They had a pending subject. Last year, Georg Egger and Lukas Baum prevailed in a heart-stopping Cape Epic, which was not resolved until the last day. They took the glory, but the victory in extremis deprived them of one thing: they could not run in yellow any day. Tomorrow, they will do it for the first time as a couple. This Friday, in the queen stage of the edition, they remedied the matter. With a time of 04:13:46.5, they crossed the finish line ahead of Simon Stiebjahn and Martin Frey and, most importantly, Nino Schurter and Andri Frischknecht, leaders so farwho remain at 1:29.2 overall. “It’s great to wear the yellow jersey. Two difficult days are ahead, we have to keep calm and control well this weekend”, Egger said during the celebration. After achieving the long-awaited badge, the most difficult thing remains: maintaining it.
It won’t be easy. On the one hand, by the margin, scarce; on the other, because of how cruel and uncontrollable the Cape Epic is. Today, on a merciless meteorological day, the coin was heads. Two days ahead, two new releases. “This has to be one of the most brutal times I’ve had on the bike. I was suffering from the conditions. The ground was loose and on each climb we crossed small rivers. When I got to that puddle and went swimming, I thought I was in the ocean. It was very deep”, Baum described after the stage, of 102 kilometers and 2450 meters of unevenness between Oak Valley Estate and Lourensford Wine Estate, where the remaining days will start. They were the bravest. In the first difficulties, when the storm worsened the most, they opened a gap; then, on the most favorable ground, they expanded it. “We felt very good from the beginning. We wanted to control the pace, what we were able to do and, then, at the highest point, we were able to distance ourselves even further ”, Baum himself analyzed.
Schurter pushed from behind, but the pursuers did not reach. Further and further, more and more leaders. As the best example, some magnificent Roberto Bou and Miguel Muñoz, the best Spaniards once again, who reached the finish line more than a quarter later. In general, they are sixth, three quarters of an hour long behind the current champions. Matthew Beers and Christopher Blevins, at 7:08.9, are the only ones, together with the SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing riders, less than twenty minutes behind. In the women’s category, Amy Wakefield and Candice Lill dominate with more authority against Kim le Court and Vera Looser who, this Friday, added their second victory in a row. Tomorrow, 78 kilometers and 2,300 meters of elevation gain at Lourensford Wine Estate. The penultimate test of this edition and the first for Egger and Baum dressed in yellow. At last.
Classification Cape Epic (M) | General
1st Egger/Baum (Orbea x Leatt x Speed Company) – 19:35:29.3
2nd Schurter/Frischknecht (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing) – at 1:29.2
3rd Beers/Blevins (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne) – 07:08.9
Classification Cape Epic (F) | General
1st Wakefield/Lill (e-FORT) – 42:24:32.4
2nd Le Court/Looser (Efficient Infinity Insure) – at 13:53.3
3rd Gomez/Nash (NinetyOne-Songo-Specialized) – 28:15.5
