{"id":232583,"date":"2026-03-10T23:57:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T23:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/10\/leadville-champion-melisa-rollins-withdraws-from-cape-epic-due-to-injury\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T23:57:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T23:57:30","slug":"leadville-champion-melisa-rollins-withdraws-from-cape-epic-due-to-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/10\/leadville-champion-melisa-rollins-withdraws-from-cape-epic-due-to-injury\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadville champion Melisa Rollins withdraws from Cape Epic due to injury"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"e7d09f58-ad12-4358-b357-d1cdfc32ec07\">2024 Leadville Trail 100 MTB winner <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/leadville-winner-melisa-rollins-starts-year-at-radl-grvl-with-completely-new-everything\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/leadville-winner-melisa-rollins-starts-year-at-radl-grvl-with-completely-new-everything\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/leadville-winner-melisa-rollins-starts-year-at-radl-grvl-with-completely-new-everything\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Melisa Rollins<\/a> suffered a broken left elbow and injured right wrist in a &#8220;freak accident&#8221; today and will not take the start at Absa Cape Epic with teammate Kate Courtney.<\/p>\n<p>The top-rated US duo, assigned bibs &#8216;number one&#8217; for She Sends Foundation, were scheduled to start Saturday for the prologue in the eight-day mountain bike stage race. Rollins posted the surprise news on her social media about injuries and race withdrawal from Stellenbosch, Western Cape, her pain loud and clear after receiving care at a hospital emergency room.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"e7d09f58-ad12-4358-b357-d1cdfc32ec07-2\">&#8220;I had a freak accident fall that landed me in the ER with a broken elbow and a potentially broken wrist\u2026 and I won\u2019t be making it to the start line for Cape Epic this week. To say I\u2019m gutted doesn\u2019t even really scratch the surface,&#8221; Rollins detailed on Instagram.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-continues-below block py-2 text-sm\">Article continues below <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"inline-block w-2.5 h-2.5 ml-2\" fill=\"currentColor\" preserveaspectratio=\"xMidYMid meet\" viewbox=\"0 0 1000 1000\"><path d=\"M1000 100L500 900 0 100h1000z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pb-0 pt-2 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 !text-base uppercase sm:text-sm font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;It\u2019s really hard to put into words what it took to get here. We were so ready. I guess the Cape Epic just isn\u2019t quite ready for Kate \/ Melisa duo.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The US duo, who had been in South Africa for weeks training together, represented the last two women to have won Leadville 100. Last year, Rollins finished second to <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/races\/leadville-trail-100-mtb-2025\/ltgp-3-elite-women\/results\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/races\/leadville-trail-100-mtb-2025\/ltgp-3-elite-women\/results\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/races\/leadville-trail-100-mtb-2025\/ltgp-3-elite-women\/results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Courtney, who set a new women&#8217;s course record in Leadville, Colorado<\/a>, smashing the old mark set by Annika Langvad by more than 10 minutes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Rollins confirmed that she would travel back to the US, her home base being Utah, for surgery. She said that in addition to a fractured left elbow, she would have tests done on her injured right wrist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/melisa-rollins-nursing-injury-rather-than-starting-2025-us-season-at-mid-south-gravel\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/melisa-rollins-nursing-injury-rather-than-starting-2025-us-season-at-mid-south-gravel\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/melisa-rollins-nursing-injury-rather-than-starting-2025-us-season-at-mid-south-gravel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Just one year ago, Rollins crashed<\/a> at the 100km Otway Odyssey mountain bike race in Australia and suffered a broken left wrist, which required surgery and also nursed a non-displaced fracture on the right wrist. She was able to return to racing six weeks later at Sea Otter Classic Gravel, as part of the Life Time Grand Prix, and finished sixth.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-GaQSeFFE6zsX6uBdq6UgrT\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-GaQSeFFE6zsX6uBdq6UgrT slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;For now, it\u2019s back to the US for surgery and recovery\u2026 and a lot of time figuring out how to be productive with two dysfunctional arms\u2026again.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I\u2019m sooo thankful for Kate through all of this. She\u2019s become one of those rare inner-circle friends you want to call just to vent because someone looked at you funny at the mall. Getting to prepare for this race alongside her is something I\u2019ll always be grateful for, and I\u2019ll carry forward,&#8221; Rollins noted, and gave a warning for an image of the &#8220;gnarly swollen elbow&#8221; on the feed.<\/p>\n<p>Across the eight days at Cape Epic, two-rider teams will take in 707 kilometres of raw South African wilderness that includes 15,900 meters of elevation gain. The total prize split evenly for the professional fields is R228,000 (\u20ac12,074\/$14,000).<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pb-0 pt-2 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 !text-base uppercase sm:text-sm font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">It was not known if Courtney would find a new teammate to compete at Cape Epic, a race she won in 2018 with Langvad as her partner and had high hopes for in 2026 with Rollins.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I know better than anyone what Melisa and her team put into this race. But I also know better than anyone what she was capable of because of it (trust me ),&#8221; said Courtney in an Instagram post.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don\u2019t know how this story ends for either of us &#8211; but I have a deep deep belief that you will get to show what you capable of some day soon Melisa.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">This is the second major hit to the start list for Cape Epic, USA&#8217;s Keegan Swenson, withdrawing two weeks ago due to pain from a fractured pelvis suffered in Spain prior to a gravel stage race. The five-time Leadville winner was set to return for a second year with Matt Beers, both riding for Team Toyota Specialized Imbuko.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Beers, a three-time GC winner of his home race, will now start with fellow South African Tristan Nortje, who won one stage and finished third on GC at Cape Epic with Marco Joubert last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/freak-accident-puts-melisa-rollins-in-hospital-with-broken-elbow-and-gutted-to-miss-debut-at-cape-epic-with-kate-courtney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2024 Leadville Trail 100 MTB winner Melisa Rollins suffered a broken left elbow and injured right wrist in a &#8220;freak accident&#8221; today and will not take the start at Absa Cape Epic with teammate Kate Courtney. The top-rated US duo, assigned bibs &#8216;number one&#8217; for She Sends Foundation, were scheduled to start Saturday for the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":232584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-232583","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}