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On yer bike!

What is it that makes us want to tackle challenges like the CAPE EPIC! Why would we put ourselves through 800kms in eight days, at race pace over mountain climbs the equivalent of two Everest summits. Think of the months of training, heart rate monitoring, sponsorship raising, leg shaving, web reading, bike cleaning and missed ‘Friday boys nights out’.

These are questions I asked myself again and again, during several months of training leading up to the Epic. It’s all detailed here, with a  entry for each ride I did. If you’re riding the Epic, or even reminiscing, come on in and follow this complete biking blog. We’ll cover all sorts of info and trivia on biking, training, getting to the Epic, and mountain biking in general. Whether you are a pro or newcomer to MTB I’ve tried to include something interesting and helpful for everyone.

ANDREW BOND

Who am I?… a mountain biking junkie living in mountainous Northern Thailand. I earn a living publishing travel sites and writing. I’m a British national, grew up in Southern Africa, have lived and ridden all over the show,  now settled in Chiang Mai with my young family, and access to endless trails. Since I turned 40 recently, I’ve been entering races (might soon need a bigger trophy cabinet) ;-)

This blog is made on the fly using a Samsung N120 Netbook and some dodgy wifi connections in various Southeast Asian locations.

Posted in Great rides.

By admin
January 1, 2010

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Cape Epic 2010 wrap up

Ah, what a pleasure to wake up late and not get on a bike! It’s all over, months of training and 7-hour days in the saddle, I can now bask in the glory of having done the Cape Epic and finished respectably at that.

That brings an end to this blog, hopefully those riding future Epics will find lots of useful training and race insights here (I’ve tried to write it exactly for that purpose so read on). More than half the riders of the Epic are novices so it’s important to share these thoughts and experiences with others. I’ve gone back through my various training posts and added ‘hindsight comments’ to make them more accurate.

In summary here are some important tips for tackling the Cape Epic. It’s based on fit 40-year old riders who finished in the top third of the field and almost top 25% of the Masters.

Ride to enjoy! Considering all the cost and time you’re going to put into the Epic don’t go out each day hell bent on competing for a few extra places or fast time. You really won’t enjoy the experience.

Make sure you’re fit enough going into the race to finish well within the cut off each day, so you’re not spending the whole day out there, stressing about cut off times. I reckon you need to put in about 200 hours over 4 months, starting out from a reasonable base fitness level.

Get used to multiple long days, so it’s not painful getting back on the bike each morning, this includes at least three long weekends of four back-to-back rides of about 5-6 hours each.

Ensure your bike is in tip-top order, the Epic is rough and bikes take a beating, so you need tubeless tyres (re-inforced sidewalls), a new chain and brake pads, and a comfortable saddle correctly set, so that it doesn’t hurt after long rides. In the end more than 100 riders were attending ‘bum clinic’ each morning to have their blisters strapped.

Save your pocket money the Epic is an expensive undertaking, in addition to the entry fee (R12,000/$1,500) you’ll be spending that much again on essential things like nutritional supplements, massage and a dedicated mechanic service, along with breakdowns and kit, don’t take shortcuts.

Get organised there are 1,200 riders every morning all queuing for the toilets, showers, food, medical attention and so on, make sure you know where every essential items stays in your tent, including a head lamp, extra water bottles etc., after the ride get all the things done like cleaning your hydro, getting a massage, unpacking your bag – it all takes time and needs a methodical routine otherwise your screw up!

The right partner is essential since you’re going to spend 50 hours riding together. It just doesn’t work if your fitness levels are mismatched, one is frustrated always waiting and the other feels psychologically exhausted always trying to keep up. Communication is essential.

Mountain biking skills essential these days on the Epic since the terrain has now become tougher, with more technical single track that is demanding on pure MTB skills, and less easy farm roads for those with road bike endurance.

Remember, it’s an 8 day race but everyone always goes out too enthusiastically on day one, and you invariably will too! Ride according to your heartrate, the average should never end up more than 75% of your max for the day. Remind yourself there’s many more days to come, some days you’ll feel strong other days you’ll blow out, happens to everyone.

Pay attention to race briefings after dinner, it’s critical to know what sort of route to expect, when the water stops and hills are, how much water to take, and when you’re going to be pushing!

The Epic is one of those once-in-a-life time challenges, costly and ‘not a picnic’ but with mental toughness to see out the grind of days 4,5 and 6 you’ll get through. Everything is well organised otherwise, and it’s a great experience.

Would I do it again? Probably not, I’ve got other fish to fry!

Here’s some interesting stats:

Our finishing time: 45hrs, 35 mins, 28 secs, winning time: 29hrs, 47 mins, 46 secs, slowest finishers: 62 hours, 52 mins, 51 secs

588 teams started, 445 finished,  33 dropped out in the first day!

50%+ of the field were first timers, 51 countries represented, 12 teams were Ladies (5 finished ahead of us), 127 were Masters and 49 were Mixed (12 beat us).

Average calories burnt per ride: 6,000, average time in the saddle for middle of field rider: 50 hours, longest ride (before cutoff) 10 hours, 30 minutes, day 6.

800 crew pitched 7500 tents, moved 380 tonnes of equipment three times, providing 18 tonnes of food and 180,000 litres of water.

Posted in Big days out, Bikes & bits, Fitness programmes, Great rides, Heartrate monitoring, Heavy terrain, Inside the Epic, Nutrition & health, Schleps, Single track skills, Training tips.

By admin
April 2, 2010

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Cape Epic 2010 Stage 8

Oak Valley to Lourensford, 60kms, 1,600m climbing, 4hours, 15 minutes, overall FINAL position 192/600, 34/132 Masters.

Woohoo, we made it! The Epic is finally over, what an experience! I can’t describe the feeling elation when we turned that last corner after a short but gruelling stage to see the large spectator finish line and field ahead of us and ride through the tunnel of supporters to cross the line for the last time. This is a rare feeling for which we rode 45 hours, over 14,000m of hills along 722kms of trails to achieve, and it was something I’d been looking forward to since about day 3.

For one euphoric afternoon I forget all about the pain, the early morning loathings, the exhaustion, saddle sores and arduous climbs that had me cursing the day I entered the race. It’s not that I hated it, I can’t say it was ‘enjoyable’ but it was an experience that made me feel like I can do anything, that me and the other 1000 riders out there had the sheer balls to take on something that few common folk would willingly put themselves up for.

