Topeak – Ergon’s pair speak about their Cape Epic final win: “It was an extreme challenge, but we managed to hold on till the end. Thanks also to our Exteme Tech MTB Plus.”
Some days have passed since Topeak-Ergon’s Robert Mennen and Kristian Hynek achieved the final success at Absa Cape Epic, in South-Africa, one of the most prestigious, spectacular and demanding stage race in Mountain bike; yet, the memories are very much alive in their mind. Northwave also participated to this success, having supported the pair – as well as all Topeak-Ergon’s riders – with top-range Extreme Tech MTB Plus shoes.
“In such a race, you can’t say you did it until the end – German Robert Mennen said – it is such a hard challenge, as circumstances can hold you back at any second, and it was a huge joy when we could finally raise our arms.”
“We worked through several issues ourselves, – Czech Kristian Hynek continued – on two occasions, Centurion-Vaude’s guys handed us their wheels after punctures, and without that we probably wouldn’t have celebrated this fantastic win.”
Robert Mennen and Kristian Hynek in action at the 11th Cape Epic
The second stage gave Mennen and Hynek full confidence in their chances for the big goal: “We knew we were strong, and in the race for a podium, then after winning stage 2 we realized we had a chance to win it all. We took over the leaders’ jersey and locked it till the end.”
On their way through dirt and mud, Mennen and Hynek found valuable partners in their Northwave Extreme Tech MTB Plus, the lightest MTB shoes on the market with only 280 gr. Ultralight MTB sole, build in extra-thin carbon, the Biomap construction technology to provide a perfect fit and optimal power transmission, and the innovative SLW2 (Speed Lace Winch 2) closure mechanism , allowing cyclists to easily tune their fit step-by-step even while riding: these are the main characteristics that make Extreme Tech MTB Plus the perfect shoes for… Extreme challenges. Just like Cape Epic.
“I have been racing with Northwave for several years now,” Mennen told, “but Extreme Tech MTB Plus really is a huge step forward: they are cool, incredibly light, with the right stiffness and ideal power transmission. I was impressed with the closure system: it is very easy to regulate it in action, and with the utter precision, and the pressure on different areas of the feet is perfectly balanced too: they might look like tiny details, but – believe me – they aren’t.”
On his side, Hynek was impressed by new SLW2 as well: “Extreme Tech MTB Plus are everything an athlete can ask for to give his best. This is my first year with Northwave, and I was delighted with the closure system: for the first time, mud did not cause any functioning issue, as it often got stuck with other shoes I used in the past. In a race like this, it is not fringe at all!”
The next international event for Mennen and Hynek will be the Bike Festival in Riva del Garda, Italy: “Before of that, we would love to visit Northwave, to see the factory and say thank you, as they contributed to this beautiful win.”
Onigo di Pederobba (Italy), April 11th, 2014
