The last two race seasons have dealt a tough blow to industries and individuals around the world. In the small world of endurance mountain bike events, the going has been brutal for some, and merely terrible for others. Some events needed to make difficult decisions in early 2020, with last minute cancellations and postponements. And […]
Win a Scott Spark at the Cape Epic – on Zwift
For 16 years, mountain bikers around the world have known that March is Absa Cape Epic month. Of course, until Covid-19 arrived and the 17th edition of the Absa Cape Epic was cancelled with just 24 hours notice. 12 months on, the Cape Epic organisers plan to reclaim March for riders across the world – […]
Cape Epic 2021 entries open soon
After the last minute cancellation of the 2020 Cape Epic, the world has had a succession of huge changes. The Olympics have been postponed, millions have lost jobs, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, and economies have dived into recession. However, there have been positives. They may not outweigh the negatives, but there […]
What are the benefits of solo training?
As a coach I am often asked by athletes whether they are better off to go and do structured efforts on a solo ride or to join a local fast group ride instead? It is a good question which has a multifaceted answer and one in which I enjoy exploring with different athletes. As with […]
Cape Epic 2020 – we need more than luck
Everyone wishing me well for the Cape Epic has reminded me to be safe, and wished me luck. It’s no accident that these two things come up time and again in conversations about the great untamed African race. In 2018, my team-mate Briony managed to get food poisoning, have all her money stolen by an […]
Cape Epic 2020 Press conference
The race favourites for the Cape Epic gathered at a media conference ahead of the 2020 edition in South Africa.. The traditional Pre-Race Press Conference is characterised by empty platitudes and vague talk of wanting to do well. But Cannondale Factory Racing’s Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini turned convention on its head, declaring outright that they are going “all-in” […]
Cape Epic’s COVID-19 statement
With news today of the Trek-Pirelli mountain bike team and all staff staying at home, along with the Wilier Team, it’s clear that the impact of the Coronavirus and COVID-19 on the Cape Epic is being felt. The Cape Epic have just issued their release on their updated safety plans for the event. “As we […]
How will the coronavirus impact the Cape Epic?
2020 has started like the script of an apocalyptic movie. Australia burned with a ferocity not seen before, before being inundated with floods that washed ash into waterways, killing species of fish and polluting drinking sources. And around the same time, a virus was taking grip in Hubei province in China. The coronavirus is likely […]
The Cape Epic women’s field is lit in 2020.
The Cape Epic is often seen as the one stage race to rule them all. And we will be the first to admit that while you will have a completely different race experience at other events around the world, nothing truly comapres to the Cape Epic. The size, the drama, the pressure, the fans – […]
Sizing up the Absa Cape Epic 2020
The Cape Epic is coming, and I am going to be there. The world’s most televised mountain bike event. The untamed, the big one, the Tour de France of mountain biking. Call it what you will, I’ve seen the routes, seen the GoPro vision, seen the helicopters, and I am smart enough to know that […]