See Kevin's Facebook post: Kevin Vermaak 1 hr · Cape Town · Yesterday we announced that Cadel Evans and George Hincapie would be at the start line of 2017 Cape Epic competing for the increasingly competitive Masters jersey. I well-remember back to 2011, when Cadel won the Tour, thinking that it would be simply amazing to have Cadel ride the Epic one day. Finally, this is coming true, and frankly, it’s a coup for the Epic that his first real competitive mountain bike stage race since switching to road in 2001 is the Absa Cape Epic (and massive personal satisfictation that something of which I once dreamed is coming true ). Before the race this year I was in discussion with Cadel’s management regarding his participation in 2016. Cadel’s, and BMC’s, choice of partner was Big George - unsurprisingly. Unfortunately Cadel never recovered sufficiently swiftly from a planned knee operation earlier this year, and so we immediately started planning with BMC for 2017. I obviously knew about George’s doping history and that the offences to which he had confessed took place before the date from which we had introduced a life time ban for doping offences committed after 1 January 2013 (http://www.cape-epic.com/news/409) To my genuine surprise, we took some flak for promoting George’s participation. Let’s be clear – I personally was behind our zero-tolerance approach to doping, and nothing has changed whatsoever. I think that the criticism that has been levelled at us is based on an incorrect reading of the letter, and the spirit, of our anti-doping position. So let me try to explain it here: When we announced our lifetime-ban policy in November 2012, I said the following: “We’ve chosen not to apply this retrospectively because we believe that would be naive. As has been exposed in recent months, cycling has a dark past. Many riders from this previous era have rediscovered the joy of cycling as mountain bikers and participate in the Absa Cape Epic as their expression of riding clean. Previous offenders, who have served their suspension term, may ride future Absa Cape Epics. We want to be part of the new era of cleaner cycling, and therefore only future offenders will receive the lifetime bans.” Frankly, I can’t think of many riders to whom these sentiments apply to more completely than Big George. As soon as it was on the cards that Cadel would ride with George (about a year ago), I read his book, The Loyal Lieutenant https://www.amazon.com/Loyal-Lieutenant-Leadin…/…/0062330926. If you’ve not yet read it, do yourself a favour, and get a copy. It’s so refreshingly honest and such a simple expose of life as a pro-cyclist and what it takes to become one. I've read many of the plethora of books that were published after September 2012, starting with The Secret Race, and George’s is the one that does not leave you with a feeling that there was some secondary agenda other than honestly telling one’s lifestory. George and I have traded countless emails in the last 12 months, and I can’t wait to welcome him and his family to Cape Town and to take him on my favourite route around Table Mountain before the Epic starts next year. It’s going to be a huge honour. As far as the Cape Epic’s rules are concerned they are crystal clear: riders who committed a doping offence after January 1, 2013, face a lifetime ban. Those whose offence was committed before that date and are not currently sanctioned, can ride the Epic. Besides the comments I made in 2012, part of the reason for not introducing a retrospective ban is enshrined in the legal principle that you cannot change the law to address a crime after it has been committed: in other words, we did not believe it would be fair to ban people for life when they had been operating under a WADA regime which at the time prescribed a maximum two year ban for doping offences. After January 1, 2013, prospective Epic entrants would know that if they were caught doping, they faced a lifetime ban from the race. By the way, George will not be the first former-pro road rider convicted of doping to ride the Epic. Udo Bölts, the former Telekom pro (famous for telling Jan Ullrich to “suffer - you pig”) who finished 13 consecutive Tours from 1992 to 2003, is a 7-time Epic finisher. In fact, it was with my friend, Udo, in mind that I made the comment about “many riders from this previous era have rediscovered the joy of cycling as mountain bikers and participate in the Absa Cape Epic as their expression of riding clean”. After his first few days at the 2008 Cape Epic, Udo said: “I’ve finished 13 Tours de France and the camaraderie at the Absa Cape Epic beats anything I experienced in my 15-year professional road cycling career. I love this race and I'm sure I’ll be back to ride it again.” Udo has subsequently become a multiple Masters and Grand Masters champion of the Absa Cape Epic. George made his confession in 2012 about events pre-2009, so his participation in the race neither contradicts the letter nor the spirit of our rules. Finally, I should point out that these rules have been in existence for several years. Our stance, and welcoming George to ride in 2017, has absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with our recent acquisition by Ironman.
