Epic Insider: Tough climbs, fast tracks and pure elation on the final stage
Waking up on Sunday morning I realised it was the final day of the 2015 Absa Cape Epic. For a brief moment emotions ran high. We were almost there, but not quite yet. You pull back the focus and press pause on any premature celebrations. With 91 km remaining on the final stage anything can […]
Epic Insider: Cape Wineland and single track spectacle on Stage 6
Today was a truly spectacular day on a bike. The shortest stage of the 2015 Absa Cape Epic at just 71km, though still featuring over 30km of single track and 2000m of climbing. While the day started off a bit wet and gloomy, when the clouds lifted riders were treated to some unbeatable Wineland vistas […]
Epic Insider: Balancing pain and pleasure on Stage 5
Riding a bike, in particular a bike race like the Cape Epic, is something special. You put yourself through all sorts of pain with a goal in mind. That goal might just be the top of a hill to reach a trail head or to tick off a bucket list entry like the Epic. Not […]
Epic Insider: Finding our groove on Stage 4
Participating in a stage race usually means that you’re somewhat disconnected from friends and family. A few early morning messages and post ride chats keep you in touch, but for a good 5-9 hours you’re unaccounted for. Off the grid so to speak. Taking on our first Cape Epic, Dane and I have a small […]
Epic Insider: Battling heat, hydration and humour on Stage 3
With the colder conditions over the past two stages I found myself drinking very little, often arriving at water points with a full bottle. Today though was a different story. It was hot, dry and windy. A water soaked shirt was dry in a matter of minutes. Any perspiration near instantly lapped up by the […]
Epic Insider: More wind in our sails on Stage 2
Tent life is an interesting thing. For seven nights and parts of the day your domain is roughly a 1.2x2m nylon cave. Space enough for a mattress, epic kit bag and a small ‘general’ area to house anything you want easy access to. It only takes one tented multiday event to understand the ease with […]
Epic Insider: Slow and Soggy on Stage 1
No matter how comfortable the pace, spending over eight hours on a bike is seldom a comfortable affair. Aches and pains seep into the contact points: hands, bum and feet. Your neck, back and shoulders fatigue. And that’s assuming your legs aren’t already stealing the show. It was always part of the plan to take […]
Epic Insider: Intervals, injuries and the start of my Cape Epic
It’s just another stage race I was telling myself. A few more people, cameras and flashy lights, but nothing fundamentally different from what I have done. But the Cape Epic is not just another race. It has acquired a certain reputation. It has something special and has become a sort of mountain bike acid test. […]
Epic Insider: A little more rain and the smell of home on Stage 7
So the final day of the Epic had arrived and so had the rain again, however this didn’t do much to dampen the mood on the start line. Image credit: Kelvin Trautman/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS The rule for the day was to keep it tidy and upright. We started in C once again at 7:10 and we […]
Epic Insider: Fatigued mind, body, and a bloodied elbow on Stage 6
Its getting a little harder to wake up each morning now as fatigue on body and mind is setting in, it was around 12 degrees this morning too which made it even more difficult. Image credit: Gary Perkin/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS The start this morning was staggered in 15 minute intervals to allow for increased gaps on […]
Epic Insider: Hallucinations atop Groenlandberg on Stage 5
It seemed like everyone was on go slow on this misty morning as we entered chute C again today. We were one of three teams ready for the day to start and the move to Elgin. Image credit: Greg Beadle/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS We headed out on the same short hill and district road as yesterday and […]
Epic Insider: Single track and more single track on Stage 4
With the route profile that resembled an ECG reading stuck to my cross bar my partner and I headed to start chute C again, a much lighter mood today with lots of joking. Image credit: Nick Muzik/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS The start was spot on 7:10 and we turned left up a grassed hill without even so […]