GRAND
CHAMPIONS
When the Grand Masters category (teams with riders
over 50 years old) was introduced to the Absa Cape Epic
in 2013, it immediately became clear that it was going
to be highly competitive… and fast.
I
n 2018 the top two Grand Masters teams fi nished in the top 50 of an
incredibly strong fi eld, and over the years the category has attracted
some of the world’s premier age-group athletes. This year it will see the
category debut of a man with one of the greatest pedigrees in mountain biking
– former Olympic gold medallist, world champion, World Cup series winner and
2005 Absa Cape Epic winner, Bart Brentjens of the Netherlands.
He describes the Cape Epic as the “best race in the world” and his pedigree
in it is pretty impressive too: he won the Dimension Data Masters category four
times. Three of those wins were secured in partnership with Brazilian Abraao
Azevedo (Team CST Sandd American Eagle).
Bärti
Bucher
With Azevedo also qualifying for the
Grand Masters category this year, the
pair will team up again – and look like
they will be very diffi cult to beat.
Their main challengers are likely to
be the Swiss pairing of Hans Juerg
Gerber and Bärti Bucher (who
fi nished second in 2018). Bucher has
won the category three times over
the years after previously winning the
Dimension Data Masters and Virgin
Active Mixed categories.
Brentjens remains super hungry for
racing success: “We would like to win
Grand Masters for the fi rst time,” he
says. “I don’t know if I can repeat that
four times, like in Masters, but I like the
idea. Abraao and I know each other
pretty well after doing more than 100
stages together. We respect each
other and we know that we will do
our best each time we race together,”
says the Dutchman. He adds that the
diminutive Abraao “is a good climber
and I’m a bit stronger on the fl ats”.
WINNING GRAND
MASTERS TROPHY
“It’s so good to see that many ‘old’
roadies and mountain bikers still like
to compete on a higher level and this
drives me too. Especially if you share
it with a partner,” he adds. This will be
Brentjens’ 14th Absa Cape Epic. What
motivates him to keep coming back?
“As a team manager (of CST Sandd
American Eagle), I bring in a men’s
elite team. As a rider, it’s my main
sporting goal every year. For me it’s
the best race in the world – the riders,
the concept, the media attention, the
trails, the organisation, the facilities,
the part of the world, the weather, the
people… and so much more.”
Whatever the case, Brentjens and
Azevedo’s presence in the Grand
Masters category will add fresh
interest to what has become a hard
fought contest.
Bart Brentjens
Sculptor Guy du Toit’s inspiration
when creating this trophy was to
envelop himself in the ethos and
experience of riders over 50 years
old: mastery, wisdom, dignity,
intellect and inner strength. The
trophy is a wheel or a circle with
a cycle spoor running deep on
the outside, with a texture that
celebrates the Western Cape
landscape. The choice of the circle
was informed by the fact that
the dot is one of the most potent
design elements and is endless,
suggestive of the Grand Masters'
journey. The circle functions
as a lens, looking both back at
that which has gone before and
forward to what is to come.
the untamed African MTB race | MTB | 103