With nice sunny but crisp weather, fantastic mountain scenery in the distance (over which we’d just ridden) and plenty of free beer and wine, we celebrated the end of this epic challenge. Each rider got an abundant picnic hamper and we sat down amid the crowds and festivities with the band playing, getting nicely drunk for a change, and eating, eating, eating (suddenly I had a huge appetite!). I really can’t explain further the great atmosphere at the finish with all the crowds and tired but happy riders. Even if you entered the day race or came to cheer on the riders it was an excellent event.

So, about the last stage; although only 60kms, it was one of the tougher rides, kilometre for kilometre, since we had hills from the outset, then a long arduous climb through the back of Sir Lowry’s Pass over the Hottentot’s Holland mountains on an old Great Trek trail. The trail got tougher and tougher until we were all walking. Even descending on it to the only water point was rough going.

When we finally crested the mountains we had to portage over the Old Gamtoe Pass trail and walk our bikes all the way down the other side (so as to avoid destroying  this national heritage hiking route), ending with more railway (luckily riding to the side, not on it). Many of the previous Epics have ended like this.

From there on it was almost all over, and everyone sensed it, excitedly picking up the pace. Flat, decent farm roads, one 10 minute climb, some tricky dual track, fast mild descents and finally we were onto the long straight road heading into Lourensford. Just when I thought we still had 10kms to go, a sign said ‘5km to the finish line’, for once Dr Evil hadn’t put a nasty twist at the end and we all went storming into the finish faster than we’d ever ridden all week, of course!

Wolf and I chose not to ride too hard, we were exhausted from yesterday’s big effort, but everyone was putting on a strong showing. Initially we were supposed to ride the stage with our old rivals Jon & Hamish, but they disappeared ahead of us and eventually finished 10 minutes faster, which was fitting. So, to avoid losing too much of our hard fought overall position we kept up the pace and pushed the last 20kms, to finish respectably but behind 220 other riders in this massed start. We were quite satisfied.

Throughout the eight days we never once had a flat tyre, broken chain, crash or argument, it had all gone smoothly and we finished up in the top third (top 200) of the field and almost in the top quarter of the Masters, which was above our expectations and a commendable effort. Some days we rode our asses off, others we blew out, but we got through it by pulling finger. We can cross that one off the list!

Here are the four of us mates who trained together, rode against each other, and kept one another going, we had a great adventure together, couldn’t think of better guys to tackle an Epic with; (l to r) Jon Malnick, Hamish Keith, Wolfgang Sittig and Andrew Bond – Cape Epic 2010.

A word from the sponsors: Before we leave the Epic this year, a quick nod to the various sponsors who make all this possible. Throughout this blog I ought to have referred to the event by its correct name; the ABSA CAPE EPIC, and indeed this major South African bank have supported and helped raise the profile of mountain biking in South Africa by backing this race. They started out in the early days by ‘loaning’ office space to Kevin Vermaak, the founder and organiser in chief, and the partnership grew from there. I believe that they saved the Epic by coming on board as a vital main sponsor months before the third race, and as they say ‘it’s all about partnerships’.

Adidas were the main presenter, and looking around many of the riders were kitted out in great Adidas sportswear, showing they are serious about apparel in South African sports – I also favour their climacool range as idea for ‘after the race’. MTN provided the comms that made it possible for the media to function and be connected and also provide free internet and phone/Garmin recharge which was vital. Toyota, one of the dominant manufacturers in South Africa provided all support cars (yes I own a Toyota and I’m very satisfied with it!).

Then there were the minor sponsors and supporters whose services were indispensible for the ride. Overberg Water saw to it that we had fresh and abundant water at the start and waterpoints. Pragma – an asset management firm, sponsored the vital bike cleaning and storage service during the race, Pro-bike were the official mechanics who helped me sort out my broken brake at a water stop on stage 6. Also at the waterpoints was endless beverages provided by Energade,  and tasty Mule Bars (highly recommended). At the end of each ride we were provided with excellent food and drink from Woolworths. The hot showers from Afriplex and the Medical Assistance were also indispensible!  It all worked like clockwork and the Epic has been noted time and again for its excellent organisation.

Meanwhile at the front: the glory stage saw unlikely winners going for the crowds, while the top three in the GC were more cautious. Jose Hermida and Rudi Van Houts got their first stage win for Team Multivan Merida in 2 hours, 40 minutes, 13 secs, with a first podium for Rabobank Giant Offroad (Emil Lungren and Fabian Giger) almost two minutes back, and Songo-Specialized (Sauser/Stander) another two minutes adrift. Just behind them was the Bulls Team who successfully defended their 10 minute overall lead without any troubles to win the 2010 Absa Cape Epic, their third in a row.

Final classification of Top 10 after all 8 stages:

2010 Absa Cape Epic : All Teams – Overall Results Click on team to view details
Cat Position GC Position Team Name Category Overall Time
No. Rider 1 Country No. Rider 2 Country
1. 1. Bulls 1 Men 29:47.46,0
1-1 Karl Platt Germany 1-2 Stefan Sahm Germany
2. 2. Songo-Specialized by DCM Men 29:57.49,7
4-1 Christoph Sauser Switzerland 4-2 Burry Stander South Africa
3. 3. MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon Men 30:12.30,0
9-1 Kevin Evans South Africa 9-2 Alban Lakata Austria
4. 4. Trek world racing Men 30:21.06,4
7-1 Lukas Flückiger Switzerland 7-2 Mathias Flückiger Switzerland
5. 5. Multivan Merida 1 Men 30:36.43,5
8-1 Hannes Genze Germany 8-2 Andreas Kugler Switzerland
6. 6. Multivan Merida 2 Men 30:44.56,8
6-1 Jose Hermida Spain 6-2 Rudi Van Houts Netherlands
7. 7. Trek-Brentjens Men 31:03.33,6
2-1 Bart Brentjens Netherlands 2-2 Jelmer Pietersma Netherlands
8. 8. DCM1 Men 31:04.32,7
13-1 Silvio Bundi Switzerland 13-2 Thomas Zahnd Switzerland
9. 9. Sanfindit.co.za / Full Dynamix Men 31:15.49,5
11-1 David George South Africa 11-2 Massimo Debertolis Italy
10. 10. DCM2 Men 31:45.08,0
14-1 Brandon Stewart South Africa 14-2 Max Knox South Africa

Posted in Great rides, Heavy terrain, Inside the Epic. Tagged with .

