The Epic Adventure

Picture courtesy Cape-Epic.com
Nine days, 1198 Mountainbikers, 966 km

“Everything about this race is extraordinary – the scenery, the organization, the people.” – Alison Sydor, Rocky Mountain ladies team winner.

After the Tour de France, the Cape Epic, a marathon tour of South Africa’s scenic South East Coast) known locally as ‘The Garden Route’, is fast becoming another world famous festival of cycling. More specifically it is a mountain biking event that requires dual entry. Two rider teams depart from a beautiful lagoon-on-sea hamlet called Knysna, and then battle through exhausting but beautiful scenery.

Each stage – with the exception of the final stage – is well over 100km long, and riders can expect to climb an average of 2000m each day. The route skirts some of Africa’s most attractive beaches, washed by the warm Indian Ocean. Average riders training a minimum of 16 hours a week will spend around 8 hours in the saddle each day. ‘Seconding’ by a third party is not allowed. If a chain breaks, or you suffer a puncture, your partner and you have to resolve to make repairs.

The Epic is tough, and even though many hardy competitors turn up, nine days of toil exact a steady toll each day. This year, 968 riders (80.8% of total starters), crossed the finishing line. Of these 98 riders finished without teammates, and 32 two-person teams abandoned their races.

Close Encounter

During April last year I was fortunate enough to – entirely by conincidence – share a 20km stretch of tar with the Epic riders. I was on a different tour, on a road bike, when the Epic guys shoveled onto tar for a short stretch. All of the guys were very lean, and very dirty. Even though we were on racing bicycles, the Epic riders were riding at a fast pace and it wasn’t a walk in the park to keep up. A few kilometers later, after one rider gave some of us a helpful push (especially on the uphills), they turned off the road and blitzed through the bush covered mountains like so many brightly colored commas.

A German team (The Bulls) won the 2008 Cape Epic’s last stage, but the overall title went to the superstrong Cannondale Vredestein duo of Jakob Fugslang (Denmark) and Roel Paulissen (Belgium).

Hardcore

Earlier in the event the Belgian captured the limelight. Unable to repair the umpteenth puncture, Paulissen rode the last 18km on his rim with his Danish sidekick beside him. The extraordinary terrain requires extraordinary commitments, and race leaders are not easily persuaded to give up their hard-fought-for advantages. South Africa’s best hope though had to pull out of the race due to an injured knee.

Final Stage

While the final stage was barely half the length of the longest stage overall, it involved some of the most climbing. Women’s winners Pia Sundstedt (Finland) and Alison Sydor (Canada) embraced as they crossed the finishing mat, but their bars caught, causing them to crash in front of spectators. More drama at the Lourensford Wine Estate finish (near Somerset West) included a dusty marriage proposal between a Dutch couple, 41-year-old John Bullens and 39-year-old Patrice Vercammen. Vercammen, a childhood sweetheart and who had climbed with her teammate through about 18 529m of vertical climbing over the course of 8 days, immediately accepted.

South African David George has this to say about the Epic:“What impressed me most about the Absa Cape Epic is the camaraderie between the pro riders. The mutual respect and the relaxed atmosphere amongst the top riders is something I have never experienced before in road racing, that’s why it stood out for me.”

“I can truly say that the Absa Cape Epic is the toughest sporting event I’ve ever done in my life,” Alison Sydor, the Rocky Mountain ladies team winner, said afterwards.