Flückigers give Trek penultimate stage win

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Rainy weather conditions greeted the Cape Epic enthusiasts for stage 7 in Oak Valley. Today's stage was beautiful, but hard. Most riders are relieved that tomorrow will be the final stage of this year’s epic adventure and are looking forward to returning home with their finisher jerseys and medals. Stage 7 took riders over 99km and 2,160 of climbing.

The short, sharp hills early on caused legs to burn with five minutes up and 15 seconds down, making riders work hard. After the descent past Houwhoek Inn, riders passed Botriver onto some fast gravel roads through the farmland. On the main obstacle of the day up to Lebanon Highlands Plantation, rocks and loose ground forced them to get off their bikes in the steep areas. Dassenberg proved difficult due to its sandy surface as well as level of complexity. Not long in kilometers, this climb took even the most experienced participants more than half an hour to master.

After crossing over to Houteq, it was singletrack heading into Lebanon for some of the most coveted trails in the Cape. More short, steep climbs stood in the way of a final stretch of swooping paths to the finish line.

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Bulls Platt and Sahm maintain overall lead with only one stage to go

It was a close call for the top teams as they battled it out to win the penultimate stage of this year’s event. The Flückiger brothers, Lukas and Mathias, attained their dream of a second stage win, but will need to make up at least 23 minutes and 26 seconds in tomorrow's final stage if they want to be crowned the kings of the "Magical and Untamed African Mountain Bike Race". They won stage 7 in 4:11.58,9 with the German Bulls' Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm hot on their heels in a time of 4:12.05. Multivan Merida’s José Hermida and Rudi van Houts finished in third place in 4:13.37. South African Burry Stander and his Swiss teammate Christoph Sauser (Songo-Specialized by DCM) finished fourth in 4:16.00, and they were followed by current world cross country mountain bike champion Nino Schurter and his teammate Florian Vogel (Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing) in 4:16.11. Kevin Evans and Alban Lakata (Team MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon) finished eighth in a time of 4:21.32.

The Bulls Team of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm again successfully defended the zebra-striped leaders' jerseys with an overall time of 27:02.46. They are now leading by 10 minutes and 51 seconds. Songo-Specialized by DCM remains in second place overall (27:13.37). MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon remains in third position overall (27:22.13), while the Flückiger brothers of Trek World Racing are in fourth position overall (27:26.12).

Max Knox and Brandon Stewart of DCM Chrome finished in 16th place today (4:35.28), successfully defending their African leaders' jerseys for the fourth day in a row. They have moved up one place to 10th place overall (28:38.31).

Lukas Flückiger of Trek World Racing said his team lost Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel (Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing), who were riding well, when they had a mechanical. "They were very strong and motivated today, but unfortunately had a technical problem about 20km before the finish. We had a good rhythm behind them and then took the lead. Also, Karl (Platt) crashed during the last bit of singletrack so we could also gain some time on them. I'm actually very surprised by our stage win today. My legs were really tired from yesterday."

To the question of whether they would be going for a hat trick with another stage win tomorrow, Lukas replied that he and his brother would definitely be taking it easier. "We'll probably not go for another stage win and just take it easy and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Today's stage had too much uphill. When I looked at the stage profile yesterday, I thought it was going to be much easier."

"I heard last night that our parents are sitting in front of the computer everyday following the live ticker to see where we are. It's really motivating to know they're behind us all the way," said Lukas' brother Matthias.

"I felt good and my legs were great. I think the leaders' jerseys are safe for the moment," said Karl Platt of the overall leading Bulls Team. "We worked hard today and expected to finish first. We also wanted to win a stage and were riding together at the front, when there was an unexpected sharp turn and I braked too hard. Stefan then crashed into me, and the handlebar went into my behind which was quite painful. I was really upset with myself."

With regards to his shoulder which he dislocated twice during last year's event, Platt is very positive. "My shoulder is so much better and it's nice to feel so confident. My doctor sent me an sms this morning to ask how I was doing, and I said we have the leaders' jerseys which means he really did a good job."

José Hermida and Rudi van Houts of Multivan Merida secured their first podium finish in this year's race. "Yes, we're finally on the podium although it took us seven days to get here," said Hermida. "One of our aims was to win a stage but a podium is just as good. It was a lot like a cross country race today. The first one to two hours we all rode at cross country speed, then took a rest, and then again raced at cross country speed. I'm pretty happy as it's always good to be back in business. The world's best riders all take part in this race to prepare for the season, and we've had some lovely weather and the race has such a great ambience."

