2009 ABSA Cape Epic: reigning World Champion Sauser teams up with SA’s Under 23 World Cup Champion Stander for second year in a row
EXCITING AND FAST RACE PREDICTED FOR 2009 ABSA CAPE EPIC WITH ITS CHALLENGING NEW ROUTE
Christoph Sauser, the reigning Cross Country World Champion and double World Cup Overall Champion with sixteen World Cup wins behind his name, has confirmed his participation in this year’s Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas. The event, which is in its sixth year, will take place from 21 to 28 March 2009.
Sauser will again (as he did last year) team up with Burry Stander, South Africa’s most talented young mountain bike star, to ride the prologue and the seven stages of the magical and untamed African mountain bike race.
The dramatic new route of the event will be as challenging as previous years. The race, the biggest of its kind in the world, will offer both local and international mountain biking enthusiasts the opportunity to participate in an eight day mountain bike race of 685 km up approximately 14 663m of climbing, which again finishes at its traditional Lourensford Wine Estate finish.
One of the most famous natural landmarks in Africa, Table Mountain, marks the beginning of the pioneering, tough and breathtaking mountain bike race. This will be the first time in the race’s history that the event will not start in Knysna. Following Table Mountain, the race then transfers into the Overberg region in search of the most exciting, beautiful and challenging routes
Sauser, who has been racing professionally since 1993, won the 2006 Absa Cape Epic with fellow Swiss rider Silvio Bundi. It will be the second year in a row that he races with Stander as team Songo.info.
Sauser lives in the mountain village of Sigriswil in the Alps in Switzerland, and spends at least 2 months training in Stellenbosch each year, states: “It’s the perfect place to live as it offers good road as well as mountain bike routes. I’m away for more than half the year, during which I live out of my travelling bag, so it’s always good to return home.”
Twenty one year-old Stander, who lives and trains in Port Shepstone, Kwazulu-Natal, is the current South African Under 23 cross-country mountain biking champion – a title he has won six times in different age groups. He also finished second in the Under 23 World Championship, second overall in the World Cup Andorra, 5th overall in the World Cup Series and 15th at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Responding to the question on how it came about that he and Sauser are riding together again, Stander jokingly answered that their other team mate, American Todd Wells did not want to ride, “so I had no choice’. Commenting on his injury during stage 3 of last year’s Epic which led to the withdrawal of his team, Stander says that he is grateful for what happened. “I now know how to avoid something similar from happening in the future.” His training includes the basic base phase over the summer with more focus on speed and stamina as he gets closer to racing season. His diet is also not too strict, but he tries not to eat too much junk food.
Sauser’s reply to the question of racing with Stander again is simply: “I like mountain bike stage racing, especially in South Africa which has become my second home. The race is extremely well organised, and the racing level high! During the race there is a lot of hype and some rivalry builds up between the top contenders. To then finish as the strongest team overall, is awesome. Burry is an all or nothing rider, and I like that attitude! And he’s a very nice guy, with the potential to win!” Commenting on Stander’s injury last year, he said that he knew there was no way they could keep going. “Burry wouldn’t have let me down. So all you can do is to accept it! I’m very pleased that he’s knee is fine and that he had a great season.”
Sauser adds: “There’s no magic secret to training for the Epic. I’m my own coach and I’m a pretty tough guy when it comes to racing. I see that I do lot of good quality workouts and not so much base training. Our racing is two hours and for that you need to be explosive. The longer distances I have in my blood and I don’t need to train for much, although it’s nice to do a longer ride here and there. The difficult thing for me is the intervals. I’m generally a healthy eater and try not to stress my digestion system when I’m training hard. I love to have a cold draft beer after a ride, though!”
According to Stander: “I’m very excited about this year’s Epic. I think the most important ingredients to win this race are a good support team, a strong partner to tow you and a positive mindset. My driving force is that I want to do better each time I race.” He would also like to bring home the U/23 World Championship Gold Medal this year.
Sauser adds that you need a steady race every day, no major mechanical issues and a great team. “Plus being awake 1 minute before the alarm goes off in the early mornings!”
With regards to the new route of this year’s Absa Cape Epic, he says: “I like change, and I bet it will be great to have a couple of days at some of the venues. The new route setups will be bigger and better, giving the public better access. On the other hand, it was cool to start in Knysna also and travelling across the Western Cape. Ask me again after the race.”
In his free time Stander enjoys spending time with his girlfriend. “Although, at the moment I have very little free time.”
Sauser enjoys skiing in the winter. “During the summer and autumn season I spend lots of time free riding with my specialised Enduro or Stumpjumper and only my backpack, going from hotel to hotel. This is the best time of year to spend time on a bike. After sport I really like spending time in coffee shops with friends.” His ambitions for 2009? “Defending my world champ title in Australia, and winning the World Cup overall for the third time.”
Says Kevin Vermaak, founder and director of the Absa Cape Epic: “The Absa Cape Epic has become an institution on the global mountain biking calendar. As the largest full service, mountain bike stage race in the world and the first and only mountain bike stage race to be classified HC (hors categorie) by the UCI, the race annually hosts the world’s most accomplished and legendary mountain bike riders.
“All eyes will be on the Western Cape as the world’s top riders vie for a position in what is billed to be the most competitive mountain bike stage race on the international racing programme for 2009,” Vermaak concludes.
For those not participating in the full race, there is a call for entries into the one day mountain bike race, the MTN Vigne à Vigne presented by Cape Times. Interested riders can register online at www.vigne-a-vigne.com.
Follow the action along the route and encourage your favourite team. Visit www.cape-epic.com for more details and to see where the riders are online.
For more info on Christoph Sauser, please visit his website at www.sauserwind.com.
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