2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans picked up the Dimension Data Masters category with a storming final day that saw him and his fellow Tour de France stage winner George Hincapie grab victory on the last stage of the Absa Cape Epic from Grabouw to Val de Vie near Paarl.
Cadel Evans & George Hincapie BMC Absa Racing Team celebrate winning the Masters category during the final stage (stage 7) of the 2017 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race. Photo by Shaun Roy/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS
Evans and Hincapie (BMC Absa Racing) started the 85km final stage second in their category, almost three minutes behind the masters leaders, Team Orbea’s Tomi Misser and Ibon Zugasti, and just three seconds ahead of Bart Brentjens and Abraao Azevedo (CST Sandd American Eagle).
The two retired road racers started fast and on the long road climb up Franschhoek Pass midway through the final stage opened a huge race-winning gap on their rivals.
“We didn’t have many time checks so we didn’t really know where we were,” said Evans “We knew we were at least three or four minutes up but you can’t be sure until you cross the line, so we just kept pressure on right to the line.
“George had a bad moment mid-way when we came off on a descent. When he dropped it, it unsettled him a bit … but otherwise we were pretty good.
“I rode nine Tours de France and 16 Grand Tours in my career, so those ones mentally are much more taxing because of the duration. But the Epic is hard for your legs,” said Evans rubbing his quadriceps.
“The Epic is hard on your muscles. You wake up every morning with sore legs, and you might have that on the Tour de France but only after a bad day!”
Ibon Zugasti during the final stage (stage 7) of the 2017 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race. Photo by Mark Sampson/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS
And the good news for his fans around the race village: “I’d love to come back next year.”
Hincapie found the race a lot tougher than he expected.
“I tell you it was tough. I definitely came in underprepared. I didn’t know it was this hard, but fortunately I got in shape as the race went on.
“I stay relatively fit at home but not by any means for this kind of effort. But of course the body kicked into stage race mode and I just felt better as the race went on. I’d love to be back next year.”
And his description of the Absa Cape Epic in one word: “Exactly that, Epic!”
Stage Results
1. BMC Absa Racing Team 63-1 Cadel Evans (Australia) 63-2 George Hincapie (United States of America) 3:10.12,2
2. CST Sandd American Eagle 61-1 Bart Brentjens (Netherlands) 61-2 Abraao Azevedo (Brazil) 3:17.17,3 +7.05,1
3. Orbea Factory 35-1 Tomi Misser (Spain) 35-2 Ibon Zugasti (Spain) 3:18.16,9 +8.04,7
Overall Results
1. BMC Absa Racing Team 63-1 Cadel Evans (Australia) 63-2 George Hincapie (United States of America) 29:28.57,5
2. Orbea Factory 35-1 Tomi Misser (Spain) 35-2 Ibon Zugasti (Spain) 29:34.18,8 +5.21,3
3. CST Sandd American Eagle 61-1 Bart Brentjens (Netherlands) 61-2 Abraao Azevedo (Brazil) 29:36.07,6 +7.10,1
4. ROCKY MOUNTAIN – toMotion 62-1 Thorsten Keller (Germany) 62-2 Max Friedrich (Germany) 31:57.26,3 +2:28.28,8
5. LGE Midas/Slender-Wonder 330-1 Igna de Villiers (South Africa) 330-2 Paul Theron (South Africa) 32:07.34,8 +2:38.37,3
6. Oakhaven Capital 340-1 Michael Creedon (Ireland) 340-2 Andrew Cairns (South Africa) 32:36.19,6 +3:07.22,1
7. Podium Sports 65-1 Nic Lamond (South Africa) 65-2 Simon Lamond (South Africa) 32:43.41,7 +3:14.44,2
8. GACOSUR IEDES CENTAURO 68-1 Manuel Rojo Nieto (Spain) 68-2 Jorge Lopez Janeiro (Spain) 32:45.16,9 +3:16.19,4
9. Eurocasa Gaggenau 609-1 Richard Lurie (South Africa) 609-2 Brent Russell (South Africa) 32:51.07,4 +3:22.09,9
10. @40 64-1 Hannes Hanekom (South Africa) 64-2 Ben Melt Swanepoel (South Africa) 33:08.16,6 +3:39.19,1
