MOUNTAIN BIKING
Rivalry, repairs and racing in Epic’s first stage
On day two, the Absa Cape Epic took another, not entirely unexpected, turn as Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini won a bunch sprint to take the first stage and claim the men’s leader jersey on the fields of the Arabella Wine Estate on a day that saw both the defending champions give up their titles. The Cannondale Factory Team pair held off the charge of two-time champion Jaroslav Kulhavy and Howard Grotts (Investec-Songo-Specialized), with whom they had changed the face of the race after a strong break that saw the yellow jersey taken away from prologue winners Nicola Rohrbach and his team-mate Daniel Geismayr (Centurion Vaude). "Today was such a good day for us. We worked well with the Investec-Songo-Specialized guys and never went over our limit, which is good," said Brazilian Avancini. "We attacked on the Land Rover Technical section and got away, then Jaro and Howie joined us and we rode strongly to open the gap." Cannondale and Specialized were six minutes ahead of the chasing...
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