Platt & Sahm sprint to stage 2 victory

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Men's category

The Bulls 1 team of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm sprinted to a win at the end of Cape Epic stage 2 in a time of 4:21:13. They were closely followed by Hannes Genze and Andreas Kugler (Multivan Merida Biking) and the winners of the previous two days, Burry Stander and Christoph Sauser (Team 36ONE-Songo-Specialized).

After taking his fifth-ever stage win in the Cape Epic, Sahm said, "It was a great day for us. We didn't even speak close to the finish. It was as if we knew telepathically what the other wanted to do. Our timing was perfect, our legs felt better and we're getting into a rhythm now. We're very motivated, but it's still a long way to go."

Platt, who can boast 12 total Cape Epic stage wins after today, said, "I can't describe the feeling. It's unbelievable to win a stage again after not winning in 2010 or 2011. We waited for two years, but did it - and Lady Luck was on our side today. Today wasn't that tough, but we had to be patient as we were always riding in a big group. Stefan did exactly what I was thinking - he attacked. We did it! Our legs are back and we're really happy - it's a relief to win a stage again."

The South African team of Kevin Evans and David George (360Life) finished in fourth place about two seconds back with Urs Huber and Konny Looser (Stöckli Pro) in fifth place at three seconds.

Evans was happy with his team's performance. "We had no bad luck today, so it wasn't hard to get better. It was a deceivingly hard stage and the group stayed together for most of the way. It'll be hard day for those riding at the back. Tomorrow's a big day for us and we're still motivated to be on the podium at the Lourensford Wine Estate finish."

George said, "We're very happy with the day and must put yesterday behind us. In fact, today is the best I've ever felt in a Cape Epic and was definitely one of the easiest days. We had the opportunity to narrow the gap and benefited from our good form. We'll take it day by day - that's just the nature of the Cape Epic- you always ride on a knife's edge."

Stander and Sauser still lead the men's overall category by nine minutes and 27 seconds. Huber and Looser are placed second with Alban Lakata and Robert Mennen (Topeak Ergon Racing) third. Platt and Sahm are in fourth place with Evans an George moving up one position to ninth.

"We were a group of 40 riders in the beginning. It was quite dangerous and tense for the first 40km with riders fighting for position," said overall leader Stander. "On a climb, the group was cut down to 10 teams. From then on we just kept making sure that we eat and drink enough when preparing for tomorrow's monster stage. It's always special to be on the podium. Well done to the other teams - they wanted the win badly and it keeps the race exciting."

Sauser also complimented the Bulls' effort. "To win a sprint with that many teams take real dedication. When Stefan attacked, we tried to stay with him, but we just couldn't take the lead from him. We finished on the podium and are still the overall leaders. We're more than happy."

The Absa African Leader jersey was won by MTN Qhubeka team Adrien Nyontshuti and Jacques Janse van Rensburg for the second consecutive day. They've been racing for 10:27:38.

For Kugler of Multivan Merida Biking, today was busier than yesterday. "Due to the course, we didn't go at such high speeds - there were a lot of hills and we also had a puncture - but it was easy to come back to the group. My body felt okay for day three. Tomorrow is a really long stage, and we have no plan for tomorrow but to ride it."

Ladies category

Sally Bigham and Esther Süss (Wheels4Life) won the ladies category for the third day in a row in a time of 4:54:27, ahead of Karien van Jaarsveld and Jane Nüssli (MTN Qhubeka Ladies) at 9:30. Ivonne Kraft and Elisabeth Brandau (botebooksbilliger.de) finished in third place.

Bigham and Süss lead Biogen Britehouse team Theresa Ralph and Nina Gässler by 25 minutes and 59 seconds in the overall. MTN Qhubeka is now in third place overall with notebooksbilliger in fourth.

Van Jaarsveld said, "I had a stomach bug before the race and am still recovering from that. It was a fast race today and we put the girls under pressure to test everyone. We're feeling good and hope to be on the podium tomorrow. It's a big day and we'll consolidate and take it conservatively over the next few days."

