janbiker

I'm Belgian. And the bashing of the hotel is because I first contacted the hotel and they referred me to the Epic organisation. Epic said, and I quote: "Unfortunately the hotel is unable to refund riders not using their post-accommodation package as per their cancellation policy." A communication that I can only understand as: it's the hotel that does not want to refund.

Via Epic because coach transfer was element of that package. And I will come back to you when, you never know, the entry for this year will give us access to next year's edition. So you can help me with a less convenient but much cheaper option.

Some people, like my co-rider, can only just afford to do the Epic. It's a dream so they use their savings to buy a decent bike, train and pay for the entry. They buy a ticket for a flight, book a cheap b&b for the days leading up to the Epic and return one night after the event is over. To lose the race because of cancellation and no refunding in sight yet, needing to book other, extra, lodging because you can not rebook your flight, spend money on food and drinks, whilst worrying whether and when you will return home and how your family is doing, that there will be no work nor income for you when you return home... Yes, then you may expect that some of the bigger players do not keep 100% of the money they get paid for their non-performed service. As nearly all hoteliers are doing in Europe and as one of the Cape Town guesthouses we stayed in did when we asked them to delete one night.

Yes, you can. Because you are a South African. We had to find ways to transport 2 bikes, luggage and riders. Together with a lot of other international riders. The number of taxis/ubers able to do this are limited, so yes the hotel option is by far the best one.

Just received the message that the not used post Epic accomodation will not be refunded "as per their cancellation policy". This was an expensive booking as for many international riders it was the only way to be able to get from Val de Vie back to Cape Town (without spending huge amounts on taxi's that can fit the bikes). So that's why you book this expensive room. And then: no refund. What a crap hotel chain. I do hope this is the last time this hotel will be used and that the Epic will take extra care of reading the small print and cancellation policies.

So many tyres, so many stories. Basic: grip, tubeless and sidewall protection. Rode Epics with Schwalbe (2, rara-roro) and Conti's (1, King), all without any flats or other problems. If you are a top 50 racer, I can't help you as you probably choose riskier lines, rely on breaking harder and will prefer to run lighter tires. But in that case you should know what to run :-).

You don't need to know where the water points are. At least not the km's where they are. Because sometimes there will be only 20km between WPs, sometimes 40. But that does not matter so much as all km's are not equal. If you ride an 8hr stage time and have 3 WP's they will be more or less at 2, 4 & 6 hrs riding. And so you'll have to adjust your nutrition around time in the saddle instead of km's. If you're not racing or don't need to finish within the first 200 teams, carry a camelback/osprey so you'll always have enough to drink and take some bars/gels with you and you will not bonk. Just don't forget to eat and drink.

No it's not melodramatic. I'm not stating that HT is as hard as SS or fatty, just that there are many ways to ride the Epic. But I would not recommend riding a HT, SS or fat tire and would always advise to take the dual sus. Take also into account that the years of riding endless farm roads are over in the Epic. The terrain has become more varied and so why not use the perfect piece of tech designed to tackle it? Many, thousands of people have ridden the Epic with rim brakes, but I would not recommend that either. It's not because it has been done that it is something to recommend.

Just to make it clear: the Epic I mentioned is the Cape Epic, not the bike .

Is there anyone out there who has ridden the Epic or will ride the Epic with a dropper post? Can you tell something about the experience you had/reasoning behind using the dropper post? Would you recommend it? Because I'm very average riding technical parts, I'm thinking of making life a little bit easier. And just to reply already: more skill classes are not an option (did my part there, but stil very hesitant going downhill), I don't mind the extra 500 grams (I carry much more extra on my body) and yes, I know the Epic is not very technical (finished twice, so I know).

Yes, you can do the Epic on a HT and yes, you can do it on a tandem or singlespeed or fat tires. But is it something to recommend? No. If you're an average rider you'll spend lots of hours on the bike. Excluding prologue and time trial you will ride between 5 and 10 hrs, daily. So spare your legs and bum/rear from that bucking wheel at the back and ride dual sus. Not for the technical descending (although dual will help there as well), but for the many hours on corrugated roads and singletrack. Where after a few days you'll start to feel each bump. You'll be glad to stay on the saddle of the dual sus and not have to stand and take all those bumps. The weight penalty for riding dual sus is minor and while riding the Epic I witnessed a lot of technical problems with bikes of friends and partners, but none with the rear suspension. Service the suspension a few weeks before the start and it will be fine.

