Getting some well-deserved rest

After four hard days of racing at the ABSA Cape Epic over, during which the MERIDA FACTORY RACING Team have managed to secure 3 stage wins and a 40+ minute lead over the 2nd Masters team, today was all about giving the legs a little bit of a respite, without losing too much time and risking any mishaps.

'It was time to reserve our energy today. We have been racing hard over the last four days, and with three big stages still ahead of us, today was the perfect opportunity to take it a little bit easier without running the risk of losing too much time', José Antonio Hermida commented after today's 43km long time trial. He continued, 'We had a great day out on the bike, and while the course was still rough and very steep in places, we certainly had our fun on the singletrack and bike park sections of today's route. Once again, the ONE-TWENTY did a great job on the ups and downs and the extra travel, as well as the stability of the ride, certainly helped our overall goal of today to get a little rest. Purito never enjoyed the TT in his road racing career, but he did a great job of setting the pace for most of today, so maybe we are going to see a comeback of Joaquim 'Purito' Rodríguez as a dedicated time trial rider.'

After today's stage, the MERIDA FACTORY RACING is in 30th position overall and have a lead of 43:12min in the Masters category.

For details on the results, please click here.

For details on how to watch the daily live broadcast, please click here.

If you are keen to see more details on their chosen race bike for the ABSA Cape Epic, then have a look here and check the details of the ONE-TWENTY 9000, which their race bike is based on.