With the sun beating down on the sandy tracks in Welvanpas at the Bain’s MTB Trails, Stage Five of the 2013 ABSA Cape Epic was tackled as a sprint race. There was no sign of heavy legs, aching joints or bruised muscles as the surviving competitors enjoyed the 75km of racing today. The route was a loop taking in 1800m of vertical ascent as it cut through the forests and wine estates in Wellington’s mountains to finish at the Welbedacht Wine Estate for the overnight halt.
Boasting the most singletrack kilometers in a single stage of this year’s ABSA Cape Epic, it was no surprise that speeds were high and smiles were wide. There were none more so than Nico Pfitzenmaier, Momsen Bikes Factory Team member recording his THIRD stage victory in this year’s event and his 25th in total. With Abraao Azevedo (multiple Brazilian XCO and Marathon MTB Champion) as his race partner in team Bridge, this pairing rode to a remarkable TENTH position overall on the stage classification and into 12th on the overall General Classification. They now lead the coveted Telkom Business Masters’ Category with a handsome 52 minute lead over their nearest rivals…
Ann Harrison is the rose in the Momsen Bikes Factory Team, and this accomplished MTB veteran from Cape Town is an aggressive racer. In this year’s ABSA Cape Epic’s Ladies Category, she is partnered with Marleen Lourens to form team Dawn Wing and they have consistently finished just outside the stage podium positions. After today’s short yet sharp stage they remain in FOURTH position in the Category and are still aiming to bridge the gap to third place overall before Sunday’s grand finale at Lourensford to conclude the tenth edition of this race.
Both Ann and Nico are armed with the all-new, full carbon, full suspension Momsen Bikes VIPA. This bike was designed and developed in South Africa, and Momsen Bikes partnered with suspension wizard Patrick Morewood (founder of Morewood Bikes) to create South Africa’s first “SuperBike.” The ABSA Cape Epic is undoubtedly the world’s toughest and most torturous MTB stage race, and Momsen Bikes uses the red-hot, no-holds-barred racing environment to test and shakedown its new models. Unveiled to the international bicycle market at the recent Cape Argus Lifecycle Expo in Cape Town, the VIPA immediately created a stir. Our prototype is now featuring strongly in the ABSA Cape Epic this week in its toughest development test to date.
Momsen Bikes is continually growing its footprint on the South African cycling marketplace as we increase our model range to offer bikes suited to every rider’s demands and those of the unique South African MTBing track and trail conditions. Our commitment to racing is a commitment to development of new bikes. Racing is at the core of what Momsen Bikes stands for, and each frame has been put through its paces in competition to better test its strengths and eradicate its weakness. Our customers will benefit from this: you will ride and race those very same bikes in the near future thanks to the development and test efforts in this race. YOU’LL share in the wins, the podiums and medals, as they will be sculpted into each frame’s curve. This is Momsen Bikes.
The competitors tackle the penultimate stage of the 2013 event tomorrow, a 99km stage with a muscle-cramping 2950m of vertical ascent. Racing from Wellington, around the Drakenstien Mountains to Stellenbosch, it will be the final major mental hurdle for the weary racers. But, it is the Cape Epic after all and the climbs are sure to make for a thrilling and dramatic day’s racing action.
OVERALL RESULTS after Stage FIVE
Telkom Business Masters Category:
01) Nico Pfitzenmaier/Abraao Azevedo (Bridge) – 24:54.12,3
Ladies Category:
04) Ann Harrison/Marleen Lourens (Dawn Wing) – 32:17.47,7
