Blevins and Ferrand-Prevot bounce back (again) at chaotic Cape Epic
Unpredictable racing defines 2022 event as racers pass halfway mark
Photo by:
Gary Perkin/Cape Epic
Everything is still up in the air as racers pass the halfway point of the 2022 Cape Epic. Thursday’s racing saw yet more changes to the leader boards, with some stars surging and others continuing to struggle.
The wildly swinging fortunes of Team BMC’s Pauling Ferrand-Prevot and Robyn de Groot were on a high point again. The duo has either won or been far off the pace, depending on the day. On Thursday, they were on form and rode solo to a win.
On the men’s side, racing was tighter at the front, with Christopher Blevins and Matt Beers (Toyta-NinetyOne-Specialized) taking a strategic win. But the days events continues long after the winners crossed the line. With Lars Forster continuing to struggle, he and Scott-SRAM teammate Nino Schurter drift farther away from repeating their 2019 Cape Epic victory
Women: Ferrand-Prevot and de Groot bounce back (again)
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Robyn de Groot haven’t had an easy Cape Epic, but they haven’t stopped fighting, either. After winning the prologue, Ferrand-Prevot struggled in the heat on Stage 1 and the pair lost time. They bounced back to win Stage 2, then de Groot struggled on Stage 3 and the team conceded time again.
On Thursday, the pair were on a good day, pushing the pace in the leader’s group. Ferrand-Prevot and de Groot distanced race leaders, Haley Batten and Sofia Gomez-Villafane (NinetyOne-Specialized-Songo) to take the stage win. BMC claws back 1:12 on the Specialized team to sit 11:06 behind with three days of racing remaining.
“That was an unintentional solo breakaway,” said De Groot. “I had the PFP-Express in front of me, so I just hung on and made sure I got to the finish. It’s great riding with Pauline as she is a super motivator. She really got me through today!”
Further back, the South African duo of Candice Lill and Mariske Strauss (Faces Rola) struggled to hold the pace of the French world champion and her S.A. counterpart. The Faces Duo finished fourth, losing 6:48 and their spot in second overall. The Faces Rola team is now fourth, 15:44 behind Batten and Gomez-Villafane.
“That was another close day,” said Batten after the stage. “The women’s race has been so tight. I’m really enjoying it. We had a small mishap with the wire; it didn’t take too long to sort out, but it just allowed Robyn and Pauline to get in front. They are such strong riders. We tried, but we just couldn’t catch them. We had a lot of fun out there. The UFO Climb was steep and technical but the singletrack was great.”
Liv Racing’s pair of women’s team finished sixth and eighth. The all-American pair of Serena Gordon and Crystal Anthony were sixth on Stage 4 and now sit eighth on G.C. Liv Factory Racing’s S.A./U.S.A. team of Sarah Hill and Kaysee Armstrong were eighth, just enough to keep them in seventh overall.
Men: Sneaky sprints hand Bleving and Beers victory
On the men’s side, the U.S.A.’s Christopher Blevins and South Africa’s Matt Beers (Toyota-NinetyOne-Specialized) rode a tactical race to claim their second stage win of the 2022 Cape Epic.
After working hard to regain contact with the Stage’s early leaders, the U.S./S.A. pair were hungry for the stage win. On Tuesdy, the pair lost out to Scott-SRAM’s Schurter and Forster in a Stage 2 sprint, with Beers unable to follow the pace of his XCC world champion teammate at the line. On Thursday, the race played out perfectly for the pair.
Beers attacked solo, drawing out Andreas Seewald, half of the race-leading Canyon Northwave team. When no one else followed, Blevins was left in the perfect position. He could sprint solo from the group and, with the second rider’s time counting at Cape Epic, know getting his wheel in front would guarantee the win. The reigning Short Track XC world champion showed his speed, easily leading the chase group across the line.
“That was perfectly executed,” said Blevins. “I wish we could say we planned that but Matt just rode off with Andreas. I was licking my lips though because I knew a sprint was coming and that’s my strength. I timed it well and got away from the guys. I really enjoyed that!”
While Specialized takes the stage win, Canyon Northwave stays in the zebra leader’s jersey for another day. They hold a 4:48 advantage over Georg Egger and Lukas Baum (Speed Company Racing). Beers and Blevins are third, 6:50 back. For Martin Stošek, Seewald’s Canyon Northwave teammate, holding the leader’s jersey is what mattered Thursday.
“We didn’t lose any time today. We had no major issues and the ride went smoothly,” Stošek shared after the stage. “We start another stage in yellow and that’s a great feeling.”
The feelings in the Scott-SRAM camp are less good. Nine-time world champion Nino Schurter and his teammate Lars Forster returned to South Africa looking to reclaim their Cape Epic title from 2019. The effort started on the wrong foot with two days of mechanical difficulty. The world-class pair rallied to win Stage 2 in a thrilling sprint. But, from there, they’ve fought to stay in the race. Lars Forster is struggling, and the pair lost 19 minutes on Thursday. They’re now sixth overall, but 33 minutes away from Canyon Northwave’s leader’s jerseys.
Stage 5 of the Cape Epic traverses 115km from Elandskloof to Stellenbosch. The day starts off abruptly with the Rusty Gate climb then adds more elevation with the Franschhoek Pass at the mid-stage point. The Botmaskop adds another major climb, bringing the day’s total elevation to 2,400m. Then a long descent into Stellenbosch will challenge the skills of tired legs and minds. Watch Stage 5 racing live on the Cape Epic channel.
