Cycling duo around Nino Schurter on course for victory despite crash

class=”sc-3778e872-0 gWjAEa”>

In terms of prestige, it is the Tour de France of mountain biking: South Africa’s infamous Cape Epic stage race, which is ridden in teams of two. At the 2023 event spanning a brutal 648km with an astonishing 15,475m of elevation gain, Swiss mountain bike star Nino Schurter (36) is on course for his third half-time overall win.

The man from Graubünden forms a duo this year with Scott teammate Andri Frischknecht (28), who harmonize perfectly. Both in the prologue and in the first and second stage, the Swiss invariably finished in second place, since Tuesday they have been wearing the yellow jerseys of the leaders in the general classification.

Comfortable lead over German pursuers

On Wednesday’s third stage – the fourth of eight days of competition – there is a moment of shock. Schurter falls through no fault of an opponent’s driving maneuver and then misses the podium of the day for the first time in fourth place.

But because the first four duos cross the finish line within four seconds, Schurter/Frischknecht remain comfortably in the lead with a lead of 3:12.9 minutes over the German team Georg Egger/Lukas Baum. Thursday’s time trial will probably be decisive.

Schurter won the Cape Epic in 2017 with Lars Forster (29) and in 2019 with Matthias Stirnemann (31).

Will the Rio Olympic champion and ten-time cross-country world champion now triumph for the third time at the South African cycling monument with Frischknecht? Schurter showed in 2017 that he can recover from the Cape Epic ordeal in time for the World Cup season. After his debut win, he had a perfect season with many victories.

Source : Blick