Hi guys, thank you all for the (cryptic/funny/...) replies. But I have found a riding partner. See (some of) you in March!

Euh, I don't understand this.

Hi, I have an entry for the 2018 Cape Epic and I had a riding partner. But that partner has just decided to drop out, leaving me no other option than to search for a new partner. What you should know about me? I'm a 53yo man, living in Europe and have finished the 2014 & 2016 Epic, middle of the pack (places 200-300). I take the Cape Epic serious (and will be trained well) but I prefer good memories and lots of laughing and fun above trying to win at all costs that one place to take me from 290th to 289th. What sort of partner am I looking for? Someone who adores riding a bike, is not too young (preferable master or grand master) and has the athletic abilties to ride a mid pack finish. A good sense of humour and positive view of life is important. Living in Western Europe could be a plus, so that we can meet before travelling to SA. But it is no must. And you will, to be clear, pay half of the entry. If you are interested, please don't hesitate to get in touch (via pm) and we can find out if a new partnership can get underway.

Only top contenders (men and women) are seeded. As a lot (half ?) of the teams are newbies you can not seed them. Congestion problems will be in the first part of the prologue, the infamous Stairway to Heaven. If you get stuck behind 3 teams (or you have 3 teams in your wheel) there is hardly space to pass, especially with both riders of the team. So if you can pass or let pass some of them before the switchbacks start, do so. After that part roads are wider and easier, on the downhill singletracks congestion is rare. And don't forget, with the small starting batches of 50 teams you will be able to make up plenty of time in the 7 stages. You know the old adagium: "you can not win the race in the prologue, but you can lose it there". We will start at 9:05. Good luck to all of you!

Bottom line: decrease volume, keep frequency and intensity. More: http://www.usacycling.org/optimal-tapering-strategies.htm

I'd like to add this: if you have not used a camelback during your training so far and are not used to ride with one, you should definitely use it during your last long sessions these last 3 weeks. It is important that you get used to riding with that thing on your back for a long time and that you get the straps right. Don't try it for the first time on stage one of the Epic, you will not like it.

I rode the 2014 with a camelback and one bottle, and will not be carrying the camelback this year. It's just too much weight on my back, the camelback(pack) tends to fill itself with all kind of unnecessary and weighty stuff and it was a hassle to refill at the waterpoints: not easy to do and not always clear how much water I did put in. I always ended up at the finish with way too much water in the camelback. Just stupid extra weight. And it takes a lot of cleaning each evening, especially after a hot day. Most teams we rode with (midpack) did not carry a camelback. We had a waterpoint at least within each two hours of riding and the waterpoints were spread pretty evenly over the stage(s). Even on our longest ride (over 7 hrs) there were 3 waterpoints, so you can do the math. Two big bottles (one on full sus frame, one on seatpost) will do for us. But if I would ride closer to the cut off times, I would probably go for a camelback. Or another way of looking at it: how did you handle the drinking on your longest training rides? How many times did you stop for a refill? How many bottles did you carry? The answers will probably provide you the solution for your drinking during the Epic. And yes, it is easier to drink from a camelback on more technical parts, but most of the times I would drink from the camelback I could also drink from a bottle. On the real technical stuff I needed both hands and all my concentration to stay on the course and on the bike.

- This week 14 hrs (4 training sessions + 1 short recovery, longest 5 hrs) - Next week 15 hrs (4 + 1, longest 6,5 hrs and 1 technical training) - Week 3: 10 hrs (4+1, longest 3 hrs) - Final week: 3,5 hrs (3 sessions and tapering), start travelling on Tuesday. Arriving in Cape Town on Wednesday morning and hoping to have a ride on the prologue route on Thursday or Friday to check out the climbs and the technical descent part (that part that had loads of riders crashing in 2015). New tires, cassette, chain and brake pads on bike in week 3, to be able to have some rides with the new parts in that week. Suspension (front and back) has been serviced last week, some CTD-parts renewed as well. Major worries: not falling ill (flue "epidemic" doing the rounds in Belgium), finding sufficient time in between rain and sleet showers to train outside and shedding the final 2 kilo's.