"At the beginning I felt really good, but after the long climbs, I started to struggle a bit. We broke away with the leading group, but thereafter I was just trying to survive," said Hermida's teammate Adds Rudi van Houts. "I suppose this race is about survival of the fittest and I'm not the strongest anymore. But I'm still having fun, enjoying every moment and being with José is never boring. He's always good to have around and a great motivator."

Nino Schurter and his teammate Florian Vogel (Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing) finished in fifth place. "I felt pretty strong until we were about 18km from the finish line," said Schurter. "I probably didn't eat and drink enough because I was then feeling totally finished. We won't try again for a stage win. This was excellent training and it wasn't our goal to win. Florian flatted twice and I also flatted once, so we'll see this as preparation for World Cup."

"I had some stomach problems last night and this morning, so struggled a bit today," said Says Christoph Sauser (Songo-Specialized by DCM). "The uphills were difficult, but then I could always get back on the downhills. I didn't have the power I would normally have in the long climbs. I think my body went into emergency mode, but we're in second place overall which is nice."

Bart Brentjens of Trek Brentjens hurt himself earlier this week and bruised his ribs. "I'm struggling a bit every day and we're just trying to stay with the second or third group." To the question of how he copes with pain, his answer is simply, "It's part of the job."

Fifth consecutive women's stage win for Rothaus-CUBE

Kristine and Anna-Sofie Noergaard (team Rothaus-CUBE) won their fifth consecutive women's stage, finishing in a time of 5:19.22. They remain in first position overall (33:56.57). They were again followed by Hannele Steyn-Kotze and Ivonne Kraft (Team Sludge Ladies) in a time of 5:31.27, who remain in second place overall (34:32.12). Giuliana Vitali and Tamara Horn (team bike2help.ch – Big Tree) finished third, with their sixth podium finish in this year's race (5:54.00), placing them in third position overall (37:21.38).

"Today it took me three hours to warm up and suddenly, for some unknown reason, I had a lot of energy," said Kristine Noergaard of team Rothaus-CUBE. "We enjoyed the last part of singletrack – it was good. We're used to the wind in Denmark, but it was much stronger today."

"I look forward to the last stage," said Anna-Sofie. "Today was a very good day and the route reminded me a bit of the forests in Denmark. I also enjoyed the weather – it was nice and cool."

"It was a great stage with some amazing weather and lovely views. We had everything – rain, sunshine, clouds, and wind – all in one day," said Ivonne Kraft of the Sludge Ladies. "Hannele did well today and I'm very happy to ride with her. The Danish sisters are much younger than us. We stayed with them for the first 60km and said 'let's do an easy finish together', but they weren't really keen on that."

"We were fighting hard up to halfway to stay with them and then they broke away," said Adds Hannele Steyn-Kotze. "It was such a beautiful route – you could see flowers and smell the rain. I felt so fortunate to be here today."

Tamara Horn and Giuliana Vitali of (team bike2help.ch) met Tamara's boyfriend on route today. "We met up with them along the way for the first time today but didn't want to ride with them," said Horn. "We wanted to ride on our own as we didn't want anyone to think that we had help. It's important for us to do this race on our own. We were racing for charity this year, and it really motivated us in the winter months. We wanted to keep a steady pace during the race and knew the Noergaard sisters as well as Ivonne Kraft, but we had no idea how strong the South African teams would be. We were hoping to be in the top five and are very happy with our third place so far."

The two met during a race in Switzerland. "We were both participating in a race near my home. It was very wet and muddy and I was coming from behind Giuliana and asked her to move. She was stuck in the mud so couldn't and I crashed into her and broke her wheel. She was very upset with me. We saw each other again on the podium and became friends," said Tamara.

This is their first stage race as a team. "We had a lot of technical problems initially and it's not easy because of the warm weather. I asked Tamara to participate with me and she's definitely the stronger one," said Vitali. "And to think she was the one who was afraid that she wouldn't be able to do it! She trained very well in winter and it means a lot to be in third place in the Cape Epic. It's one of the hardest races in the world."

"Luckily we're good friends and know each other well," said Tamara. "We often go biking together in summer. You have to communicate really well during this race and sort out any problems you have with each other. We can really put stuff aside and get on with the race. I would be very proud if we finish in third place, but tomorrow we'll just race and have fun and perhaps even ride with the boys for a bit."

