He may be officially a “pensioner”, but Jose Hermida, one of the most popular riders to ever ride the Absa Cape Epic, has confirmed he will return in 2018 and will go the only way he knows: “full gasssss”.
Hermida, famed for his ready wit and infectious laugh, will line up for his ninth Absa Cape Epic with fellow Spaniard and “pensioner” Joaquim “Purito” Rodriguez, who lit up the road racing circuit for over 16 years, winning 14 Grand Tour stages, including three at the Tour de France. The two rode the Epic together for the first time last year after making a late decision to compete. They still finished 18th overall despite Rodriguez only taking up mountain biking two months before the race.
“This year we are super positive and feel well prepared,” said Hermida. “Especially Purito has gained lots of MTB experience since the 2017 event and we had many opportunities to ride and train together. Of course, we both attend lots of non-racing events (Purito even more than me) for our ‘day jobs’ but we still managed to improve our skills and fitness levels and can’t wait to put that into practice. Besides that, we always have fun riding and training together and we understand each other perfectly. It helps a lot to share a love for competition and being really close friends on and off the bike.”
Their day jobs entail working for Merida, the bicycle manufacturer who have backed Hermida for most of his career, and they will take part in the Absa Cape Epic as Merida Factory Racing. Their jobs are described as being a mix of brand ambassador, product tester and adviser to the Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team who will compete on the World Tour this year. While the pair do not race as much as they did after announcing their official retirements, the competitive spirit runs strongly in them and their fledgling team in 2017 has become a little more serious, but just a little. Nothing ever seems too serious around Hermida, the 2010 XCO World Champion and 2004 Olympic silver medallist. While they may have come into the 2017 race to have some fun, they ended up taking top 10 spots on two stages.
“We are taking part in the Elite Men's category, so our ‘target’ will be to stay with the top riders,” said Hermida. “2017 was an amazing Absa Cape Epic for us but due to being ‘one year wiser’ we should be fighting for top 10 positions and we have clear intentions to reduce the time gaps to the podium even further. Our tactics will be as always ‘Full gasssss’.”
The two have been friends for many years, turning professional in the same year, 2001, before their cycling journeys took different paths. They will prepare for the race by riding in the Andalucía Bike Race as they did in 2017. It is hoped that Absa Cape Epic riders and guests will be able to look forward to Hermida’s once-regular and hilarious reports on the day’s riding, which were given on the stage at in the dining tent. They became one of the most anticipated parts of the post-race presentation and, like Hermida, an institution at the Absa Cape Epic.
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