TUSSLE
FOR GREEN
The Virgin Active Mixed category sees a fascinating blend
of youth and experience, race debutants and vast Cape
Epic knowledge lining up to contest the Green Jerseys.
We are happy to speculate, but only time will tell who will
be victorious coming into Val de Vie on 24 March.
T
Among the favourites for Virgin
Active Mixed category glory in 2019
are teams from each camp. The pair
representing youth and experience
are Oscar Freire and Natalia Fischer
Egusquiza for MMR Mixed.
The 42-year-old Freire is a three-
time road world champ – a record
he holds with Alfredo Binda, Rick
Van Steenbergen, Peter Sagan and
Eddy Merckx – and brings 15 years of
racing experience at the very highest
level. Though he will be making
his Cape Epic debut, he is a hot
favourite – and both George Hincapie
and Cadel Evans have proved that
winning a category title is possible on
a fi rst attempt.
Freire is part of the 135-rider-strong
Spanish contingent and is unlikely
to be surprised by anything the race
throws at him. He will also have the
advantage of being partnered by pro
mountain biker, Fischer Egusquiza,
who rides for MMR Factory Team.
The 25-year-old Fischer Egusquiza
100 | MTB | The Untamed African MTB Race
WINNING MIXED
CATEGORY TROPHY
Sculptor Rina Stutzer found
inspiration for the creation of the
Mixed Category trophy through
her personal relationship with
the Absa Cape Epic. The design
focuses on the ascent, an aspect
that, for many, is the essence of
the race. The climb challenges
the riders and takes them on a
journey of self-discovery and
mutual awareness. The Virgin
Active Mixed category teams
must strive for the perfect
balance and harmony between
mental and physical strengths
and weaknesses. Stutzer’s trophy
depicts the poetic beauty of a
winding, steep incline with a thin
sliver of a path dotted with riders
winding their way to the top.
has proved a multi-disciplinary talent;
having raced on the road, in duathlon
and triathlon, in addition to her
budding mountain biking career. She
has shown she’s particularly adept at
the marathon distance; claiming the
2017 and 2018 Spanish XCM national
titles while fi nishing 19th in the world
XCM champs last year.
South African eyes, however,
will be on the team representing
married couples – the country’s ultra-
endurance sporting king and queen,
Martin and Jeannie Dreyer.
Would you be able to survive eight
days on your bike with your spouse?
For the Dreyers it’s like a second
honeymoon. Or rather a third, as they
will have completed the Dusi Canoe
Marathon in a K2 by the time they
line up for their sixth and seventh
Absa Cape Epic attempts this year.
This will be their fi rst year racing
the Epic together, as team Above
And Beyond. The team name is a
fi tting homage to their sponsors, the
Absa Cape Epic’s vehicle and route
partner, Land Rover, and their own
indomitable spirit. If you’re part of
a married mixed team, take their
advice. Martin says, “We push each
other’s buttons in a good way and
don’t allow negativity to creep in.
The nature of the Cape Epic means
one rider is always hurting more than
the other.” Which is where knowing
your partner and being sympathetic
when needed plays an important role.
Jeannie smiles, “I think we’re at the
stage where we’re not intentionally
going to race it … but with Martin
there is no holding back.”
Freire and Fischer Egusquiza and
C
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CM
MY
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he Virgin Active Mixed category traditionally provides two kinds of
competitive teams. There are the husband and wife combinations who
race for glory and forge tighter bonds in the process (in 2019 there are
13 such teams). Then there teams comprising a younger female partner and an
older, more experienced, male partner. In the latter pairing, the women are often
being given an introduction to the race, a less stressful debut in the world’s
biggest mountain bike stage race than diving straight into the UCI fi eld.