The category was won in 2015 was former Absa Cape Epic overall winner and Olympic gold medallist Bart Brentjens, riding with Brazil’s Abraao Azevedo, but only after fierce racing.

Brentjens and Azevedo will be back to defend their title and, in the absence this year of Pfitzenmaier, will start as favourites.

In 2015 Switzerland’s Bucher and Austrian Zoerweg won the category convincingly and they will start as clear favourites again in 2016.

In 2015 Ivonne Kraft of Germany and Slovenian Peter Vesel convincingly won the Mixed category.