MTN Business Qhubeka ready for final stage

Yolande Speedy and Paul Cordes (MTN Business Qhubeka) had their fourth stage win in a time of 5:01.19 and remain the overall leaders in their category (31:14.28). They were again followed by Bärti Bucher and Esther Süss (Wheeler – BIXS) in 5:09.12 who remain in second place overall (31:54.56). Nico Pfitzenmaier and Sally Bigham of the Adidas Big Tree team finished in third place (5:16.16) and are ranked third overall (32:34.57).

Yolande Speedy of MTN Business Qhubeka said, "It was a tough day and we managed to get a gap on the Swiss team. We pushed hard on the first climb, although it was tough with the wind and I can feel my legs are getting tired. The singletrack today was beautiful and the cool weather really helped. Paul was also feeling strong and he helped me on the climbs. We have a decent lead and only have one stage to go, but with mountain biking you never know. Hopefully we'll have a good day tomorrow."

"The elements were a bit against us today and the sandy climb in the middle was hard on the legs," said her teammate Cordes. "The singletrack was nice and all in all it was a good day. We didn’t ride as aggressively as yesterday – we tried to keep it stable and have a good ride. The leaders' jersey is a good place to be, but things can still go wrong. We’ll take tomorrow as it comes and prepare well, as we’ve done for every stage of the race – hopefully that will be enough."

"We had a lot of wind today. I was also feeling a bit weak and can feel my power is gone," said Ester Süss of the Wheeler – BIXS team. "I’m very happy tomorrow is the last stage and hope we can have a good race."

Her partner Bärti Bucher added, "Today was quite difficult with the wind and rain and we were happy to get to the finish line. One stage to go! Paul and Yolande are a strong team and they deserve their win."

Cyclelab ready for victory with almost two-hour lead among masters

Cyclelab's Shan Wilson and Andrew Mclean defended their leaders' jerseys for the seventh time in 4:48.07. They remain in the overall lead in the masters (30:43.19) by one hour and 52 minutes. They were followed by Corrie Muller and Robert Sim of the Big Tree Masters with their fifth podium finish (4:48.49) who are in third place overall in this category (33:10.21). Adrian Enthoven and Gary Marescia (Cycle Lab Jag Foundation) finished third in 5:04.00 and maintain their second place overall (32:35.23). Geof Blance and Malcolm Mcleod of R & R Sport New Zealand finished fourth in 5:09.22 and remain in fourth place overall (33:34.35).

"Corrie and Robert rode very well today. We decided to stay with them until the singletrack where they couldn't follow us any longer," said Says Andrew Mclean of Cyclelab. "Luckily it was overcast and not too hot, but it was windy. Tomorrow's celebration will be like the finish of the Tour de France. We can't wait and will enjoy the final stage and not race too hard."

Corrie Muller of the Big Tree Masters said, "It was such a nice day today. It was great to be riding with Andrew and Shan for a big part of the stage. They have so many years of experience and to race with two true gentlemen was amazing. When a young team cut in front of me, Andrew was really having a go at them. It’s a pity we couldn’t keep up with them. I mean, I'm a mountain biker and don't even own a road bike, but they're just too fast for us. The 2010 Cape Epic was sweet and sour with the enormous problems we had on the first day. But it was the best Cape Epic I've ever had – the hardships sometimes make the sparkle so much better, and if one day was like the other it would be boring."

"We just couldn’t stay with Cyclelab – we really tried. It was enjoyable but tough," said Muller's partner Sim. "The stage was awesome, especially the singletrack coming home. You get energy from somewhere. On the first day we were 133rd and 24th in our category, so we’re pretty happy."

Stage eight:  the final day

The final stage will take riders over 65km and 1640m of climbing from Oak Valley to their final destination, Lourensford Wine Estate. As is tradition, the last stage is always the shortest, but never easy. When riders see vineyards, they will know it is all about short, sharp climbs before some longer and even steeper ones through Nuweberg, up to see the superb vistas of Elgin/Grabouw. In 2010, the Cape Epic takes a new route into the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve, on Buysepad, skirting Gantouw Pass. There's no portage this year, but route designer Dr Evil has something else in mind before riders head down for a traditional finish to the 2010 Cape Epic.

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

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