By admin
March 28, 2010

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Cape Epic 2010 Stage 7

Oak Valley to Oak Valley (Elgin), 97kms, 2150m climbing, 6 hours 15 mins, overall position overall position 188/600 , 34/125  Masters

Wow! What a day, Wolf and I were on fire, only our storming single track stage 2 was better, and we finished 171st our second best effort. Compared to the meek effort of yesterday this course suited us, with short climbs to separate us from the others, a relaxed flat middle, then a long arduous climb followed by excellent descending winding single track in which we were in our element.

I know this area fairly well having passed through it numerous times en-route to Hermanus over the years, though I’ve never ridden the fantastic public trails here at Oak Valley, and in the Lebanon Forest Reserve nearby. It was shorter than the previous day, but with equal amount of climbing, making it more intense and suited to real mountain bikers rather than endurance riders. This is the thing about the Epic, some stages suit those with true mountain biking technical skills, while other days are better for those with endurance who are best on long flat farm roads, drafting away.

We all awoke to light drizzle and all set out in rain gear, greeted not only by moody weather but a series of short sharp climbs that steadily ascended the foot of the mountains here. It’s hard on the legs starting out like this but we were desperate to get ahead of Jon and Hamish who had 4 minutes on us. Wolf was feeling better so we pushed it, a strategy that was mindful of the long descent to the Bot river valley in due course (You definitely need to watch the pre-stage briefing the night before to get a feel for the day’s challenges).

It’s tempting to hit the gas when you reach the flat farm roads but in fact it’s a better idea to relax a bit, keep a descent pace, but save energy for the forthcoming climbs. Only problem with this was dealing with the immense wind, which meant trying to hang onto the back of a speeding ‘bus’ that came by.

The climb itself was a monster, 6kms of steep uneven jeep track that really took it out of everyone, and even once passed waterpoint 2 we continued to ride rolling roads on top of this ‘col’ before hitting the sheltered pine forest trails over the other side. This was the real reward for the hard work, lovely flowing single track, with some nice technical bits to help put ‘space’ between us and the rest of those we’re competing with.

Continuing to ride hard we reach the final waterpoint 20kms from the end, and my energy began to fade, it turned out to be a very long hour, as we were tired further by up and down single track, wind, and a trail that seemed to go on and on. Eventually we finished and soon realised that that our 7-day long duel with Team Thailand was probably now over since they limped in 45 minutes later. The tricky single track and hills had blown Hamish out. Well, we were lucky to have the benefit of plenty of XC experience which pays off, perhaps they’ll make it up on us tomorrow but you really don’t want to turn this into a chore for the sake of competitiveness. We’ve all ridden hard and well in a compelling mini-competition, and there’s huge respect all round for the efforts that have been put in each day by all 4, each of us experiencing a ‘down day’. The fact that both teams will probably finish in the top 200 is a huge achievement, so as a foursome we’ve ‘won’.

Meanwhile at the front: another victory for the young Fluckiger brothers (team Trek World Racing), two in a row, these really are boys to watch next year. Two completely different stages and they managed tokeep in front and pull off a final push to put 5 seconds between themselves and the Bulls, finishing in 4 hours, 11 minutes, 59 seconds.  Third was Multivan Merida’s Jose Hermida and Rudi Van Houts (their first podium), while Songo-Specialized (Stander/Sauser) where fourth, a full three minutes back, effectively ruining their chances of challenging the Bulls for overall victory this year. With less than three hours riding among the elite in this year’s Epic, the top 5 positions overall are virtually secured.

Stage 7 Overall positions:

‘

2010 Absa Cape Epic : All Teams – Overall Results: Stage 7 Click on team to view details
Cat Position GC Position Team Name Category Overall Time
No. Rider 1 Country No. Rider 2 Country
1. 1. Bulls 1 Men 27:02.46,4
1-1 Karl Platt Germany 1-2 Stefan Sahm Germany
2. 2. Songo-Specialized by DCM Men 27:13.36,9
4-1 Christoph Sauser Switzerland 4-2 Burry Stander South Africa
3. 3. MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon Men 27:22.12,5
9-1 Kevin Evans South Africa 9-2 Alban Lakata Austria
4. 4. Trek world racing Men 27:26.11,7
7-1 Lukas Flückiger Switzerland 7-2 Mathias Flückiger Switzerland
5. 5. Multivan Merida 1 Men 27:45.44,4
8-1 Hannes Genze Germany 8-2 Andreas Kugler Switzerland
6. 6. Trek-Brentjens Men 28:03.47,4
2-1 Bart Brentjens Netherlands 2-2 Jelmer Pietersma Netherlands
7. 7. Multivan Merida 2 Men 28:04.24,4
6-1 Jose Hermida Spain 6-2 Rudi Van Houts Netherlands
8. 8. DCM1 Men 28:05.13,6
13-1 Silvio Bundi Switzerland 13-2 Thomas Zahnd Switzerland
9. 9. Sanfindit.co.za / Full Dynamix Men 28:22.45,4
11-1 David George South Africa 11-2 Massimo Debertolis Italy
10. 10. DCM2 Men 28:38.30,8

Posted in Heavy terrain, Inside the Epic, Schleps, Uncategorized. Tagged with .

By admin
March 28, 2010

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Cape Epic 2010 Stage 6

Worcester to Oak Valley (Elgin), 115km, 2,200m of climbing
7 hours, 15 mins,  overall position 194/600,  36/125 Masters

One of the longest days on the Epic, this one. Fortunately the first 30kms was flat and on good surfaces, the scenery was much nicer has we entered a lusher landscape of cultivated pine, and vineyards lined with ‘locals supporting’, and we finished off with some wicked single track trails above Oak Valley. The weather was kind too, slightly cloudy all day.

The groups were led out today under safety car for 7kms which was a welcome respite from the fast starts in the mornings on sleepy legs! All the same, stage 6 continued with another 20kms of flat farm roads, interspersed with tar, so naturally everyone rode the legs off all of us. It’s at times like this when I want to pull a megaphone out of my hydropack and yell to the pack ‘hey guys, it’s 120kms today and there’s more than 2,000m of climbing still to come!’.

Wolf wasn’t feeling too good today, with a cold, so it was me pulling for a change. The route soon started punishing us with short sharp ups and downs running into waterpoint 1. I was thankful for this since I had set out in the morning with only 500ml of water (the water sources had been prematurely removed from the start area in the haste to pack and move the village, and I had spent 30 minutes queuing for butt strapping, grrr!).

