They do not know the victory in any of the three disputed days, but Nino Schurter you know what this is about. He knows things… The Swiss, a living legend of mountain biking, away from the infinity of falls, punctures and breakdowns that left him out of the battle last year, commands with authority in the present Cape Epic together with his companion and compatriot Andri Frischknecht. The team duo Scott-SRAM he is proving infallible, crossing the finish line in second position for the third day in a row to reinforce his overall lead. They do not know victory, but every day they distance more from their direct rivals. The victory in the second stage went to the hands of Matt Beers and Christopher Blevins, who have already conquered the opening prologue. In Spanish key, David Valero and Pablo Rodríguez kept the ninth ranked overall.
The bikers they faced the stage longest of this edition of the Cape, with a total of 116 km. The cumulative drop of 1,850 meters was less demanding, as was the less steep terrain, where the descents were longer, stretched out and very well marked. The leading group was defined in a few kilometers, with the main pairs of favorites present. But facing the final stretch, the winners of the first stage were discarded from the battle. Rabensteiner and Alleman had a breakdown in the middle of the refreshment area and said goodbye to their options.
Thus, after many comings and goings, only two pairs were able to fight for the victory in the last ten kilometers, a whole sample of the elements that are linked to this test: survival and elimination. Schurter was the one who set the pace in the approach to the finish line, but in a stretch of asphalt, Beers launched a beastly attack with which he released the Swiss Scott-SRAM couple from the wheel. Blevins bided his time and seconds later launched her counterattack to join his teammate for victory. Still, 15″ difference over Schurter and Frischknecht who came out as the big winners of the day: now They lead the defending champions, Egger and Baum, by 3:15.
“You can’t pass Andri and Nino in the singletrack, so I knew we had to do it on asphalt. The tar was our best chance. Chris told me to throw a fit when we hit the road, I did and it worked great. You couldn’t ask for more”, Beers explained at the end of the stage, to which his partner added: “It’s very motivating to recover with a stage victory after a day like yesterday. It’s still a long week and there are many stages to come, but we’re happy for now!” In the female category, Amy Wakefield and Candice Lill maintain their overall lead despite the stage win for Kim Le Court and Vera Looser (Efficient Infiniti Insure). The menu for this Wednesday: 100 km and 2,300 m. unevenness
General Cape Epic (M) | Stage 2
General Cape Epic (F) | Stage 2
