THE BUFF-MEGAMO TEAM TAKES 4TH PLACE IN THE CAPE EPIC, THE TOUGHEST RACE OF THE SEASON.
CAPE EPIC
28 / 03 / 2022
It is well known that the Cape Epic is one of the most important races of the season, but also one of the toughest, in fact, it is the only one classified as hors catégorie by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
The Buff-Megamo team traveled last week to South Africa to ride 700km through wild landscapes and overcome 17,250 meters of vertical ascent. Hans Becking and José Días took the podium in the first two stages, starting the third stage in second place overall. Hugo Drechou and Enrique Morcillo were ranked 14th overall after the longest stage of the Cape Epic, 123km and more than 5 hours cycling.
In the third stage, the podium narrowly escaped Hans and Jose, although they had to go the whole stage against the clock due to two untimely punctures, the couple got the 4th position of the day, while Hugo and Morci continued to cut positions in the overall, obtaining the 12th place. The fourth stage seemed a little easier, but the days were taking their toll and the riders were accumulating more and more fatigue and kilometers in their legs. Hans and José maintained the 4th position, but Morci suffered a bad fall and a breakdown, leaving the couple in 16th place overall. From the fifth stage until the final day, Hans and Jose fought daily to stay at the top of the standings, in the last stage Hans suffered a puncture, but finally the couple got the 4th position overall, certainly a very good result considering the difficulties of this epic test and the constant struggle that made each of the riders.
Hugo and Morci showed their daily effort and their desire to cut positions, but by bad luck, Morci dragged stomach problems for several days, preventing him from leaving in the penultimate stage and leaving the couple out of the overall standings. This has been a great experience for the whole team, each and every one of them have shown great effort and dedication to face a challenge like this. The desire and enthusiasm have not been lacking, they have fought to the end and for this we congratulate them all, knowing that we still have a long season and many more triumphs to celebrate.
Fotos: Gary Perkin | Nick Muzik | Sam Clark | Simon Pocock