A second bigger, but easier climb took us up to a radio mast and vantage point of the magnificent Teewaterskloof Dam, which has seen several Epic stages run past its shoreline. We descended onto a fast farm road that followed a canal, then disaster struck. As we hit a sandy vineyard road, a beefy guy in front of me lost balance toppled over and landed on me, bending and permanently damaging my left (front) brake lever .

There’s an element of bad luck that hits many on the Epic, something beyond their control. I left it alone until we got the second waterpoint and the mechanics on hand got it working (after a 5 minute delay) but the housing is broken and I shall have to replace it. I must say at this point I’m really UNIMPRESSED with AVID ELIXIR brakes. Superlight they might be, but they’re not super durable. In the 6 months I’ve had this bike I’ve had six problems with these high performance, but high maintenance brakes. Well, accidents happen in mountain biking but they certainly didn’t stand up. I’ll have to get through the rest of the Epic with a ‘hard’ brake lever, then I shall replace both with a different brand – it will be the last Avids I own.

The second half of Stage 6 of Epic 2010 was tougher, easy rolling farm roads lured everyone into a false sense of security before a climb up over a pass on a decent road, that still took about 20 minutes, with Wolf really beginning to tire on hills. After waterpoint 3 the climbing was mild but over a rocky trail that went on for 5kms into a barren landscape high above the farms below. After cresting this saddle, the bulk of hills were over as we all descended on a good fast dirt road into the Elgin valley.

Then came the real treat of the day, superb single track, switchbacking through pine forest. With big clouds looming and the wind billowing the rush was on to get to the finish, but Wolf was completely flat and I had to wait at every small hill, frustrating, but a reminder of what he had to put up with on day 3 when I slumped.

We hadn’t seen our rivals Team Thailand all day, not even at water stops and I sensed we had lost at least 10 minutes to them, but when we finished they were just removing their kit. Turns out Hamish also slumped and we weren’t too far behind!

The Race village at the Epic

Another important aspect of the Epic to discuss is the race village routine, as this involves all the critical things you have to take care of before or after the race. The past two Cape Epics have been sensibly planned in the Western Cape so that several nights can be spent at a single venue. For the organisers and riders this is a godsend, since it’s a pain packing up every day, and finding a new tent at the end of each ride.

Today we arrived at a new venue, the pretty wine estate of Oak Valley. It meant getting your big heavy bag as soon as possible after finishing, no matter how tired you are, and finding one of the better tent positions (strategically located near the showers, toilets, dining tent, and far from spot lights and noisy generators.)

The other big rush is to get to the showers. The early birds (fast riders who get in first) get first dibs, after that the queue just gets longer and longer, and since it was overcast and cold when I finished (rather late today), there was a half hour queue for the showers. After 7 hours on a bike this is a drag. Other things you need to do include fixing yourself a ‘recovery nutrition’ within half an hour of finishing, organising the interior of your tent so you can find everything you need, and doing laundry, cleaning bottles, hydro bladders and so on.

All these chores are part of an important routine you soon settle into so that come start time you’re not rushed and have every critical item you need for a 7 hour race. This morning I had to go and get my saddle sores patched, there was a 30 minute queue, I still had to hand my bag in (since we were moving venues) and consequently was a bit disorganised in the start paddock.

Meanwhile at the front… The Fluckiger brothers snatched their first stage win for Team Trek World Racing, demonstrating that they are true contenders on the scene, winning in 4 hours 37 minutes,  22 seconds. Songo-Specialized DCM were more than two minutes behind, finishing in a sprint out with the Bulls Team. The Swiss-South African pair remain seven minutes behind the ‘zebra stripped’ yellow jersey which is still firmly on the back of the Bulls riders of Sahm and Platt.

BTW: there are now only 450 teams left overall (600 entered and 588 started), while 95 out of 125 Masters teams are still in it.

2010 Absa Cape Epic : All Teams – Overall Results: Stage 6 Click on team to view details
Cat Position GC Position Team Name Category Overall Time
No. Rider 1 Country No. Rider 2 Country
1. 1. Bulls 1 Men 22:50.41,1
1-1 Karl Platt Germany 1-2 Stefan Sahm Germany
2. 2. Songo-Specialized by DCM Men 22:57.37,1
4-1 Christoph Sauser Switzerland 4-2 Burry Stander South Africa
3. 3. MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon Men 23:00.41,0
9-1 Kevin Evans South Africa 9-2 Alban Lakata Austria
4. 4. Trek world racing Men 23:14.12,8
7-1 Lukas Flückiger Switzerland 7-2 Mathias Flückiger Switzerland
5. 5. Multivan Merida 1 Men 23:25.56,5
8-1 Hannes Genze Germany 8-2 Andreas Kugler Switzerland
6. 6. DCM1 Men 23:32.32,5
13-1 Silvio Bundi Switzerland 13-2 Thomas Zahnd Switzerland
7. 7. Trek-Brentjens Men 23:36.55,0
2-1 Bart Brentjens Netherlands 2-2 Jelmer Pietersma Netherlands
8. 8. Multivan Merida 2 Men 23:50.47,7
6-1 Jose Hermida Spain 6-2 Rudi Van Houts Netherlands
9. 9. Sanfindit.co.za / Full Dynamix Men 23:57.43,3
11-1 David George South Africa 11-2 Massimo Debertolis Italy
10. 10. DCM2 Men 24:03.02,8
14-1 Brandon Stewart South Africa 14-2 Max Knox South Africa

Posted in Inside the Epic, Nutrition & health, Schleps. Tagged with .

By admin
March 27, 2010

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Cape Epic 2010 Stage 5

Worcester to Worcester, time-trial, 27kms, 800m of climbing
1 hour, 41 mins, 23 secs, overall position 190/600, 37/123 Masters

This was the easy day of the Epic, over in two hours for most riders and a chance to relax most the day. Being a time trial, it also meant the slowest went off first, which afforded me the luxury of a ‘lie in’. The line-up was interrupted in the middle for the pros, so 30 minutes after I got in they were finishing which was perfect timing for me to finally see the leaders finish, and the podium awards.

This course was comparable to the short XC races I usually do, except more up and down and climbing, so it meant riding flat out from the start. For a change it was me setting the pace since I’m more experienced with this and Wolf wasn’t feeling too flash.

