Please forgive the long post, didn't realise it would turn into a whole essay š
Newbieās experience of 1st CE:
Let me start by giving a brief overview of how I prepared for this event:
The opportunity came along in October 2024, when a gentleman posted in our local cycling group that his partner pulled out. I jumped at the opportunity as it has been a life-long dream for me to take part. At this stage I already had a good base fitness and solid technical skills as Iāve been riding for a few years, the last year or so up to that point, being the most focused and longest consistent riding/training Iāve ever done. I didnāt want to go and āsurviveā the Epic, I wanted to go ride it, and enjoy it without killing myself. My philosophy training towards Epic was āIāll rather cry in training than bleed in Epicā so wanted to be as prepared as possible physically and mentally.
As much as it is an MTB event, itās equally an endurance event so I had a big focus on my base fitness, especially during December and a bit of Jan. Typically doing weeks of about 16 to 18 hours in December - long Zone 2 Gravel or Road rides. As Epic would mostly be 5/6 hour days, I wanted to make sure I could ride for that long, focusing on pacing, and nutrition. You have to race how you train - train your RPE, train your gut, and your mind, that, at 4 hours plus youāre not just in survival mode. It is for this reason that at the end of longer endurance rides, I would add short higher intensity efforts so my body can get accustomed to still pedalling hard at the end of the ride and train durability. Itās not fun kakking off at the end of the ride and just being on the back foot. I believe this helped my resilience a great deal, and I feel thereās generally not enough focus on that. Many of the stages end on some nasty climbs so always good to have that extra kick when you need it.
I had a big focus on managing recovery and fatigue. I think itās very easy to only focus on getting in the training hours, but not prioritising rest and recovery to the same extent. Cumulatively with work, home responsibilities and training (on and off the bike) itās easy to overlook such an integral aspect. Itās hard not to tick every single box every single day, and easy beat oneself up or feel like you let yourself down if you didnāt achieve what you wanted. Once or twice every now and again wonāt make a difference, itās more the trend of consistency over the months, and dare I say years, that stand you in good steed for an event of this kind.
Itās not only about the legs! I know, this is not exactly news, but so many cyclists I know donāt do anything besides ride their bikes. Core, back, hip flexors, upper body and general mobility are so integral for cycling, especially mountain biking. I love mountain biking because of how engaging and a full-body workout it is. Some of the Epic descents were fast, bumpy, and heavy on the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck etc. If you donāt have basic strength to support your upper body it makes it so much more likely that youāll fall and injure yourself, especially later 4,5,6 plus hours in the saddle where general fatigue sets in and your focus goes out the window.
Now, I havenāt been to a gym in probably 15 years, as I just donāt like the vibe and environment. Having hurt my back skateboarding when I was a teenager (shifted L5, pinched nerves etc), it was kind of a blessing in disguise as I really ended up developing a strong core, flexibility, and stability. I really couldnāt deal with the debilitating pain anymore, and didnāt want an operation, so the only other option was strength building exercises and stretching which really healed my back, and later in life took my cycling to the next level. Again, it is about incorporating these exercises into your training week without it affecting your cycling negatively and managing the total fatigue. I would keep it to basic body weight exercises and calisthenics such as pull-ups, push-ups, dumbbell exercises, exercises on gym ball, that kind of thing. Maybe 2 or 3 times a week, short sessions of 15-20min that just pretty much activate the muscles, at least 6 to 8 hours gap from a cycle (if I am riding the same day, but not often).
I would typically structure my week like this:
Monday: Always off
Tuesday: 1.5-2 hour easy ride
Wednesday: 2 hours, with intervals/threshold/higher intensity in the middle
Thursday: 1 Hour easy fasted ride OR if Iām racing on the weekend (Saturday) take off.
Friday: Easy 2 hour coffee ride
Saturday: Easy Road or Gravel ride of 5,6,7 Hours
Sunday: Easy 3 or 4 hour
It wasnāt exactly like this every week, I just kind of worked within this framework. One intensity session, 2 longer endurance rides, and the rest just kind of fun or not too serious. Rides were also mostly MTB (as I only own an MTB haha), except for the Saturday rides which were often on tar or gravel in a group.
Efficiency is another often overlooked aspect of cycling, especially MTB. Yes, on a one or two hour ride it doesnāt make that much of a difference, but over a long endurance ride, and even more so over 8 days of hard, long hours in the saddle, it adds up. The little things are the big things. Pedal efficiency and cadence is so underestimated. I canāt tell you how many times I rode next to guys who, at the beginning of a lengthy climb, go up a few gears, get out the saddle, pedal hard and spike heart rate. 10 seconds later theyāre seated and out of breath. You do this multiple times over a 6 hour ride, and youāve spent so much more energy then youāve really needed to. Then I just spin by, keeping my heart rate low and thus conserving more energy. Efficiency also extends to navigating technical sections smoothly, allowing the bike to move underneath you, managing your weight transfer, choosing a good/straight/smooth line, focusing on exit speed out of corners and carrying momentum so you donāt have to burn a match trying to get back on the pedals again.