I'd like to add: - 2 water bottles or 1 camelback will do. The rest is excess weight you'll never use and just carry along - get in to the starting chutes early if you want to better your ranking. You will profit from the quick start (especially in the first batches). - if really fast teams descend/climb much faster than you do, let them pass where possible - if you are a fast descending/climbing team: don't be pushy, most teams will give you passing space as soon as possible - while you are descending, remember: speed is your friend. But don't ride out of your technical comfort zone. - you'll meet a lot of nice people racing. Enjoy their company, crack a joke, encourage. Don't be an obsessive racing jerk. Even most of the pro's are easygoing, fine guys and girls. - try to eat breakfast 2 hours before starting. Eat a lot. Especially if you don't feel like eating: eat. - don't shave your legs, leave that for roadies And here are some "always": - always let the weaker rider lead on the hills or she/he'll blow up trying to follow the stronger one. And the drafting/wind factor is as good as nonexistent when you hit 10% climbs, so don't worry about that. - if you see someone that has crashed or has a big technical, always ask if they need help. You'd love it if you are the one that crashed - always let them lube the chain at the waterpoints. Always. - for white Northern hemisphere participants: always apply sunscreen royally. Even on your back if you don't wear an undershirt. The SA sun can be a bitch and sleeping on a reddish back can become as hard as racing the Epic; - And this you know, but don't try to be smart: always ride tubeless.

Route 2016. For each stage max stage time is indicated.

It was like this: you will be woken up each morning around 5 AM. First start is at 7 AM. Depending on the route (and to avoid traffic jams at steep climbs and single tracks), batches (8 in total) may or may not be combined and start 10 or 15 minutes apart. Last one will usually have a start between 7.45 and 8.30 AM. The last stage tends to have a later start as it usually has less kilometers and less climbing. But as this year's race may well be faster ( and subsequently less time in the saddle, see also lower cut off times and shorter distances), I wouldn't be surprised to see more later starting times.

I read some reports of walking long sandy stretches last year, parts that seem to be included this year as well. In 2014 there was not a lot of walking, some in stage 1 (too steep) and stage 7 (obligatory for everyone). If you are light and strong and fast, you will probably not walk a lot. But if you are all that, you would probably not question the forum about walking a lot...

At my first Epic I had the same questions. But if you are properly trained and your bike is properly serviced before the start you don't have to worry about cut off times. I don't know but assume that most riders quit the race because of crashes or injuries, not because of the cuf off times. The strategy of calculating minimum average speed mentioned above is a good one. We used is for the first 2 stages. But after that we were confident about our speed and abilities and stopped worrying about cut off times. There are some other riding strategies you can apply: - study the stage profile the day before and be aware where the main hills/mountains and waterpoints are. You will probably receive a sticker you can put on your frame that shows the profile of that day's stage. It will remind you on where you are. - go to the rider briefing each night. Sometimes the stages are being changed last minute and it is good to know that the stage will be longer or harder (hardly never shorter and easier) - divide the stage into pieces (mini-goals) so you are not being scared off by the total amounts of kilometers and climbing that day - let the weakest rider lead uphill so he does not blow up trying to follow the stronger one. I think this is the most important one, It takes some discipline, especially from the stronger one as he wants to lead and kill the hill. But let the weaker one set the pace. - on flatter parts and against the wind the strong one can lead (should) - think about a waterpoint strategy: decide what you need and how to get it. And always let the guys lube the chain! - it is a race, and as in most races there are always teams in each starting group that start very fast. Let them. Don't burn yourself in the first kilometers. It is not worth is, especially as you don't know if the fast starters are really good (and in a lower starting group because of a big mechanical the day before) or are not very good climbers and try to win some time on the flat parts that each stage usually starts with. Good luck!