Our rivalry with Jon and Hamish of Team Thailand was interesting since they started a minute in front of us, being a minute, and two places down and on the general classification. We caught them within the first 5kms but were also overtaken by many, and relatively to our other days performed below par compared to other results (finished 202 overall today).

I have this unforgettable impression riding up a single track with a stunning backdrop of sheer faced mountains ahead of me, which typifies the Epic (when you have time to take your eyes off the trail and admire the scenery).

So, no sore legs or exhaustion today, plenty of time to wander around and relax, therefore I spent time in the bike park, oh my Buddha!

Da Bike Park at da Cape Epic: My bruuus, this has got to be one of the most impressive collections of ‘toys’ I have ever seen. Forget the Ferrari showroom, this is the real deal. I have never seen such an expensive collection of sheer cutting edge self-propelled technology before. I estimate there is more than 3 million dollars (about 24 million rand) squeezed into two tennis courts (Where are the ‘bike jackers!).

To ride the Epic you really need a professional, expensive, light-weight bike with top of the range gear, like XO/XTR, carbon frames, cross-max wheels and Sid/Fox SL forks, nothing less. The bikes take such a beating and the stages are so tough, you’d struggle on anything less. In short, it’s pretty expensive maintaining a bike for this race.

Most riders have a mechanic service. Pro Bike offer this as the official sponsors, but all around the race village in adjacent fields, carparks, church grounds etc, independent bike shops have set up and all afternoon you’ll see them working on these machines, rebuilding them, cleaning and servicing them. It’s highly recommended you use one (costing between 1,500 and 4,000 rand for the duration).

After each race, this year, bikes are automatically taken from you and cleaned well by Pragma. They are one of the partner sponsors and deserve a mention for doing a thankless but essential job (who wants to clean their bike after a day of riding).

Looking around the bike park, the most popular bike by far is the Specialized Epic (same as I ride), about 1 in 5 bikes here are Specialized. Other popular bikes are Merida (full suss), Scott, Canondale (Scalpel), with fewer Treks, Giants and others. I’d say, at this Epic (c.2010) 80% of the bikes are now full sussers, and I certainly wouldn’t want to ride these trails on a hard tail (though my partner Wolf is doing well on one!).

Anyway, what a pleasure to wander around admiring the other bikes, seeing the set-ups they use and tyre choice. This is another important aspect, and earlier I made a rather naive post about using non-tubeless. Almost everyone here runs tubeless due to the rough terrain and chances of pinch flats. We changed over at the last minute (at big expense) and it’s a good idea to go with tubeless re-inforced sidewalls, at least 2.0 or thicker. So far we’ve had no flats. The most popular tyres I can see are; Maxxis Crossmarks, Swalbe Racing Ralphs and Continental Race Kings.

Meanwhile at the front… today many of the backmarkers (everyone below 150 in the GC) were already back as the pros were out, and it was exciting to be given regular updates of their times and progress as they covered the course. In the end the best time was 1 hour, 05 mins, 15 secs by XC specialists Team Songo-Specialized (Sauser/Stander), their third win in a row. MTN Qhubeka (Evans/Lakata) came second in 1, 06, 25, while the yellow jersey holders the Bulls (Sahm/ Platt) finished third just 4 seconds slower. They hold on to a seven minute overall lead while Songo-Specialized are now within a minute of second placed MTN Qhubeka.

Overall results after day 5:

2010 Absa Cape Epic : All Teams – Overall Results: Stage 5 Click on team to view details
Cat Position GC Position Team Name Category Overall Time
No. Rider 1 Country No. Rider 2 Country
1. 1. Bulls 1 Men 18:10.50,2
1-1 Karl Platt Germany 1-2 Stefan Sahm Germany
2. 2. MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon Men 18:17.04,9
9-1 Kevin Evans South Africa 9-2 Alban Lakata Austria
3. 3. Songo-Specialized by DCM Men 18:17.56,3
4-1 Christoph Sauser Switzerland 4-2 Burry Stander South Africa
4. 4. Trek world racing Men 18:36.50,2
7-1 Lukas Flückiger Switzerland 7-2 Mathias Flückiger Switzerland
5. 5. Trek-Brentjens Men 18:37.06,9
2-1 Bart Brentjens Netherlands 2-2 Jelmer Pietersma Netherlands
6. 6. DCM1 Men 18:38.14,7
13-1 Silvio Bundi Switzerland 13-2 Thomas Zahnd Switzerland
7. 7. Sanfindit.co.za / Full Dynamix Men 18:39.13,3
11-1 David George South Africa 11-2 Massimo Debertolis Italy
8. 8. Multivan Merida 1 Men 18:39.40,2
8-1 Hannes Genze Germany 8-2 Andreas Kugler Switzerland
9. 9. Rabobank-Giant Off Road Men 18:47.47,6
3-1 Emil Lindgren Sweden 3-2 Fabian Giger Switzerland
10. 10. Multivan Merida 2 Men 18:50.59,9
6-1 Jose Hermida Spain 6-2 Rudi Van Houts Netherlands

Posted in Bikes & bits, Inside the Epic. Tagged with .

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March 25, 2010

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Cape Epic 2010 Stage 4

Ceres to Worcester, 87kms, 1,800m of climbing
5 hours, 23 mins, overall position 188/600, 38/123 Masters

Change of scenery today, as we climbed back over into the adjacent valley, leaving Ceres by way of the pass we came in on at the end of day 1. Thankfully we got to use the road, not THAT evil railway line. So a fast start followed by more fast flat easy roads through the apple and fruit orchards that dominate the agri-industry here.

This is one of the easier days on the Epic, though after 3 long days, legs must be sore for everyone, and in my case a sore butt, with modified saddle position to cope! Wolf and I made an unintentional tactical move, passing through the first waterpoint without stopping. Waterpoints 2 and 3 are close together but we got this info mixed up believing the next waterpoint to be close. In fact it was 60kms before we got to full up! All the same, if you are racing against others it’s a good way to gain precious minutes and since it was cool and we had loads of water we got by. Crucially it meant we were able to pass our rivals Team Thailand while they were filling up (though it was scarcely 5 minutes later when Jon appeared at my side smugly, having caught us), all the same it helped us close the gap they had built.

Luckily I was feeling strong today and as soon as we hit the foothills below the dramatic mountains that line this pretty valley, we were able to pull away and build a good gap. This is when your training for constant up and down on short sharp hills pays off. It went on like this for another 40kms, not always easy.

