On the second stage of the Cape Epic with start and finish in Elgin - Oak Valley, Christoph Sauser and Jaroslav Kulhavy are able to convert their strength. The two riders from Team Investec-Songo-Specialized and the Austrian-Czech duo of Alban Lakata and Kristian Hynek set themselves apart early on. This lead remained until around 40 minutes before the finish. Then the European marathon champion and the world champion pulled away. They distanced Lakata and Hynek by over two minutes until the finish. "It was super windy, and even though it was over 90 kilometers, it was ridden almost like a prologue. Always full throttle, nobody could just roll. Jaro rode super strong in the wind and I hid as much as I could. Alban was always away and then came back. I knew that we would get away if we rode full throttle," explained Sauser. The Multivan Merida riders José Hermida (ESP) and Rudi van Houts (NED) finished third once again.

Sauser and Kulhavy's fiercest rivals for overall victory, Urs huber and Karl Platt, are further behind. After their fourth place on the stage, the two are still in second place overall, but 6.44 minutes behind. "We had no real chance today, the two teams in front of us rode on the attack and pulled away on the climb. We worked well together with Multivan-Merida on the flat, but the gap got bigger and bigger," said Urs Huber.

A good ten seconds behind them, Lakata and Hynek are moving ahead and Hermida and van Houts are only just over half a minute behind the podium. Fabian Giger and Martin Gujan have consolidated their fifth position somewhat, but are currently out of striking distance of the podium.

Alban Lakata leads the front group, but Sauser and Kulhavy cheer at the end. Photos© Nick Muzik and Shaun Roy/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS

Kleinhans and Langvad with an incredible lead
Swiss rider Ariane Kleinhans and her Danish partner Annika Langvad from Team RE:CM-Specialized are unbeaten once again. The two leaders pulled away early on the 93-kilometre stage and were already more than four minutes ahead of the Sellaronda-Hero team with Sally Bigham (GBR) and Christina Kollmann (AUT) at the first intermediate time. In the end, the Swiss-Danish team won with a lead of 25 minutes. In the overall classification, they already lead Jennie Stenerhag and Robyn Lee de Groot by 46 minutes. "I have much less stress than in a World Cup race, where everyone is pushing from behind and sticking to the rear wheel," says a satisfied Langvad. "I just love these single trails here in Elgin and Grabouw," says Kleinhans, a South African by choice, adding: "I really enjoyed it in the last twenty kilometers."

The Swedish-South African duo Jennie Stenerhag and Robyn Lee de Groot steadily caught up with Sally Bigham and Christina Kollmann. In the second third, Stenerhag and Lee de Groot even managed to close the gap, but then lost around a minute again. In the last hour of the race, however, the tide turned again when Kollmann's back problems became too severe and threw the English-Austrian duo back to third place. "This morning Christina didn't know whether she would even make it through the stage because of her back pain. That's why we're more than happy with our third place," said a delighted Sally Bigham.

Two minutes behind Sellaronda Hero, the Meerendal-Wheeler-Cannondale team with Milena Landtwing and Hielke Elferink finished fourth, four minutes ahead of the second Meerendal team with Esther Süss and Alice Pirard. This means that the Swiss-Dutch duo have made another leap forward in the overall classification, while Süss and Pirard are still in third place.

Ariane Kleinhans and Annika Langvad make even seasoned men's teams look old. Photo© Ewald Sadie and Sam Clark/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS

Excitement in the Masters and a lesson in the mixed category
The Masters category is more exciting: South African by choice Nico Pfitzenmaier and Robert Sim (Dorma/Robert Daniel) beat the overall leaders, the Olympic champion from Atlanta, Bart Brentjens and the Brazilian Abraao Azevedo (BETCH.nl-Superior) by five seconds in the second stage. The 2013 Masters winner, Nico Pfitzenmaier, who struggled with slight health problems on the first stage, is back on the road: "I really like the trails of Oak Valley, it's my playground here, so I'm particularly happy about this home win".

The leaders of the mixed category, the Austrians René Haselbacher and Sabine Sommer (ENS RH77), get lost shortly before the end of the stage and lose around ten minutes. "We rode about three kilometers too much," says Haselbacher, a former professional cyclist and Tour de France participant. This also benefited the mixed team of Peter Vesel (SLO) and the German Ivonne Kraft (ETIS), who won the stage and thus took the overall lead. "Of course it went badly for us today, but we can get back to the top," said Haselbacher confidently.

Multiple cyclo-cross world champion Hanka Kupfernagel, who is taking part in the Absa-Cape-Epic for the first time with veteran Carsten Bresser for Team Dietrich-Rocky-Mountain, is on a steep learning curve. "When we were on the road together with Gunn-Rita Dahle, I was a little over-motivated and suggested that we ride through at the second aid station. That was clearly a mistake and, for the first time in a race, the "man with the hammer" came to me. It took me at least five minutes before I could continue. I've never been so empty on a bike in my life. I learned my lesson today," admits Kupfernagel.

The tireless Bart Brentjens and the breathtaking scenery at Cape Epic. Photo© Sam Clark and Gary Perkin/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS

Outlook stage 3, Elgin/Oak Valley Wine Estate - Worcester/HTS Drostdy, 128 kilometers/2,300 vertical meters
Stage three of the Absa Cape Epic is the longest of the 2015 event. The teams ride around 128 kilometers from Oak Valley to the next stage town of Worcester on the edge of the Little Karoo. They will cover around 2,300 meters in altitude. According to the weather forecast, the mountain bikers can expect temperatures of up to 30 degrees Celsius, no wind and dry weather.

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