Olympic champ Kulhavy to join Specialized Cape Epic team
Originally posted on January 22, 2013 at 14:31 pm
Jaroslav Kulhavy on his way to Olympic gold in London.
Specialized has confirmed that returning champion Christoph Sauser will be partnering up with 2012 Olympic XC mountain bike gold medal winner Jaroslav Kulhavy to race the ABSA Cape-Epic. The pair will be riding in memory of Burry Stander, Christoph’s teammate last year. Stander was hit by a car and killed while riding his bike in South Africa in early January.
“Nobody can replace Burry, because we all have individual personalities! I am so fortunate that Jaro can fill in the big gap for Burry at the ABSA Cape-Epic” said Sauser in a statement. “We cannot wait to race our hearts out for Burry, his family, friends, his foundation Songo and ourselves too. It will be my most emotional ABSA Cape-Epic ever.”
This will be Kulhavy’s first appearance at the legendary eight-day stage race across South Africa. Sauser and Stander won the Cape Epic together in 2011 and 2012, while Sauser has clamined UCI World Cup overall wins in 2004 and 2005 and was the 2008 World Champion. Kulhavy was also the 2011 World Champion.
Sauser and Stander won the Cape Epic together twice.