After 8 days of racing over 654km and ascending more than 15 000 vertical meters, Team NAD Pro MTB finished second in the Absa African Leaders Jersey Category and 12th place in the Overall GC.
For the 2016
race, the team elected to stay in accommodation rather than in the race village
to best prepare and recover for each stage. This proved to be a great decision
after a large amount of riders withdrew in the early stages of the race with
illness/stomach bug.
The Prologue:
26km with 700m ascent
“The prologue
went quite well for us. We played it safe and finished 8th overall and 3rd
African team. The goal was to get the legs going and test the body for the coming days”
- Nico
“We have a
love/hate relationship with the epic. The prologue was really cool, all the
supporters and we raced flat out. We are happy with the result” - Gawie
The Prologue,
hosted by Meerendal combined the trails of Hoogekraal, Meerendal and other
purpose built single track that form part of the Tygerberg MTB club and riders
enjoyed the punchy climbs and fast descents. Starting with the No 8 plate was
spot on and it was the exact same position that they would finish after the
Prologue. A great start to the race.
Stage 01: A 108km
Loop from Saronsberg - Saronsberg in Tulbagh with 2300m of climbing.
The first test of the Cape Epic came as no surprise to the
riders. The event has a reputation as one of the hardest mtb stage races in the
world and day 1 did not disappoint. Technical climbs, sketchy descents and
loads of dust were the order of the day. Unfortunately Nico and Gawie had a few
technicals and lost a bit of time to the Team USN who were the leaders in the
African Jersey after stage 01.
“It started well, but we had some mechanicals and had to
stop at both tech zones to sort them out. We lost around 10 minutes, but gained
ground towards the end of the stage” - Nico
“It was a good stage, felt good, but the problems on the day
made it hard work. We still rode well and managed to regain some lost time on
the latter part of the stage” - Gawie
The 100th stage of the Cape Epic took riders over the old
wagon trail and into the Witzenberg Mountains. Riders had to traverse the
mountain twice. Once going up and again on the way down through another very
technical descent. The scenery in the Witzenberg Mountains is unique with its
distinctive sand stone formations and was a great sight to behold.
A great day out for Team NAD Pro MTB taking the stage win in
the African category and finishing in 8th place overall on the day. A hard
fought victory and time gained on the category leaders.
“We did a bit of this route in the Tankwa Trek race a few
weeks ago. I was still struggling with a pinched nerve in my leg. After about
45minutes of riding, my leg just goes numb. We did really well on the day,
gaining 5 minutes on the leading team USN. All together it was a good day for
us” - Nico
“Very dusty. Just super happy to make it out alive and it
was actually a fun day” - Gawie
Stage
03: 104km with 2150m of climbing. The first transition stage for the 2016
edition taking riders from Tulbagh to Wellington.
“It
was a really hard day. Stared with a rocky climb and I really struggled with my
leg. The rocky terrain made it slow going, but we managed to keep in touch with
Waylon and Darren. On a very sandy section, I had a small tumble. A quick
check for bike and body and we carried on. On the next climb, team USN attacked
and they managed to get away. We lost a lot of time on stage 03. The climb up
Bainskloof was tough and overall a really hard day for us. Gawie was a great
team mate and helped pace where he could” - Nico
“This is where the ‘hate’ part of the Epic comes in. It was
a super tough day out and Nico had a small crash, nothing broken, just one of
those things. It was not my favourite day on a bicycle” - Gawie
Troubles and tumbles aside, they still managed a 12th place
finish on the stage, but conceded time in the African Jersey category.
Stage 04: 75km with 1850m of climbing. A day that included
the Welvanpas single tracks, a popular day among the riders. Very steep climbs
and great descents with jumps, bridges and switchbacks for days was the order
of the day. The stage suited the XC riders in the field and they ensured that
the true marathon riders had a hard time. Another 12th place finish for the
team.
“Yeah it was a shorter day, more for the XC riders. We just
hung in there and tried to stay as close as possible to Waylon and Darren. In
the end, I was not able to stay with them in the single track and we lost
around 2 minutes. The best day of the 2016 edition” - Nico
“Short, Punchy, awesome” - Gawie
Stage 05: 93km with 2300m of climbing. Dubbed the Queen
stage, each rider on the start line prepared for what was said to be the
hardest day of the race. Consisting of 5 major climbs and quite a bit of
jeep/dual track, the second transition stage was a hard one for Team NAD.
“Its one of those days where you could make up time. I
struggled in the beginning with a chest infection. We lost the group early on
and had to ride by ourselves for most of the stage. A hard route with many
corners and lots of sand. We managed to get to the finish without any problems
and happy to still be in the race for the African Jersey” - Nico
After stage 05, Team NAD trailed Team USN’s Darren and
Waylon by 20 minutes. A large amount of time, but the epic has a history of
dissolving time gaps when you least expect it. The never say die attitude of
the team kept them going.
Stage 06: Boschendal - Boschendal, 69km with 2100m of
climbing. Another day suited to the XC riders. Sights of the Stellenbosch
vineyards, False Bay and Table Mountain were all visible from the top of the
Simonsberg Climb. Skyfall single track, another popular Western Cape gem
treated riders to a fun descent before headed back to the finish venue at
Boschendal. The nature of the day’s stage meant that time losses were minimal,
but with the injury to Nico’s leg, they still lost around 2 minutes to the USN
pairing and finished 11th on the stage. A consistent effort that kept the second
place in the African Jersey category firmly in their grasp.
Stage 07: The grand finale 86km with only 1200m of climbing
from Stellenbosch to Meerendal.
“Very very hard start, not much climbing, but many flat
sections on the way to Meerendal. We were very strong on the open roads and
managed to bridge the gap to the leading group. On the final climbs up to
Meerendal, the XC racers made their charge for a stage win and at this point we
could not hang onto the group. We finished 11th on the stage, 12th overall and
2nd African Team. This was a big goal for us and we are very happy with our
performance under the circumstances. Thank you to all the sponsors and
supporters who made it possible and came to support us. We appreciate it” -
Nico
“The rain the last two days helped with the trail conditions.
We had a great day on the final day. Very happy to finish on the podium for the
African Jersey. Consistency was key and it paid of in the end” - Gawie
Great work by PCG Client Gawie Combrinck
Coach: Hunter Allen
Coach: Hunter Allen
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