As always, Dr Evil had planned a ending of tough sandy 4×4 tracks at the end, with some fast smooth single track that took us into the town, but boy was the wind blowing – nearly throwing us off our bikes!

So, easier day, nice fast ride and we finished 2 minutes, 30 secs up on the others, so now defend a slim advantage over them, it’s shaping up to be quite a bun fight!

Today is a good chance to blog about the use of waterpoints, nutrition and supplements while riding because you soon settled into a routine that suits you, but it needs to be carefully planned and as you approach each waterpoint you need to decide what you need, will do etc, so you don’t waste time. Here’s what I typically do each day;

It’s cool in the morning so I set out with 1.5litres in my hydropack and an empty bottle filled with my USN EpicPro recovery booster. NOTE     ! A hydropack is essential since water bottles tend to pop out on the rough stuff (I’ve counted two dozen strewn along the route in four days). Also in my pockets are; 1) two or three Powerbar gels (my preferred energy supplement), 2) one or two packets of re-hydrate (essential), and 3) a banana. Usually we reach waterpoint 1 within an hour and half, where I top up my hydro, and fill the bottle, taking two cups of coke or energade, and a couple of free mule bars.

At this point I chomp the banana as I’m leaving. About halfway into the race I begin on the EpicPro, a gulp every 20 minutes, otherwise sucking on the hydropack water. By waterpoint 2 I can usually just top up the bottle and add the re-hydrate (very important if it’s getting hot), since filling a hydro is a real time waster. I also eat the mule bars now for real food. At waterpoint three, depending how long the day is going, I top up the hydro. As for the Powerbar gels, these are brilliant for an instant kick of energy so I suck on these before each big hilly section.

Everyone has their own routine but it’s important to plan one, and get the routine right, forget one thing (like the re-hydrate) and it could really screw you up!

Occasionally along the route you splash through a river, and you can’t resist the temptation to dunk yourself in, as this guy was doing (exactly as I did) at a weir near the end of the stage!

Meanwhile at the front…another stage victory for Team Songo-Specialized DCM (Sauser/Stander), to add to the many they picked up last year, finishing in 3 hours, 33 mins, 01 secs, a full 90 seconds ahead of the Bulls. The German team of Platt/Sahm achieved their objective of defending the yellow ‘zebra’ jersey, as nearest rivals MTN Qhubeka (Evans/Lakata) couldn’t challenge them in the sprint to the end. Biggest losers of the day were Team Trek-Brentjens, who came in 20 minutes adrift, costing them in the overall rankings.

So, overall positions after day 4:

2010 Absa Cape Epic : All Teams – Overall Results: Stage 4 (provisional) Click on team to view details
Cat Position GC Position Team Name Category Overall Time
No. Rider 1 Country No. Rider 2 Country
1. 1. Bulls 1 Men 17:04.21,2
1-1 Karl Platt Germany 1-2 Stefan Sahm Germany
2. 2. MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon Men 17:10.39,4
9-1 Kevin Evans South Africa 9-2 Alban Lakata Austria
3. 3. Songo-Specialized by DCM Men 17:12.41,3
4-1 Christoph Sauser Switzerland 4-2 Burry Stander South Africa
4. 4. Trek world racing Men 17:20.48,8
7-1 Lukas Flückiger Switzerland 7-2 Mathias Flückiger Switzerland
5. 5. Trek-Brentjens Men 17:26.03,5
2-1 Bart Brentjens Netherlands 2-2 Jelmer Pietersma Netherlands
6. 6. Sanfindit.co.za / Full Dynamix Men 17:28.09,2
11-1 David George South Africa 11-2 Massimo Debertolis Italy
7. 7. DCM1 Men 17:28.27,9
13-1 Silvio Bundi Switzerland 13-2 Thomas Zahnd Switzerland
8. 8. Multivan Merida 1 Men 17:31.33,1
8-1 Hannes Genze Germany 8-2 Andreas Kugler Switzerland
9. 9. Rabobank-Giant Off Road Men 17:39.00,5
3-1 Emil Lindgren Sweden 3-2 Fabian Giger Switzerland
10. 10. Multivan Merida 2 Men 17:44.24,8
6-1 Jose Hermida Spain 6-2 Rudi Van Houts Netherlands

Posted in Inside the Epic, Nutrition & health. Tagged with .

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March 24, 2010

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Cape Epic 2010 Stage 3

Ceres to Ceres, 120kms, 1,800m climbing
7 hours, 29 mins, overall position 194/600, 41/123

Today was one of the biggest days of this year’s Epic, luckily for us the amount of climbing was reduced a bit due to a last-minute route change (accessibility denied by local farmer). For starters I didn’t sleep well (you need more than 6 hours before a 7 hour bike ride!), and I was a bit burnt out from the big effort the previous day.

Although long, the ride of Stage 3 consisted mainly of decent farm roads but significant single/dual track climbing into territory that is covered in snow in winter. Certainly the air was crisp though it was 36 degrees in the valley. Despite Wolf’s enthusiasm to get ahead at the beginning I just didn’t have the legs for it, and mindful this is only day 3, insisted we take it a bit easier. So we steadily lost ground as I waited for my muscles to kick into action.

It took half the day before that happened, by which time loads of teams had passed us. There was another problem, which I’m sure many other riders on the epic suffer, sore butt. This is the result of the super expensive but never fully comfortable Specialized Phenom saddle, with its clasp that tends to slip. I have two painful bruises on my butt and finally decided this morning to dump it in favour of my chunky older Specialized saddle. All the same, every bump was felt, and I was constantly out of the sadle peddling, to relieve the pain. So, make damn sure you are 100% comfortable with long rides on your saddle before you arrive at the race!

On long stages like this early in the event you start questioning the wisdom of racing out to maintain or improve your overall position. Already 80 teams (15% of the field) have retired or been broken by one member dropping out. It’s an 8 day race and I’m really mindful of bonking and having to bail later due to poorly timed effort. I’m sure many more ahead of me who went out enthusiastically today will. I kept reminding Wolf of this, he was anxious not to lose too much time to our rivals, Team Thailand, after gaining 30 minutes on them yesterday (I’m sure this scenario plays out between lots of other teams who are mates, and ultimately costs many their finishing medal as they lose sight of priorities!). In the end, despite a strong second half from us, Jon and Hamish were able to totally eliminate our advantage and gain 70 seconds on us overall, oh well!

