Proudly African bank, Absa partnered with world-renowned cyclist Nicholas Dlamini to take on the world’s most prestigious mountain bike stage race - the Absa Cape Epic.
The 26-year-old from Capricorn Park in Cape Town is the first black South African cyclist to ride in the 2021 Tour de France and was selected to represent South Africa at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Nicholas’ dream is to finish Tour de France one day and the partnership with Absa aims to bring him one step closer to realising his dream.
As Dlamini made his first foray into the sport, he partnered with well-known South African mountain biker, Oliver Munnik, leaning heavily on the veteran’s technical and mechanical skills for the event. Both Dlamini and Munnik are twins respectively and Absa was named ‘Team Absa Amawele’, which means twins in isiXhosa.
Follow the Amawele's Cape Epic journey by watching Absa's 6-part video series that delves into what makes each rider tick, their expectations of the Absa Cape Epic and how they conquered this gruelling challenge to finish 29th overall.
Team Absa Amawele: Teaser
Team Absa Amawele: Episode 1
Team Absa Amawele: Episode 2
Team Absa Amawele: Episode 3
Team Absa Amawele: Episode 4
Team Absa Amawele: Episode 5
Team Absa Amawele: Episode 6
Team Absa Amawele: Santa Cruz Blur CC
The pair conquered the extremely demanding route on a pair of Santa Cruz Blur CC dual suspension mountain bikes. Santa Cruz Brand Manager, Sam Bull said "it's no secret that the Absa Cape Epic is a major test for both rider and equipment, and we are proud to have partnered with this exciting pairing at the world's toughest MTB race. The 2022 route was especially rugged and the Blurs came into their own as Nic and Oli negotiated the testing terrain."
See more on the Santa Cruz Blur HERE
