The Rockstars Of Wellington
The first transition stage of the 2024 Absa Cape Epic from Saronsberg to Wellington saw mechanicals, sweltering heat waves, new men’s stage champions and a centenary celebration. Read on:
Stage 3 rocked. There was the rocky dual track climb up through the rugged Waterval Nature Reserve early on to set the tone for the stage. Then the iconic rocky cliffs of Bain’s Kloof Pass and not too long after, the rocking rhythm of Andreas Seewald and Marc Stutzmann (Canyon SIDI) as they stormed to a Stage 3 victory. That was at the sharp end, the real rockstars though, were further back… Optimised by the rock-solid determination of one Joel Stransky, who, despite a stomach bug and a big mechanical for his partner, soldiered on to his way to his 100th Absa Cape Epic stage finish.
His 100th was a true Untamed challenge, but the 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning fly-half would have it no other way though, almost like having an All Black opponent trying to charge him down. “Sometimes you remember things for different reasons. Today was tough. I felt nauseous and my stomach was a mess, but to come through it and, you know, have had a real tough 100th stage, you'd probably expect nothing less from this race,” he said afterwards.
Here is how the rest of the field fared:
MIXED CATEGORY
There were some shifts in the mixed category, with Joel Stransky and Rouxda Grobler (Drive Train) dropping off the podium after losing time due to a mechanical. This meant that e-FORT Mix (Elrika Harmzen-Pretorius and Alexander Lawrance), moved up into third, while Toyota Gazoo Racing and Resicon sit in first and second respectively.
AMATEUR CATEGORY
The standings remain unchanged with Latvian wannabe pro cyclists in first (28th overall), 199 Alilililili +43:33, with Virta in third.
AMATEUR WOMEN CATEGORY
As in the men’s amateur category, the women’s GC remains stable, with Ar&Co (Paula Lopez and Alejandra Cristina Tattenbach Arias) still holding a commanding lead over RoadexEMU and Young&Brave.
NTT MASTERS CATEGORY
The Bulls Masters (Karl Platt and Tomás Misser), secured an impressive 29th place overall to consolidate their overall lead. While Unimed/fourlab (Thiago Machado and Cláudio Altivo), is in second and CzechRocket & SwissDiesel (Pavel Gonda and Tobias Lüthi) move up into third. After the finish, Platt and Meisser emphasized the importance of consistent effort. "Full gas every day," Platt affirmed, however, Meisser highlighted the delicate balance between pushing the limits and pacing oneself effectively. "Sometimes if you go a little bit slower, it feels more terrible," he explained.
MASTERS WOMEN'S CATEGORY
Asterix & Cleopatra maintained their lead, followed by Absa LastLioness, while ILoveBoobies #FortyFour moved up from fourth to third place.
GRAND MASTERS CATEGORY
In the Grand Masters Men's category, while the leaders remained unchanged, second and third places saw significant shifts. Pedal Project maintained its lead, followed by LGE Midas, which moved up to second place, and Flash Harry Waterproofing, advancing to third.
GRAND MASTERS WOMEN'S CATEGORY
There were no changes to the overnight GC in this category, with Toyota Memory Keepers in the lead, Absolutely SheUntamed in second place and Musas Paradisiacas holding on to third.
GREAT GRAND MASTERS CATEGORY
The situation in the overall GC remains unchanged after Stage 3, with Multiple Absa Cape Epic category winner Barti Bucher with Meerendal teammate Peter Furrer, holding onto a commanding lead ahead of Toshiba Namibia and Forestiére & C&C.
SPECIAL JERSEYS
ABSA AFRICAN SPECIAL JERSEY
Philip Buys and Pieter Du Toit (PYGA Euro Stee) hold onto red, while Marco Joubert and Wessel Botha of Imbuko A move back up into second ahead of Alexander Miller and Johan Van Zyl of Toyota-Specialized. In the women’s category, Efficient Infiniti Insure (Steph Wohlters and Danielle Strydom) edged ahead of #SheUntamed (Sarah Hill and Hayley Smith).
EXXARO SPECIAL CATEGORY
The gruelling Stage 3 saw big moves in the Exxaro Special Jersey race, with The Coopetto (Halalisani Njabulo Ndebele and Siyanda Gumede) overtaking the previous leaders, Fairtree DPworld Cannondale (Kusaselihle Ngidi and Damon Terblanche). In the women’s race with Fairtree NTT 1 (Yomelela Mfazwe and Ongezo Mini) in the women’s green special jersey.