So, some tough rocky climbs, nice single track descents, good views as well and a long day that ended again with shit sandy roads that were unrideable with tired legs.

So, after yesterday’s effort this was a bit disappointing but we did expect to lose a bit of time, I just didn’t expect to ride on lack of sleep and sore bum with legs that refused to work. Welcome to the Epic, it happens to everyone. Overall we slipped from 171 to 198, but there’s 5 more days to go.

On a sad note; there was a fatality on the Epic this morning (not the first time in the history of the race). James Williamson, a fellow riding journalist from Enduro Magazine in Australia had a heart attack in the early hours while in his tent. He was 26 and a champion rider who had achieved 18th overall so far with his partner Sean (this is among the elite riders!). I met him atop Table Mountain during the pre-race press tour, he struck me as a nice, down to earth guy. Needless to say we’re all very sad in the media centre. May there be endless great single track in your biking heaven James, RIP mate.

Meanwhile at the front: Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander (who dominated the stage wins last year but lost overall on a penalty), got their first victory this year for team Songo-Specialized (DCM) in 4 hours, 36 mins, 59 secs, and the Fluckiger brothers who cruelly lost out yesterday came in second, 4 mins and 10 secs behind to hand Trek World Racing their first stage win. The Bulls held on for third, 50 seconds back and snatched the yellow jersey after MTN Qhubeka lost 10 minutes and finished 10th.

Position GC Position Team Name Category Overall Time
No. Rider 1 Country No. Rider 2 Country
1. 1. Bulls 1 Men 13:30.06,8
1-1 Karl Platt Germany 1-2 Stefan Sahm Germany
2. 2. Trek-Brentjens Men 13:34.10,1
2-1 Bart Brentjens Netherlands 2-2 Jelmer Pietersma Netherlands
3. 3. MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon Men 13:36.36,8
9-1 Kevin Evans South Africa 9-2 Alban Lakata Austria
4. 4. Songo-Specialized by DCM Men 13:40.00,1
4-1 Christoph Sauser Switzerland 4-2 Burry Stander South Africa
5. 5. Sanfindit.co.za / Full Dynamix Men 13:42.18,9
11-1 David George South Africa 11-2 Massimo Debertolis Italy
6. 6. Trek world racing Men 13:42.27,2
7-1 Lukas Flückiger Switzerland 7-2 Mathias Flückiger Switzerland
7. 7. DCM1 Men 13:44.02,1
13-1 Silvio Bundi Switzerland 13-2 Thomas Zahnd Switzerland
8. 8. Lingier-Versluys Men 13:46.15,3
15-1 Nicolas Vermeulen Belgium 15-2 Kevin Van Hoovels Belgium
9. 9. Multivan Merida 1 Men 13:52.54,1
8-1 Hannes Genze Germany 8-2 Andreas Kugler Switzerland
10. 10. Rabobank-Giant Off Road Men 14:00.01,3
3-1 Emil Lindgren Sweden 3-2 Fabian Giger Switzerland

Posted in Inside the Epic. Tagged with .

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March 24, 2010

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Cape Epic 2010 Stage 2

Ceres to Ceres, 92kms, 1650m climbing
6 hours, 10 minutes, position 164/600 & masters 32/123

Today was all about single track! Eighty percent of the course was single track, or dual track, starting out at 7am (sunrise and dust: visibility poor!) as we wound our way across the valley floor through orange and apple orchards with some rolling single track to waterpoint 1. We went out fast, determined to get a good position before we hit the real single track (and to put some distance between us and Hamish/Jon).

The trail wound into the barren hills, climbing once, and then again from waterpoint two, so that we rose 1000m in 30km. Fortunately there was none of the rocky terrain underneath like the previous day but the gradient reach 20% at times and was a bit technical. Despite being seeded in group C (out of 7 groups) we found ourselves constantly bunched up behind other riders or having faster guys on your arse, haggling to overtake. Sometimes you have to patiently sit behind these people, it’s too much effort to overtake, but it’s a good opportunity to keep your heart rate in check.

Even more frustrating is the descent. I’m a demon downhill (since this is what I ride when it’s too hot for XC) and invariably you get someone less confident that you in front, so your advantage is lost and you can’t overtake without taking risks (a fall can put you out of the race). The first descent was technical and we were held up, but the second longer, windier and softer one was a dream. I had no one in front, no one behind pressuring me and I went flying down. Wolf, my partner is on a hardtail and held back. He seems to be pulling the pace so I used it to get a head start.

Ceres is well known as a single track MTB haven, the trails are good (though you need to climb tough stuff to enjoy the descent). Once we were down off the mountain and through stage three, there was a brilliant shaded trail, and even a fourth waterpoint (we tried to be very brief with our stops this time). But it’s deceptive, there’s a nice road back to Ceres but Dr Evil decided we needed 10kms more of ‘kak’ sandy roads which no one would usually choose to ride, and it was a punishing and cruel ending that seemed to go on and on. We managed to maintain our pace and finished strongly, jumping 35 places overall and almost into the top 25% of the masters group.

Meanwhile we waited at the finish line in anticipation to see how much time we had clawed back against Team Thailand, but after 30 minutes there was no sign of them. I was worried something nasty had happened, but later learned that Hamish hadn’t felt well in the morning and they had to take it easy.

I think tomorrow’s big day is going to have to be alot slower than this, I was really tired after this stage and needed a couple of hours on my back, dehydrated and listless. Luckily I get a massage and mechanic service from some outside guys, so I’m writing this from the chalets in the caravan park in the town.

Remember, the Epic is an 8 day race, so we’ve banked some good time but need to manage things better. After day three it gets better

Meanwhile at the front: dramas today, a maiden victory looked set for the brothers team: Trek World Racing, Mathias and Lukas Fluckiger but one of them suffered a broken derailler, handing the lead to World XC Champ Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel of Team Scott Swiss Power. But they punctured (on the tar road) and and a quick change didn’t work so they lost it.

Eventual winners: Team Trek-Brentjens, Bart Brentjens and Jelma Pietersma, lucked out and claimed victory in a thrilling finish that saw three teams fighting for it. Their time of 4 hours, 08 mins was 4 seconds ahead of The Bulls team of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm (Germany), while third placed MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon (Evans/Lakata) were a further 6 seconds back!

Posted in Inside the Epic. Tagged with .

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March 23, 2010

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Cape Epic 2010 Stage 1

Diemersfontein to Ceres, 110km, 2100m climbing
6hrs, 58 minutes, position 199 (out of 600 teams), Masters 41st (out of 132).

