This week Oli shares three stories from teams who battled jippo guts, ITB and an inquisitive son during last week’s ABSA Cape Epic. These okes are the real Cape Epic heroes. by Oli Munnik While professional riders receive the lion’s share of the Absa Cape Epic media coverage they in fact, at most, make up only 10% of the field. During our tour of duty, Al ‘The Weapon’ Davies and I enjoyed the company of a few ‘run-of-the-mill’ teams who exemplify the effort and sacrifice it takes to overcome the incredible odds required to simply complete the 718kms and 14850m of vertical ascent over the course of eight days. While we know the escapades of the pros I would like to share three stories from teams who battled jippo guts, ITB and an inquisitive son. These okes are the real Cape Epic heroes. http://www.bicycling.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Gary-PerkinCape-EpicSPORTZPICS-2-e1396524005877.jpgPhoto by Gary Perkin/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS When hundreds of people with highly stressed immune systems come together sharing communal eating, sleeping and ‘relieving yourself’ facilities the chance of catching the dreaded jippo guts ‘bug’ becomes very real. Team Nguni Bulls, comprising of Andrew and Rens (both local Cape Town okes), experienced the debilitating effects of a stomach bug. After making good headway, mid-way through Stage 5 Andrew’s body decided that self preservation was most important, shutting down to protect itself. He had caught a bug. . http://www.bicycling.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Emma-HarropCape-EpicSPORTZPICS-300x199.jpgPhoto by Emma Harrop/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS Andrew had perhaps helped himself to one too many salted potatoes or snotty jelly beans at one of the water points where hundreds of hands make direct contact with the nutrition itself. Or maybe it was one too many high fives where hand-to-hand contact can spread germs like wildfire. Or perhaps it was simply bad luck – something all too common at the Epic. Despite feeling rougher than a bear’s arse, the fire in Andrew’s belly (no pun intended) saw him promise Rens, come hell or high water, that he would make it to Lourensford. It is in these moments where partnerships are tested to the max. For three days, Rens called in the heavy artillery – his guns – pushing and pulling Andrew whenever and wherever he could. By Sunday, Ren’s compassion had seen Andrew able to conserve enough energy to pedal onto the lawn at Lourensford, victorious despite the odds. Result! http://www.bicycling.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Karin-SchermbruckerCape-EpicSPORTZPICS-2-e1396524508218.jpgKarin Schermbrucker/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS The second partnership I have to highlight is Wim and Chris, riding as Paarl Media Machines, were also pushed to the limit with Chris falling victim to the mother of all tight ITBs. The reason was two fold: Firstly, Chris had two weeks to prepare after he was super-subbed in to replace Stephen who had broken his ankle and secondly, Chris, a multiple SA Champ (XC, BMX and DH) and current masters DH World Champ had admittedly underestimated the challenge that is the Cape Epic. Arriving with a bike with 180mm cranks (longer than the usual 175mm) and a 2×10 gear setup with NO front derailleur Chris’s setup had The Weapon and me scratching our heads. He assured us that longer cranks gave him more leverage and manual shifting up front wasn’t that difficult. We weren’t sure from which cave Chris had recently crawled up and out, but, by Stage 3 he had fitted shorter cranks and a front derailleur! On the ITB front, not used to such long distances, Chris soldiered through the event with Wim in close support. Despite shifting his cleats and adjusting his setup, the pain was so bad that he could hardly walk once off the bike. He showed incredible perseverance, literally pedalling with one leg over the last three stages, in order to accompany Wim to the finish line in Lourensford. Next level vasbyt. Al and I had the pleasure of sharing many laughs with Team Premium Boys, Ernie and Gene, two sout van die aarde Pretoria boytjies who were bleeding through the Epic, but always had a smile on the dials. While Ernie and Gene were solid on their bikes, their challenges were more on the home front. Ernie’s wife had given birth 4 weeks prior to the Epic and, with him having spent the past few months preparing for the race, was skating on thin ice. So, in fact, simply arriving on the start line was a miracle in itself for him … he was somehow able to juggle his family, work and sporting commitments like a boss. Ernie’s teammate, Gene also had an interesting story behind his Cape Epic journey. When leaving for the Epic, Gene’s three year old lightie, Liam, couldn’t quite wrap his head around why his Pa was booking out with his mountain bike for an entire week … thinking on his feet, Gene told Liam that he was going in search of Toothless, his favourite cartoon character from the movie How to Train Your Dragon (don’t worry I also had to Google it!). On hearing this, Gene was now in the ilk of a superhero. Every night, Liam would hear tales of his father’s adventures in search of Toothless. After a few close calls, on Saturday’s Stage 6 Gene had managed to catch Toothless by they tail, but, having been in the pain cave the whole morning, he wasn’t able to hold his grip: Toothless had escaped! Ouma and Oupa, babysitting back home in Pretoria, were picking up the pieces as Liam was beside himself that Toothless was proving to be so evasive. http://www.bicycling.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/toothless_by_spacevoyager-d5rm4k0-e1396524899573.jpg However, on Sunday, in the mist and rain above Grabouw, Gene got a GPS lock on Toothless, tracked him down and cable tied him to his Camelbak. It was a magnificent moment. Toothless, who was unharmed during his capture, was coming home! High fives all round. Gene only had one problem. He didn’t quite know if his son was expecting a Toothless figurine (which he had ‘captured’ at the Epic but in fact cleverly bought online) or an actual living, breathing version of the cartoon character. Al was quick to chirp that Gene could always opt for a pet Likkewaan! Good luck cable-tying that to your Camelbak we joked! While the riders at the sharp end of the race are giving it their all, there are many untold adventures in the pain cave that go unheard. It was fantastic to be amongst the rank and file riders who have literally overcome mountains to earn their finisher medals. Congrats to each and every one who finished and importantly, to every rider who arrived on the start line. Not everyone is able to finish, but simply getting to the Cape Epic start line is an achievement in itself. http://www.bicycling.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Karin-SchermbruckerCape-EpicSPORTZPICS-e1396524680424.jpgPhoto by Karin Schermbrucker/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS The value of partnership in the Epic cannot be over emphasised. Whatever your result, veels geluk, I hope you found your own personal version of Toothless during your journey from Meernedal to Lourensford. Ciao ciao Oli
