The hub for marathon mountain biking
The Absa Cape Epic is over for another year. If you’ve been riding, there are a lot of things you’re going to miss. And if you haven’t, there are a lot of things you have missed, but fear not, because entries just opened for next year… Things you’re going to miss The sheer simplicity of […]
There is less than a month of training left in the lead up to the notorious Giant Otway Odyssey and both the male and female fields are stacked! The first Odyssey in 2007 was a point to point race from the beautiful seaside town of Apollo Bay to the hinterland village Forrest. I raced this […]
This week has demonstrated just how many things need to work in order to reach the end of an event as tough as the Absa Cape Epic. Obviously your legs need to keep on stomping; but assuming you’ve done the right training, you should be OK. Your bike needs to hold up; which means you […]
While Tuesday’s 134k was a long enough day, today was undoubtedly the queen stage of the 2014 Absa Cape Epic. And it contained some classic Epic ingredients: the remote Groenlandberg climb and the formidable “Rusty Gate”; 115k; heat (although mercifully not the full oven treatment) and sunshine; more great mountain views. On a tough stage […]
The riders at the Absa Cape Epic have had a real rollercoaster over the last few days. Stage 2 was so muddy that an ‘easy’ stage turned into a bit of a monster, and Stage 3 involved so much wind that a long 134k stage was made even more arduous than it would have been […]
After the rains and mud of Robertson on Stage 2, climbing back on the bike today was tender. Mechanics were up all night repairing bikes, It was the longest day today at 134km, but without lots of climbing – a paltry 1800m. A day like this is a transition day, one enjoyed by the roadies […]
Absa Cape Epic Stage 2 It’s hard to look very far beyond the conditions when talking about today’s stage. The Absa Cape Epic is associated with heat and dust; but even in South Africa, it sometimes rains! And boy did it rain, all through the night and into the morning. New stage winners in Men, […]
If you’re reading this it means you have a bit of spare time and if you have a bit of spare time you’re probably not at the Cape Epic. The world’s most exciting, prestigious, and demanding mountain bike race is on now. Eight days, 718km, climbing 14,850m. Television crews, helicopters, pasta parties. You’re missing out […]
Absa Cape Epic Stage 1 – the sort-out The first full stage of the Absa Cape Epic is always a bit of a sort-out. It’s a day for big changes in GC results, and a day for all riders, however far down the order they might be, to discover a little more about what the […]
At a big stage race, it can feel like a bit of a marathon just arriving at the start line, let alone the finish. The critical point to reach is when you arrive at the first main stage village after the prologue; once you’re there, you can settle into the rhythm of the race. But […]
