NEW TEAMS, NEW RULES
FRESH KIT RULES
ew Absa Cape Epic
partnerships are
always interesting.
Will an established
campaigner
suddenly perform
beyond expectations when
paired with a new partner?
How will their personalities
and riding styles gel over eight
days? Riders love to say that
riding with a new partner is
easy, because they are both
professionals. But we have
seen it go spectacularly
wrong all too often to believe
them. Most of the elite riders
share a camper van with their
teammate for the duration
of the race, after all. So if
relationships deteriorate, they
tend to become toxic fast.
58 | MTB | The Untamed African MTB Race
PAIRING UP IN 2019
With a number of new match-
ups racing for outright victory,
the most interesting is the
Bulls combo of Alban Lakata
and Karl Platt. A five-time Absa
Cape Epic champion, Platt has
been racing for Bulls since the
team’s inception in 2007. He
has faced off against Lakata
in 10 of his 15 Absa Cape Epic
starts. Their on-the-bike
rivalry runs near as deep as
the famous Platt/Sauser battle,
so teaming up for 2019 should
provide an interesting sub-plot
to their performances. Platt’s
switch to Lakata as a partner
has freed up Urs Huber (nine
race starts, 2016 winner and
two podium finishes) to race
with Simon Stiebjahn (six race
The ever shifting pro team rosters in the Absa Cape Epic,
along with a subtle change in the rules, has created a
unique environment for 2019. Old rivals have become
teammates, seemingly unlikely partners have been drawn
together and juniors are now stepping up as seniors.