Source: press release
Cavarzere (Ve) February 20 - There is about a month left for the hardest and most prestigious mountain bike stage race in the world. The eleventh edition of the Absa Cape Epic will start on March 23 to end on 30, they will travel in total 718 kilometers with 14.850 meters of elevation gain, passing through the South African towns of Robertson, Greyton and Elgin, to finish in Lourensford, in the Wine Estate.
Last year the Torpado couple, formed by the two-time world champion Roel Paulissen and Yader Zoli, finished tenth overall and first among the Italian teams. This year, it will be the former prof Riccardo Chiarini to flank Roel Paulissenin the not easy undertaking, of completing the hard race where the unexpected is the order of the day.
The former professor of Androni toys is not new to mountain biking: "I have always used the mountain bike in my winter training and since 2010 I have a Torpado with which I have participated in several races - says Chiarini - Was my friendship with Yader to take me to the Torpado Factory Team. With the closure of some big professional teams and the generalized crisis, I was not reconfirmed, despite a verbal agreement. I was very disheartened by this until Yader, whom I will never stop thanking, made me the offer to turn the page, which I gladly accepted. I really want to clarify that this decision is not, and is not meant to be a parenthesis, but a new chapter in my life that I will try to write as best I can. Now I have new stimuli and a great desire to learn and I am sure, with good teachers like my teammates, I can still give a lot. For the Cape Epic I'm preparing on the road, trying to spend many hours in the saddle for several days, and on the off-road for the technical part. I often go out with Yader to learn all the secrets of mountain biking and, shortly, I will start a training phase with Paulissen of which I have a lot of respect and I can't wait to get to know".
For its part, Roel Paulissen, after having won the African stage race twice, he knows how to best prepare himself. Roel, after retiring in Gran Canaria, is now in Spain where he will remain until the first week of March. Roel also trains a lot on the road with bikes Fondriest TFZero waiting for new prototype of the Nearco S 27,5 ”fullsuspended with which both riders will compete at the Cape Epic.
