As the temperature climbed in the high 30s at the Absa Cape Epic for the third day in a row, any grumbles about shortening Stage 2 on Tuesday to 62km instead of 102km from Hermanus to Elandskloof near Greyton melted away and was replaced by chatter about the hot racing up front. But for most racers, today was all about recovering and fueling-up from yesterday`s brutal heat.

“Quite a few people underestimate drinking in these extreme conditions”, Olympic Champion Nino Schurter says. “Yesterday, we were one of them when we unfortunately just passed Water point 3 without fueling up. Regeneration and the right nutrition are key to keep the level up and to actually reach the finish line here every day at the Cape Epic.” A must: Recovery drinks, healthy food, carbs, and massages. “We also take a quick ice bath every day to get our blood circulating in the legs.” Additional naps in the afternoon are also key according to Olympic Champion Jenny Rissveds.

The Cape Epic organizers provide food for 1350 racers every day, 35,350 calories throughout the week per athlete. 1 tonne of pasta will be served at the end of the 8 day stage race.

Racing the World`s toughest stage race requires strict discipline with regards to regeneration and nutrition. Check out what Olympic Champion Jenny Rissveds has to say about her experiences at the 2017 Absa Cape Epic.

The shortened distance of today`s stage meant nothing to the elite men’s field as they cranked up the heat on what essentially became a long, fast cross-country course. No surprise, you`ll find almost all of the World Cup Cross-Country Elite Riders in the lead group at this year`s Cape Epic. “It was indeed like a XC race today, very fast and with quite a few attacks. We were some of the first ones who sped up in the first climb and got away with Manuel Fumic and his partner, and distanced the others even more after the long, nice singletrack downhill”, Nino Schurter of SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing says. The second half of the race turned out to be a speedy roller coaster on dusty fire roads. Jaroslav Kulhavy and Christoph Sauser were first in a sprint over the line, with Schurter and Matthias Stirnemann just behind in second. Overall leaders, Manual Fumic and Henrique Avancini finished third on the day, but hold an almost three-minute lead over Sauser and Kulhavy in the race for the 2017 title.

Jenny Rissveds and Thomas Frischknecht managed to extend their lead today in the Mixed Category to 3mins 30secs. Jenny was also the first woman who arrived at today`s stage, even before the UCI Elite women’s teams. Stage 3 is a 78km / 1650m climbing circular route of the area surrounding Greyton and Genadendal that starts and finishes at Elandskloof.

Photos: Jochen Haar, Michal Cerveny, Greg Beadle, Nick Muzik