Ultimately one has to find what works for the individual, and as mentioned in another post, there is no āone-size-fits-allā solution here. Above all, the training plan needs to be sustainable and doable over a long period of time through consistency as I think that is the most important part of improving and building fitness. Progressive overload with a rest week in the mix (every 4th week or so) is also key here to avoid plateauing.
I donāt have a coach, never had one, just did my own research and applied through discipline and consistency to see what works and not. There are just some simple truths that apply to cycling that one (at least in my opinion) wonāt need a coach for. Up to a certain point that is obviously. Once Iāve recovered financially from Epic (haha!) later in the year, iIāll look at getting a coach to optimise my riding and take it a bit further. Thereās always room for improvement!
Iāve done a handful of stage races like Tankwa, W2W, etc. so not completely new to the vibe.
Onto the actual Cape Epic 2025 experience:
Firstly, it broke the bank, haha! Truthfully I couldnāt really afford it, but I was not going to pass on an opportunity to make one of my biggest dreams come true, YOLO right?! Fortunately I could work out a payment plan so that really helped as I would not have been able to fork out such a chunk of change at once. In general MTBāing is outside of my tax bracket, but it gives me life and I canāt imagine life without it so yaā¦ there are more destructive things to be addicted to I guess. I have to remind myself, though, that Iām not exactly the target market ( A musician and music teacher, haha!). Their catch phrase āThe untamed AFRICAN mountain bike raceā (or something to that effect) clearly shows that itās directed at foreigners with Euros and Dollars, so even though itās not necessarily ācheapā for them, they are the ones who have no problem forking out that R35 on a soft drink.
For the price tag I truthfully (naively?) expected a 5 Star experience on every level. I love camping and donāt mind roughing it out so I was quite happy with the tent setup. Only thing was that when you want to recover in your tent post hot day out, the tent (when the days were hot) is like an oven as theyāre parked in direct sun. As one would expect with a lot of ātrafficā, the toilets/porta looās were less than ideal, and the showers left much to be desired. I canāt tell you what exactly the solution would have been. Often the ablution facilities were without running water to wash your hands, and a stench from the toilets that would just hang around that you could smell from your tent as the campsite was near it. The food was good, not great, but good. It was sufficient. I am fortunate that my folks stay in Somerset West, so after 3 days at Camp, I decided to rather go sleep in a lekker big, warm bed, eat some home cooked food, enjoy a clean toilet and shower. Really grateful I had the option to, otherwise I think the event could have been a bit harder. Ultimately, this kind of event, as much as it is a challenge, is also a recovery game. So, youāre either riding, eating, or resting/sleeping.
I do have to say though, the riding was absolutely sublime. Right up my alley - mostly single track, beautiful scenery, tough climbing, technical parts; PROPER mountain biking. Route was clearly marked, water points were well-stocked (at least when we passed), and the vibe and support along the route (āgeesā if you will) was very lekker and encouraging.
We were riding in batch D, so despite the odd bit of traffic in some technical sections, flowed pretty well for the most part. I donāt think the same could be said for people a bit further back. I heard that there was A LOT of waiting around, walking in sections that otherwise could have been ridden. Itās just unfortunate as the consequence then is, a person who would have been out for letās say 6h30 hours, now is out for 8 hours, or more, compounded by elements such as heat, is not a good time. That extra time takes away some of your (critical) recovery time, and thus making the next day harder than it needs to be. After a few days of this, the knock-on/ripple effect is real and tangible.
Would I do it again? If I got a sponsored entry, Heck Yes! But it is a huge financial commitment for someone like me, and even though physically and mentally strong enough, and thoroughly enjoyed it, from a financial perspective, it is hard to justify. The expenses add up - travel, possible accommodation, bike parts, and redoing your bike top to bottom again (the mud did a number on my bike lol) after the fact is a lot. But I am truthfully grateful to be able to tick it off my bucket list, and to have made it through without any injuries/serious falls, or major mechanicals. I also canāt believe I got to meet my all-time hero, Nino Schurter, and grab a quick pic with him. Heās been an inspiration to me for the longest time as I do a lot of his exercises (check Youtube), and would most likely not have had the opportunity to anywhere else. From this experience, I can definitely say I came out a much better athlete and mountain biker, I will forever cherish these memories. As always, just #anotherkakdayinafrica - good times!
