![\"ccs-62657-0-01222200-1475744256.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-01222200-1475744256.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Last Lion contenders<\/h2>\n
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John Gale<\/h2>\n
Age:<\/strong> 48
Profession:<\/strong> Chartered accountant from Cape Town<\/p>\nWhat does it take to finish the Absa Cape Epic?<\/strong>
\u201cA whole year of luck in training and being lucky enough with health, work and personal life to be at the start line. Eight consecutive days of luck on the bike. Not picking up an injury, not dehydrating, not getting sunstroke, not breaking the bike. It needs a lot of luck. Each year the field is stronger, faster, better equipped and better prepared.\u201d<\/p>\nWhy do you keep on coming back for more?<\/strong>
\u201cI have the tiger by the tail, like Baloo; he has to come back to feel that the other end has teeth. The first stage is always the most difficult. After eight days of training I am ready for the later stages.\u201d<\/p>\nHannele Steyn<\/h2>\n
Age:<\/strong> 50
Profession:<\/strong> Geneticist\/Microbiologist from Knysna<\/p>\nWhat keeps you coming back to the Absa Cape Epic?<\/strong>
\u201cI love the race and it became my favourite race experience from the very first one when I had no clue what to expect or what multi-day racing as all about. As a professional racing for Adidas International that was also the sponsor of the Cape Epic, it was just one of the planned races on my calendar, but after I retired from professional racing in 2007, I had done four already and wanted to get to five at least. Each year after that I was fortunate enough to get a sponsor and then it became a challenge to get to number 10. If you have done 10, you must either stop or again carry on till the next big number.\u201d<\/p>\nWhen do you think you will stop doing the Epic?<\/strong>
\u201cWhile I love it and because this race is such a challenge, I will try and do it until something outside of my power stops me.\u201d<\/p>\nCraig Beech<\/h2>\n
Age:<\/strong> 44
Profession:<\/strong> Conservationist in Somerset West<\/p>\nWhat keeps you coming back to the Absa Cape Epic? <\/strong>
\u201cIt has now become a little bit of a habit. Due to work travel I don\u2019t get the opportunity to do many races in the calendar year, so I try pin down one or two each year, in which to participate. I definitely favour the longer stage events, and the Absa Cape Epic is often described as the toughest in the world, and I appreciate the challenge. I also like to spend our end of year break on the bike, often cycling through the Karoo. The year\u2019s travels are similar to how a bear would treat its summer, I find I scurry around, all the while building up the \u2018winter storage\u2019, and then the time comes at the end of the year to pin things down, use the lard and burn the calories.\u201d<\/p>\nWhen do you think you will stop doing the Epic?<\/strong>
\u201cWhen I am no longer capable.\u201d<\/p>\nMike Nixon<\/h2>\n
Age:<\/strong> 57
Profession:<\/strong> Commercial property developer in Cape Town<\/p>\nWhat keeps you coming back to the Absa Cape Epic?<\/strong>
\u201cThe Tour de France of mountain biking on your doorstep. How can you resist.\u201d<\/p>\nWhen do you think you will stop doing the Epic?<\/strong>
\u201cAfter so many years my wonderful wife has got used to the solitude from December to March. So when she wants me back I will stop.\u201d<\/p>\nAnd given that you have summited Mount Everest, which Absa Cape Epic climbs do you remember over the years as being the toughest?<\/strong>
\u201cNone is tougher than Groenlandberg (in Grabouw).\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yesterday the Absa Cape Epic unveiled its Last Lion Trophy: a stunning bronze artwork by internationally renowned sculptor Dylan Lewis. The weighty statue stands about 30cm tall and 50cm long and depicts a lion lying on a rock and looking out across the plains. It will go to the last cyclist who has finished every […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":39831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[76,24,2173,2174],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-17544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-absa-cape-epic","tag-cape-epic","tag-dylan-lewis","tag-last-lion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17544"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=17544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"ccs-62657-0-35416800-1475744254.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-35416800-1475744254.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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