Ivory and Mullens back up at Cape to Cape
Day 2 of the 2016 Cape to Cape took riders from Hamelin Bay to Xanadu Winery, through 56km of singletrack, back roads and farm trails.
Day two of a stage race can be a hard affair. Waking up to an alarm clock with sore legs and a tired head is typically an indicator that you might have ridden a little beyond your limit on Stage 1… but it seems unlikely many of the elite field felt that way today, as the pace was on at the start of the race, right through to the spring finish at Xanadu Winery.
Starting pointing straight uphill away from the bay, the race was wuickly strung out as we crested the hill and turned left into a final drag before hitting the dirt. The soft sandy soil is a constant source of extra drag, and it was evident who had woken up fresh and fighting fit, and who woke up more than a little fatigued.
Up front, it was Sydney-based Michael Potter of Trek Racing Australia who animated the race.
"At about the 10 kay mark, I went up the road by myself. When we hit the singletrack climb I got brought back but it was a really select group. There were the two Torq boys, Hamo and Tas, Cam Ivory, Craig Cooke, Trekky and Kyle."
"The group rolled all the way to the finish basically. There were a few little attacks coming back in, but they never really got a gap. When we came into the winery, Kyle attacked just as we went through the gates, and I went straight over the top. I was off the front until 500m to go.
"I was hoping I could make it, I felt good. But it was a tough stage." In the end it was Cam Ivory who won the sprint from Brendan Johnston, with Chris Hamilton in 3rd.
"The GC will still be pretty tight. But I'm backing my team mate Trekky for the shoot out tonight. He'll definitely be pushing it from here on."
Close racing in the women's field
The race for the women's title is still super close, with Peta Mullens taking another win today, but with Samara Sheppard right on her wheel. Jenny Blair had a fantastic start t the race, and it looks like she's very quickly finding her racing rhythm again – perhaps we'll see a new stage winner tomorrow?
Jo Bennett also improved today, the Kalamunda based Liv rider finishing stronger than on Stage 1, even though she's only been back training for 11 weeks after some time away from the bike.
"I had a few years off but I got the point where I missed the racing scene, and I guess I'm so competitive I just can't stay away. Coming down here, and catching up with people from over east and local friends… I just love it."
"In 2013 I won the first stage, but I blew up completely in stage 2 – and hated every minute of it. This year, as I'm not at the pointy end, I was able to conserve some energy and felt like I finished strongly."
It's still certainly all to play for at the 2016 Cape to Cape, and tonight's Sundown Shoot Out will be hotly contested for the valuable time bonuses on hand.
