Participating in the Absa Cape Epic for the first time, Norwegian marathon mountain biker and multiple World Champion cyclist Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå on Thursday credited Sasol for providing her with the incentive to take part in the international race.

Flesjå was speaking at the launch of the 12^th Absa Cape Epic at the V&A Waterfront, in Cape Town.

Sasol is one of three headline sponsors of the Cape Epic. As part of its sponsorship, the company has increased the prize money for the women’s category once again this year to equal that of the men’s. This is in line with Sasol’s commitment to women empowerment and to breaking gender barriers in sports and in business. The move has been described as progressive, as sporting codes around the world tend to generally offer a lower prize for women competitors.

“I’m really grateful to the organisation for taking the step to equal the women’s prize money,” said Flesjå.

“(Sasol) should be proud that they stepped up to this. The organisation should be an encouragement to other big organisations,” she added.

Described as the Tour de France of mountain biking, the Cape Epic is the largest fully-supported multi-stage mountain bike race in the world. Contestants cover approximately 800 kilometres and climb 16,000 metres over the scenic Western Cape terrain in eight days. An estimated 1,200 cyclists are expected to participate in the race this year. The Cape Epic is unique in that professionals pair with amateurs to vie for the prize money.

“Sasol believes in the inherent talent of women across all spheres of business as well as sports,” said Wrenelle Stander, Sasol Senior Vice President for Public Affairs.

“This is one of the reasons we have initiatives such as Women in Mining and the Women’s Network on the business front, and have also been a proud sponsor of Banyana Banyana. We believe in breaking down gender barriers and support initiatives that provide sustainable equal opportunities for all.”

Other women cyclists who lauded Sasol’s promotion of women’s participation of in the Cape Epic were Esther Suss of Switzerland and England’s pro-cyclist Sally Bigham.

“The increase in the women’s prize money has definitely increased the profile (of the race) for women cyclists,” said Bigham. “It also recognises that as women cyclists we need to make a living from what we do.”

In addition to Sasol sponsoring the prize purse for the women’s category, Sasol will be represented by women pro teams at the race, who are a combination of talent and strong technical capabilities. The teams comprise Yolande de Villiers, South African champion for Marathon Mountain biking and road cycling in the 40-44 years age category, who will be riding with Slovakian Olympic gold medallist, Janka Stevkova. Five time Cape Epic entrant Leana de Jager will be racing with Yolandi du Toit, who is an accomplished cyclist.

De Villiers is hoping for a podium finish.

“I think it is going to be a really exciting race,” she said. “The prize money is one of the best things that Sasol could have done for the race. I’m really excited to be participating once again this year.”

The ABSA Cape Epic takes place in the Western Cape from 15-22 March 2015. The race commences at the University of Cape Town, travelling through Oak Valley Wine Estate in Elgin, HTS Drostdy in Worcester and Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Wellington, concluding at the Meerendal Wine Estate in Durbanville.

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