Nüssli said, "Today was good and we rode at a nice pace. It was quite flat, the heat was fine and the climbs were not too steep - it's fantastic to be on the podium."

Mixed category

The Contego 28E team of Erik and Ariana Kleinhans won the mixed category for the second day in a row in 4:48:52, followed by Udo Boelts and Milena Landtwing of Centurion Vaude in 4:55:05. Pieter Venter and Leana de Jager of Attix5 finished in third place in 5:02:30. They have moved to third place overall, with Russell de Jager and Andrea Huser now in fifth place overall. Contego 28E leads by 10 minutes and 19 seconds.

"It was nice and flowing today. We rode with the leading ladies for much of the way, but at the climb after the second water point we pulled away from them," said Ariane Kleinhans. "My body's feeling good and it was not as tough as yesterday - not as hot and we had enough to drink. I feel great and motivated for the rest of the week. Erik knows me so well, which helps a lot. We train together every day, so he knows my strengths and weaknesses."

Erik Kleinhans said, "Tomorrow is a long stage - 147km. I hope it's not just hard, but also has some easy sections. We're in the lead so we don't need to take too many risks. We'll try to take it easy."

Masters category

Robert Sim and Nico Pfitzenmaier (Robert Daniel Momsen team) won the masters category in 4:30:53, followed by the Jag Craft team of Adrian Enthoven and Delaney Impey. World Bicycle Relief team of Bart Brentjens and Jan Weevers finished third in 4:38:34.

Sim and Pfitzenmaier lead the Jag Craft team of Enthoven and Impey by eight minutes and 44 seconds. World Bicycle Relief team Brentjens and Weevers are in third place overall.

Pfitzenmaier said, "Today was way better than yesterday. We actually had an amazing and consistent ride. Bart Brentjens and his teammate attacked and tried to play tactics, but we decided to just stay cool. Rob and I cycled really well together and from the second water point the route suited us. We're both technical riders and could then create a nice gap. There was a double sting in the tail near the end, but we survived. We recovered well after yesterday and felt really good today."

Sim said, "I was feeling much better than yesterday. Our plan for tomorrow is to conserve our lead and not blow out in the beginning. We'll also track the opposition to ensure we're in good shape for the second half of the race."

The day's course

The 119km route, with 1650m of climbing, traversed the beautiful rolling doubletracks through the stony Klein Karoo, passing through the charming village of McGregor. It was a special day out for the riders. For those who managed to avoid tunnel vision, it was a geologist's paradise with remarkable sandstone formations. Some might say this was too much fun for the Absa Cape Epic, but riders would soon be brought back down to earth - the rocks may have created beautiful formations but they are sharp. With knife-edged shale and a carpet of thorns, heavy-duty tyres were essential. After passing through Van Loveren Wine Estate on some severe vineyard hills, a district road took the race past Ashton as they headed towards the mountains for some short but steep climbs before returning to Robertson

Stage 3: Robertson to Caledon, 147km (2900m of climbing)

Some may call stage 2 "a fun day out", but stage 3 is payback time. Dr. Evil cites four major climbs on the longest stage in Cape Epic history, with the action starting around the 40-kilometre mark. The first is a six-kilometre doubletrack, where riders will fight for traction over large rolling rocks. Then there is the four-kilometre Mast climb, with a view over Villiersdorp.

The next lump in the profile is a smooth and comparatively easy rise to the Toll House, the highest point of the day, with a fast five-kilometre descent dropping 500 metres into the valley. At the 110-kilometre mark, there's the UFO climb to scale. A sharp rise is followed by a tricky descent, undoing all the hard work.

Then starting again, from the bottom, is a steep rocky trail with several false peaks where riders will be switching to their granny gears. Riders can clock up some mileage on the fast downhill district roads before the last 10 kilometres slows them down again, traversing farmlands. Riders are welcomed to their new race village - Caledon.

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