The duo was relieved to cross the finish line after experiencing a series of technical difficulties and physical exhaustion during the eight day mountain bike stage race.Stage six, which took place on Saturday 2 April, was the most testing day. A sigh of relief came from the crowd as Wagner and Olivier made their way down the last slope to the finish line of this stage.
“I thought this was going to be difficult but it was probably a million times more difficult than I could’ve ever anticipated it to be. By water point two I was sobbing like a child. It was a hard day,” Wagner says of yesterday’s stage. Olivier, who has been the eyes of their team for the last eight days, adds, “It was a really hard day with 2 750 metres of climbing. We had to count every single ounce of energy we had. It was tougher than nails. The word exhausted is the best way to describe us.”
Despite this, team Pragma Beyond Vision persevered and finished the final stage in a time of 4 hours 37 minutes and 26,7 seconds, making their overall time 51 hours 57 minutes and 4 seconds. After receiving their participatory medals on stage in front of an admiring crowd, Olivier says, “With such a lot of climbing it’s really one heck of an achievement. It’s definitely the biggest thing that I’ve ever taken on in my life and the thing I’m the most proud of. Hein was an inspiration and having him at the back of our bicycle just added to our achievement.”
Wagner, who has been an inspiration for so many cyclists in this year’s race, adds: “It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done. It was very tough. It was so good that I don’t think I need to come back for more. It was eight days of real bonding, our team shaped so well, Gerrie piloting the bike, Andre and Alwyn, the support team, my wife, Gerrie’s wife, and just all the guys that were in the team, it was magical. It wasn’t as hard as nails, it was tougher than that.” He concluded by saying: “I’m overwhelmed with emotion, like Gerrie said it’s too good to be true. It really is the most incredible feeling to have done the Absa Cape Epic.”
