Anna van der Breggen will race Cape Epic with Annika Langivad
Two world champions to join forces for powerhouse team at South African mtb stage race
Cape Epic is one of the biggest mountain bike stage races in existence and always attracts a star studded field. The newest super-team entry just announced, though, could be the most impressive yet.
Defending ABSA Cape Epic champion Annika Langvad will race with road world champion Anna van der Breggen this year in South Africa. Both will ride as teammates throughout 2019, representing Boels Dolmans on the road in the Women’s World tour. First, though, they will kick their mountain bike season off in South Africa with the Cape Epic.
Langvad has a few rainbow jersey’s of her own to match van der Breggen’s. Langvad is the reigning XC Marathon world champion, 2018 was her fifth XCM title, and 2016 cross country world champion. She brings more than speed to the team. The powerful Dane has already won the notoriously difficult and unpredictable Cape Epic stage race four times. Her experience will be invaluable in a race where mechanicals and biomechanicals often play as big a factor as race fitness.
While more known for her extensive palmares on the road, including winning Olympic gold at the Rio 2016 Games, Langvad’s Dutch partner is quite comfortable on the dirt. Van der Breggen opted not to defend her 2017 Giro Rosa title last summer, choosing to race the Val di Sole World Cup XCO instead. She placed an impressive 30th there, having started from the back of a ultra-competitive women’s field.
Photo by Sam Clark/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS
Of Langvad’s four Cape Epic victories, her most recent was a dominant display to win the 2018 Cape Epic with then-Specialized teammate Kate Courtney. The young American parlayed that experience, and the extensive South African base miles into a win at the 2018 XCO world championships, passing Langvad on the final lap.
The 2019 ABSA Cape Epic runs from 17 – 24 March. Before the big event, both will start the Afxentia stage race, part of the Cyprus Sunshine Cup series, from 21 – 24 February. Van der Breggen raced and won the Cyprus event last year, just a week before going on to win Strade Bianchi on the road.
