At the Absa Cape Epic there is fierce competition for a range of jerseys – yellow, orange, red, blue, purple and two shades of green – but there’s a white one that the race hands out that nobody wants.
The white Outcast jersey is given to UCI-registered riders - professionals - if their partner drops out. Outcast riders may not assist other riders or interfere with the outcome of the race: in other words, they keep well away from the racing and quite often ride together in fairly leisurely fashion (well, by their standards) in a group.
This year the Outcast cast has included Norwegian legend Gunn Rita Dahle Flesjå, Swiss speedster Konny Looser, German youngster Simon Stiebjahn, Austrian Herman Pernsteiner, South Africa’s riding star Adriaan Louw and British marathon specialist Sally Bigham. Looser has now donned the white jersey for the second year in a row.
For Stiebjahn losing his Team Bulls teammate Tim Bohme due to a shoulder injury was a big setback. The Germans finished third overall last year and had big hopes for this year. Bohme had to withdraw after Stage 2.
“First you are super disappointed because you can’t race anymore for an overall or kind of result,” said Stiebjahn. "But getting the opportunity to keep on racing gives you the opportunity to work through the disappointment. I also see the jersey as a present … I get the chance to finish the Epic. I gain more experience in the process and get a better knowledge of the local trails which will be useful when I race again.”
South African Louw is participating in his first Epic ever. His teammate Lourens Luus could not finish the second stage because of an ITB injury. “It is a stress free environment,” said Louw. "You get to know the guys you ride with and get to interact with them while riding, but not racing.”
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