Land Rover team ready for Epic race

However, the 12 Land Rover entrants include the most experienced team in the history of the cycling event. These include two of only four riders in the event’s history to have completed all previous races and have acquired the ‘Last Lion’ badge, Last Lion Mike Nixon and Last Lioness Hannele Steyn. Also on the roster is former Proteas cricketer, Gary Kirsten, which will be executing the role of unofficial team captain in the fourth Cape Epic event he is taking part in alongside Andrew Finlayson.

Also taking on the hills is Kyle Brown, a former Springbok Sevens captain and Olympic bronze medalist and Clinton Mackintosh, an Adventure Racing World Series racer and both well known for their achievements in their respective disciplines.  Familiar to team Land Rover is Martin and Jeannie Dreyer which will be teaming up again after completing a combined 13 Cape Epic events. Jeannie has completed a 2300km unsupported Freedom Challenge, 1000km non-stop Munga race and the 36ONE Challenge and is considered a leader in woman’s ultra-endurance mountain biking.

Further bolstering the already impressive team is Oli Munnik and Sithembiso Masango which recently achieved podium finishes in the Wines2Whales race and aims to achieve the same success in the tougher Epic race. While Sithembiso, a product of Dreyer’s Change a Life Academy, is an up and coming cyclist, Oli is a veteran rider with 10 Epics under his belt. They will be joined by Jeremy Thompson and Mboneni Ngcobo which also took part in the Wines2Whales race recently. The former Sharks and Saracens Rugby player, Jeremy, has become a skilled rider, even challenging younger competitors. Again a result of the work done at Martin Dreyer’s Change a Life Academy, Mboneni Ngcobo not only compete in cycling events but also inspire and coach others in his local village.

“Land Rover is proud to have such a capable and star-studded group of riders representing us at the 17th edition of the world’s toughest eight-day mountain bike race. We have some old friends and new faces in the team this year, and the camaraderie is as strong as ever. We look forward to seeing our ladies and gents go above and beyond, and perform with the same spirit as the Land Rover Brand,” Tina Pienaar-Smit, PR and Sponsorship Specialist, Land Rover South Africa. Land Rover is participating in the event in more ways than one as they are also the Official Vehicle and Route Partner for the Absa Cape Epic. Vehicles from the brand were used in the development of the 2020 route which will span an epic 647km distance. Land Rover is also the official sponsor of eight Technical Terrain sections in each of the day’s stages including the event prologue.

To follow the rider’s progress, search for the #UnstoppableSpirit hashtag or head over to @LandRoverZA.