[I-am-Specialized]

<p>Burry Stander and Christoph Sauser (36ONE-SONGO-SPECIALIZED) took another stage win and one step closer to overall victory in the Cape Epic.</p><p>
</p><p>
Stander and Sauser won the fifth stage of this eight day mountain bike stage race over 143km from Worcester to Oak Valley in 5 hours, 19 minutes and 30 seconds. Their overall lead with only two stages left is 8 minutes and 8 seconds over the Germans Hannes Genze and Jochen</p><p>
Kaess.</p><p>
</p><p>
This was the fifth time they crossed the finish line first this year. It was Sauser’s 20th stage victory and Stander’s 14th overall. Even though it was the longest stage in this year’s Epic, it wasn’t the hardest and the first 100km or so was not very fast or hard. It was only when the big climb of the day up Groenlandberg started, that things got serious.</p><p>
</p><p>
“Everybody was relaxed in the bunch and I think that is a sign of fatigue setting in. The race started with the climb up Groenlandberg,” said Stander.</p><p>
</p><p>
“Luckily we had the legs and we are very happy with another stage win.”</p><p>
</p><p>
Even though they don’t want to talk about an overall victory as a certainty at this stage, it seems unavoidable that the Swiss and South African will win this year’s Epic.</p><p>
</p><p>
They will dethrone defending champions Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm from Germany.</p><p>
</p><p>
“I’m not sure that it is a case of the Bulls (Platt and Sahm) being slower this year. We are riding more conservative and all the bad luck that hampered us in previous years stayed away thus far. At the moment it is all down to leg power,” Stander said.</p><p>
</p><p>
Saturday’s penultimate stage is on Oak Valley over 119 km.</p>

More...