Phew! What a day. Woke up 5am with a headache and the logistical nightmare of getting to the start (1 hour away), where you had to check your bag in, and stand around in the starting chute for an hour to ensure we had a good position. All very exciting, nervous, along with the 800 others who are rookie Epic competitors.

Dr Evil, the notorious course designer, certainly gave us a wakeup call, with climbing immediately through hill landscape with tricky roads that went on for 25kms, getting steeper all the time. There was also some single track and steep descents that created an almighty bottle neck, but thankfully the last of this climb was easy on a tar road to the first water stop.

This was Bainskloof pass, all around us are stark Cape African mountains, treeless with green vineyards in the valley. This area is similar to the drier parts of the Mediterranean. From here there was a brilliant, fast, 10km descent and flat section at that bottom in which we drafted each other to gain some time.

The terrain here, even on the farm roads, is rough going, with stoney and sandy surface and plenty of corrugations that really jar the bones. It’s exhausting trying to maintain a pace over these roads. Sensing that most of these riders, being rookies, went out too fast and enthusiastically, I decided to hold back. Afterall at this point we were 40kms into the ride and my average heart-rate was already 145! Not sure how many others are riding according to HR, but I was wondering how on earth you get to 110kms without overcooking it.

We’re competing against our training friends from Team Thailand, Jon and Hamish, who seem to be constantly 2-3 minutes ahead. Every time we got each of the three water stop they were just leaving. After water point two the riders were challenged with the toughest hill of the day, a 5km dirt road pass rising some 600m, taking us into a desolate and uninhabited valley with the trail wandering through pine forest. Eventually you descend back down into the Vineyards below, and the downhill was full of loose rock and dangerous, luckily we were able to pick up time here. I’m also using powerbar gels for an instance energy boost just before big climbs and these really are effective.

Of course you really need to eat real foods while riding for 7 hours, and I can really give the thumbs up to Mule Bars, a South African product, which is a sponsor of the event. They have been dishing these out at the water points and I munched mostly on these, they come not only in an interesting and tasty variety of flavours but also sizes and textures.

Though you seldom have the energy to admire the scenery, it really is spectacular around here, barren, stark mountain ranges with dry valleys patchworked with vineyards. The route gave us plenty of vantage points.

By Water point three we’d done 80kms riding hard (HR 147!) and we were beginning to feel it. By now you should be chugging down your rehydration and energy boosters. I’m using USM EpicPro, which is actually a recovery supplement designed to be taken during the race, since it also restores lost minerals, includes protein and calories and few ‘secrets’ that leave you with a tingling feel. I can really recommend this product, the boost and recovery later in the race really is noticeable, and apart from some cramping late, I don’t feel too fatigued or wasted as I write this after the race.

The final twist from Dr, Evil was a gruelling 7km stretch on a disused railway line, slightly inclining and it really isn’t fun riding over sleepers, every kilometre seemed to take forever and I lost lots of time here, but when it was over there was a 2km descent to the Race village and finish line in the adjacent Ceres Valley. Thank Buddha! That was one of the tougher days and we finished just under 7 hours. Smugly, Team Thailand were there waiting for us, 10 minutes ahead.

Thankfully the organisers have had the forethought to now base the race a few days in each town, because however wasted we all were at the end you didn’t have much time to sit around and recover. You need to go and pick up your heavy kit bag and book a tent. Needless to say all those in the shade were long gone, and it’s hot in these parts. Meanwhile your bikes are whisked away from you as you finish by Pragma, a sponsor, who wash the bikes for you and place them in the bike park.

So, most people would be proud of getting through a 115km MTB race, imagine having to do it all over again 7 more days and still have to go and organise your tent, recharge your Garmin, get food, shower and so on. All the same, the experience is an exciting one.

Meanwhile, at the front…

First blood was drawn by a South African, much to the local’s delight, as Sani2C winner Kevin Evans, partnered by another Epic old hand Alban Lakata (Astria)  for team MTN Qhubeka Topeak Ergon,  winning stage 1 in 4 hours, 35 mins (Kevin btw, is the son of course designer Leon Evans aka ‘Dr Evil’). Four minutes behind them were favourites Songo-Specialized by DCM of former world champ Christoph Sauser and U23 world champ, South African Burry Stander. Third went to newcomers Rabobank-Giant Off Road; Emile Lungren and Fabian Giger, a minute behind, while defending Epic winners, the Bulls were pipped to fourth place by 30 seconds.

Posted in Big days out, Inside the Epic.

By admin
March 21, 2010

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Epic’s elite riders

No riding

Hanging out with the big boys

I’m writing this from the Cape Town V&A Waterfront, hyped as the second most visited attraction in Africa after the pyramids of Giza. This is the site of the registration of the Cape Epic, press conferences and general activity for the public.

We (the press) are all seated in a plush restaurant with a fantastic view of Table Mountain and in the foreground are some of the world’s best mountain bikers seated on a couch and being interviewed. Past and reigning World Champs, Olympic medallists, World Marathon (biking) Champs and general legends of the sport.

The great thing about this event is that the stars of the show are so accessible, I was able to corner a few afterwards for a quick chat, like multiple winner and grand old master of the sport, Bart Brentjens.

Over the space of an hour we get treated to comments from the 10 top team riders; starting with reigning Epic champs Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm, 2010 favourites Christoph Sauser (2008 World Champ) and Burry Stander, current World Champ Nino Schurter and his partner Florian Vogel, as well as Bart and his new partner Jelma Pietersma. Another name familiar to the Cycling Asian readers is David George, who won the 2006 Tour de Langkawi.

It’s interesting to hear their praise for this particular event, and the preparation needed for them to get here. Among these 20 riders, and several others, there’s a fair amount of musical chairs going on, so that many of these riders were paired with each other in different combinations and teams previously. This makes for an intriguing race, since they’re so familiar with other rider’s strengths.

Over the eight days and 35 hours it takes for the podium teams to finish a mere few minutes separate them at the end. Last year’s winners benefitted from a 1 hour time penalty handed out to the Specialized Team who needed to change a broken wheel on the race, relegating them from potential winners to 5th overall.

This is certainly the toughest of the races on the MTB multi-stage calendar, and the riders here are all ex winners of the Trans Alps and Trans Rockies, as well as short course racing.

Posted in Inside the Epic.

By admin
March 20, 2010

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