Physical asset management company Pragma, which was nominated as best overall race village service at the 2010 Absa Cape Epic for the Pragma Bike Wash, once again joined forces with the organisers to surpass previous accomplishments and services provided. Pragma is not a bike wash company, but manages over 3.5 million physical assets globally.

The Wheeler – BIXS team, Bärti Bucher and Esther Süss won the Mixed Category again in 4:37.15,6 (overall 5:53.01,6), followed by Erika Kleinhans and Ariane Lüthi in 4:47.26,1 (overall 6:07.33,7). The Swiss team of Daniel Annaheim and Renata Bucher (Baumat / zaboobikes.com) finished in third place in 5:02.38,1 (overall 6:23.08,9).

The Masters Category was again won by the Juwi team made up of Carsten Bresser and Udo Boelts. Their winning time was 4:18.10,8 (overall time 5:30.43,0). They were followed by Robert Sim and Doug Brown of the Robert Daniel team in 4:33.05,2 (overall time 5:46.34,5) with the Nandos team of Adrian Enthoven and Gerrie Beukes in third place in 4:37.16,2 (overall time 5:54.10,5). The Juwi team lead by 15 minutes and 52 seconds.

Eva Lechner and Nathalie Schneitter (team Colnago Arreghini Südtirol) won the Ladies Category for the second day in a row in a time of 5:11.16,6 (overall time 6:31.36,7), ahead of Sally Bigham and Karien Van Jaarsveld (team USN) in a time of 5:13.11,5 (overall 6:39.49,1). Hanlie Booyens and Ischen Stopforth of team Absa aBreast finished in third place in 5:19.13,0 (6:46.48,7). Lechner and Schneitter lead by 8 minutes and 12 seconds.

The Men’s Category for Stage 1 was won for the second consecutive day by the South African / Swiss team of Burry Stander and Christoph Sauser (team 36ONE Songo Specialized) in a time of 3:52.13,9 (overall time 4:54.54,6). They were followed by Urs Huber and Konny Looser of the Stöckli Pro team in 3:53.15,5 (overall time 4:58.17,3) with the Bulls 2 team Tim Böhme and Thomas Dietsch in third place in 3:54.25,1 (overall time 4:59.49,4). In fourth place was the Bulls team of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm (3:56.02,4; overall time 5:00.38,0) with Hannes Genze and Jochen Käss of Multivan Merida Biking in fifth place (3:56.02,8; overall time 5:00.25,7). Last year’s winners Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm are now in fifth position overall, with Sauser and Stander leading them by 5 minutes and 43 seconds.

One of the most prolific mountain bikers in the history of the sport in South Africa, Kevin Evans, is out of the race. He and team mate David George were one of the favourite teams to take top honours in this year’s event. Evans’ brakes failed on the second steep descent of the day as he was going down at top speed and he had to pick a landing spot as he couldn’t slow down.

The Men’s Category for the prologue was won by the South African / Swiss team of Burry Stander and Christoph Sauser (team 36ONE Songo Specialized) in a time of 1:02.40,7. They were followed by Hannes Genze and Jochen Käss of the Multivan Merida Biking team (1:04.22,9) with the Bulls team and 3-times winners of the Absa Cape Epic, Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm in third place (1:04.35,6). In fourth place was the South African 360LIFE team Kevin Evans and David George (1:04.50,5) with José Hermida and Ralph Näf in fifth place (1:04.53,0).

The Absa Cape Epic made history today with the first ever live broadcast of the event on SuperSport. It was also a world first for a live broadcast of a multiple stage mountain bike team race. SuperSport has backed the Absa Cape Epic since its inception and will again broadcast live at the final stage of the race. There will also be a live broadcast on SuperCycling on Tuesday, 29 March. The Absa Cape Epic is broadcast in 175 countries, so keep an eye on the broadcast schedules in your area.

Blind adventurer and motivational speaker Hein Wagner is participating in this year’s Absa Cape Epic with experienced cyclist Gerrie Olivier as Team Pragma Beyond Vision. Visually impaired Brazilian Adauto Belli (40), a security and sniff dog trainer and multisport enthusiast, is the second blind participant taking part in this year’s event with experienced rider Mario Roma. It will be the first time in history that blind riders will participate in this extreme endurance event.

To reward mountain bikers that return each year to ride the Absa Cape Epic, adidas and organisers of the event created a loyalty programme. Riders who have completed the Magical and Untamed African Mountain Bike Race three times are awarded membership to adidas Amabubesi – the Absa Cape Epic Finisher Club.

Riders from around the world who invested in the pre-event package which included hotel accommodation and sightseeing trips, were treated to the 13km Freedom Ride on Robben Island with celebrities, media, sponsors and VIP’s, a visit to Nelson Mandela’s prison cell on the island, as well as the now famous ‘Around the World’ party. The party was held at Primi Piatti and guests dressed up in outfits which represented their country of origin.

World class athletes Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander team up for their fourth consecutive Absa Cape Epic and are ready for this year's exciting race thanks to the challenging new route.

With the Absa Cape Epic just days away, carbo-loading is essential for riders wishing to keep their strength and energy at optimum levels. Woolworths provides you with some helpful tips on carbo-loading.

Cape Union Mart, the official outdoor retailer of the Absa Cape Epic, offer a variety of products to riders to make sure that they get a good night's rest and that they are ready for the days ahead. 

Andrew McLean, two-time Absa Cape Epic Masters Category champion, who has been suffering from an iron deficiency since the 2010 edition of the race, has ruled himself out of the race to defend the coveted title.