Pietermaritzburg’s Greg Minnaar once again tackled the famous Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race this past week, and for the second time in 2 attempts, made it to the finish line after a gruelling week of 7hour days in the saddle, for a total of 886km.

This year Greg rode with top South African female cross country rider, Hannele Steyn-Kotze in the Mixed Category, and with his recent signing for adidas Shoes, rode as the adidas Team, number 27.

The first few days were tough on the pair, and with a total of six punctures, lost valuable ground early. Well outside the top 10 in their category early on, the pair fought back to finish 7th in category and 70th overall.

Greg: “The event was super tough, and a lot harder than the 1st year I rodeit, with longer distances to cover and much more climbing. The event has also really grown a lot too. This is a really big deal now. It was good riding with Hannele as I learned a lot about how to eat while riding a 7 hour day, and how much it can help you with your endurance. I basically did this to support the event and for the challenge. It’s not a major or strategic part of my downhill season preparation, but I think a little bit of extra fitness is never a problem!

In the final four days of the event, Greg and Hannele put in some big efforts to try and gain ground on some of the more tired competitors, and this paid off with some good time gains. When asked if he would do it again…

Greg: Yah, for sure. Maybe next year I’ll ride with a male competitor and try and mix it up with the top teams!

Photos available at www.23degrees-sports.com
More Event Info at www.cape-epic.com
Event Photos at www.flipper.co.za

Pietermaritzburg’s Greg Minnaar once again tackled the famous Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race this past week, and for the second time in 2 attempts, made it to the finish line after a gruelling week of 7hour days in the saddle, for a total of 886km.