Thirty one year old Flavio Dos Santos Meireles will be Rodriguez' partner in the Absa Cape Epic. Flavio hails from Brazil, and this is the reason why they their team will be known as Tango & Samba. “I invited Flavio because he had the right credentials for completing a tough multi-day stage race. Not only from a physical and technical perspective, but also based on our friendship, mutual respect and psychological tenacity,” comments Rodriguez.
Both Rodriguez and Dos Santos Meireles train six days per week with Mondays being their rest day. They have divided their training into six stages. “The first was full endurance, long distances and hours in the saddle. This was followed by a mixed period with some shorter training and some days of only technical work. We're currently in our final stage which includes very specific workout, a lot of time in the gym and some races in order to get into a rhythm. We only train together during weekends, so try to avoid groups in order to continue the process of getting to know each other and ourselves better, prior to the race,” Rodriguez added.
They plan to arrive in Cape Town three days prior to the prologue of the event in order to adjust. Even though they feel that Sao Paulo and Cape Town are not that different to each other, they know that it is going to be a long trip.
“The Absa Cape Epic is a fantastic experience we're going to face together. We know we're prepared and we have the most important ingredients needed for this kind of challenge. We have experience, physical fitness, are committed and the most important thing - we're fantastic partners and friends,” Rodriguez says.
For those not participating in the full race, there is a call for entries into the one day mountain bike race, the MTN Vigne à Vigne presented by Cape Times. Interested riders can register online at www.vigne-a-vigne.com.
Follow the action along the route and encourage your favourite team. Visit www.cape-epic.com for more details and to see where the riders are online.
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