Between 17 and 24 March, Team Honeycomb took part in the 20th edition of the Absa Cape Epic. The Untamed African Mountain Bike Stage Race saw 1200 racers traverse 617 km over 8 days in the beautiful Western Cape in South Africa.
Marc Pritzen (@marc_pritzen_114) and Tristan Nortje (@_tristannortje_) started strong with an 8th place finish in the Prologue and an impressive 6th place finish in Stage 1, emerging as the leading South African team. However, adversity struck with an unfortunate double puncture during Stage 2, hindering their momentum. They finished Stage 2 in 21st place, but worked hard during Stage 3 to make up time, finishing in 17th spot.
Due to extreme temperatures, the Stage 4 route was adjusted and shortened from 88 km down to 73 km, and the elevation gain reduced from 3000m to 2550m. During this stage, Marc unfortunately had to pull out of the race due to health concerns. Nonetheless, Tristan’s unwavering spirit shone as he continued through the race and achieved some remarkable individual finishes in the remaining stages.
Team Honeycomb’s efforts yielded an impressive finishing time of 26:48:05. Tristan ended the race with the 3rd quickest time as an individual finisher. Their final time would have put them into 9th place had they been eligible for rankings – a clear sign of the great things to come from this team.
Stage results and Finishing Times
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