You can’t win the Absa Cape Epic on the Prologue but you can prove a point – and that’s exactly what the
Centurion Vaude combination of Daniel Geismayr and Nicola Rohrbach did by winning yellow. Conditions couldn’t have been any better as the 2018 Absa Cape Epic Prologue kicked off on Table Mountain
National Park for the first time in two years. With a somewhat technical course featuring washed-out corners and steep, tricky climbs the 20km route has been touted to favour the cross-country specialists, or at least that’s what everybody thought…

Canyon Topeak’s Alaban Lakata put it bluntly at a press conference held on Thursday in Cape Town: “Us marathon riders are going to show the cross-country guys just how to race the Absa Cape Epic.” And that’s exactly what panned out as marathon specialists Daniel Geismayr and Nicola Rohrbach powered to victory in calculated fashion ahead of Cannondale Factory Racing’s Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini, and darkhorse team, Buff Scott MTB’s Francesc Guerra Carretero and Luis Leao Pinto who finished third.

Three-time winner Annika Langvad and her novice partner Kate Courtney combined perfectly to win the
Prologue of the 2018 Absa Cape Epic at the University of Cape Town and will take a confidence-boosting 72- second lead into Monday’s Stage 1. The vastly experienced Langvad and her young 22-year-old American partner combined perfectly despite Sunday’s Prologue being the first time they have raced together as a team.

The Investec Songo Specialized pair’s time of 53 minutes 18,5 seconds for the 20km course on the slopes of Table Mountain was 1:12,6 ahead of Langvad’s partner when she won in 2014, 2015 and 2016, Switzerland’s Ariane Lüthi, who has teamed up with Belgium’s Githa Michiels (Spur). They were followed home by two South African / European combinations, with Robyn de Groot and German veteran Sabine Spitz (Ascendis Health/ WIAWIS Bikes) third, 2:14,2 behind the leaders and in turn just one second ahead of Mariske Strauss and her English partner Annie Last (Silverback – KMC).

Results

Women:

1. Investec Songo Specialized 54-1 Annika Langvad (DEN) 54-2 Kate Courtney (USA) 0:53.18,5
2. Spur 53-1 Ariane Lüthi (SUI) 53-2 Githa Michiels (BEL) 0:54.31,1 +1.12,6
3. Ascendis Health 52-1 Sabine Spitz (GER) 52-2 Robyn De Groot (RSA) 0:55.32,7 +2.14,2

Men:

1. Centurion Vaude 3-1 Nicola Rohrbach (SUI) 3-2 Daniel Geismayr (AUT) 0:45.23,3
2. Cannondale Factory Racing 6-1 Manuel Fumic (GER) 6-2 Henrique Avancini (BRA) 0:45.41,3
+18,0
3. BUFF SCOTT MTB 21-1 Francesc Guerra Carretero (ESP) 21-2 Luis Leao Pinto (POR) 0:46.12,9
+49,6