Sends Foundation, were scheduled to start Saturday for the prologue in the eight-day mountain bike stage race. Rollins posted the surprise news on her social media about injuries and race withdrawal from Stellenbosch, Western Cape, her pain loud and clear after receiving care at a hospital emergency room.

"I had a freak accident fall that landed me in the ER with a broken elbow and a potentially broken wrist… and I won’t be making it to the start line for Cape Epic this week. To say I’m gutted doesn’t even really scratch the surface," Rollins detailed on Instagram.

"It’s really hard to put into words what it took to get here. We were so ready. I guess the Cape Epic just isn’t quite ready for Kate / Melisa duo."

The US duo, who had been in South Africa for weeks training together, represented the last two women to have won Leadville 100. Last year, Rollins finished second to Courtney, who set a new women's course record in Leadville, Colorado, smashing the old mark set by Annika Langvad by more than 10 minutes.

Rollins confirmed that she would travel back to the US, her home base being Utah, for surgery. She said that in addition to a fractured left elbow, she would have tests done on her injured right wrist.

Just one year ago, Rollins crashed at the 100km Otway Odyssey mountain bike race in Australia and suffered a broken left wrist, which required surgery and also nursed a non-displaced fracture on the right wrist. She was able to return to racing six weeks later at Sea Otter Classic Gravel, as part of the Life Time Grand Prix, and finished sixth.

"For now, it’s back to the US for surgery and recovery… and a lot of time figuring out how to be productive with two dysfunctional arms…again.

"I’m sooo thankful for Kate through all of this. She’s become one of those rare inner-circle friends you want to call just to vent because someone looked at you funny at the mall. Getting to prepare for this race alongside her is something I’ll always be grateful for, and I’ll carry forward," Rollins noted, and gave a warning for an image of the "gnarly swollen elbow" on the feed.

Across the eight days at Cape Epic, two-rider teams will take in 707 kilometres of raw South African wilderness that includes 15,900 meters of elevation gain. The total prize split evenly for the professional fields is R3,228,000 (€166,950/$192,350).

Courtney will now compete with Greta Seiwald, the Italian short track mountain bike champion, as her teammate at Cape Epic. Courtney won the overall title in 2018 with Langvad as her partner.

"I know better than anyone what Melisa and her team put into this race. But I also know better than anyone what she was capable of because of it (trust me )," said Courtney in an Instagram post.

"I don’t know how this story ends for either of us - but I have a deep deep belief that you will get to show what you capable of some day soon Melisa."

This is the second major hit to the start list for Cape Epic, USA's Keegan Swenson, withdrawing two weeks ago due to pain from a fractured pelvis suffered in Spain prior to a gravel stage race. The five-time Leadville winner was set to return for a second year with Matt Beers, both riding for Team Toyota Specialized Imbuko.

Beers, a three-time GC winner of his home race, will now start with fellow South African Tristan Nortje, who won one stage and finished third on GC at Cape Epic with Marco Joubert last year.