MTB

A day for the purist mountain biker

By Quattro Media

Thursday’s Stage 4 will start and finish at the Wellington race finish and be spent almost exclusively on the highly regarded Welvanpas trail network. By Absa Cape Epic standards it is short – only 75km – but has some sharp climbs and an accumulated altitude gain of 1850m.

The distance and conditions suggest it will be a day for the cross country specialists, so expect the likes of Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini (Cannondale Factory Racing) or Martin Gluth and Sascha Weber (Novus OMX Pro) to have a good day. Sport for Good’s Sabine Spitz and Yana Belomoina should also find the route to their liking and might fancy a crack at a Women’s category stage win.


Photo courtesy of Quattro Media

Not long after the start the legs will be tested on the Patatskloof climb, then it’s down Cool Runnings Too, up the Aap d’Huez (with a mere 29 switchbacks) and down Route 66. The loop also includes Welvanpas’s White Route, filled with interesting singletrack and one notoriously bumpy section called the Cheesegrater. A day for the purist mountain biker perhaps, but there are a lot of testing climbs – including three tough ones shortly before the finish.