Updated with additional content on 28/10/21
In reading all of the comments above it's clear that some would like a perspective from teams a bit farther back than the pros pace We finished at the end of the top 1/3 of starting teams, or as one of our new pals called from team 95-110 the "hornets nest" These notes include our tire changes, crash tally and time lost due to mechanicals, also posted in the 2021 Cape Epic thread.
Team ROAD ID is made up of a Masters Team (40+), 44 (Edward with 1 Swiss) and 47 (James 2 Swiss, 1 Cape, 1 Pioneer) under their belts. Edward was a former Cat-2 racer and has about 27 months of MTB experience. James doesn't have a race background before 2018, a year in which he started riding multi day stage events. Both Riders are based in the USA, in the states of Kentucky and Ohio. They've known each other for just under 5 years, both are married and each have two sons. Edward is the Co-Founder and CEO of Road-ID, James is in packaging sales, and is also a bike shop owner.
Our teams Experience of the 2021 Cape Epic. Hope you enjoy it as much as Team ROAD ID did.
The 2020 Route (revised) for 2021 consists of a pro-logue in Cape Town at the University around Table Mountain and 7 stages based in the Cities of Ceres, Tulbagh, Wellington, and Val de Vie.
Pro-Logue: UCT Finished 35th Cat and 155th Overall, 20KM 600 Meters
We were able to pre-ride this a few times, but Plum Pudding can be slick after the rain, and really held some folks up, my partner Ed ended up with a front flat at the bottom of it, and had to ride a cushcore 5km to the finish as we could not seal the puncture on course. 1st tire down....and 7 minutes lost. (replaced the front Kenda Booster Pro 2.4 tire with a Maxxis Rekon 2.4) (Crashes James 0 and Edward 1)
Stages 1 Ceres to Ceres 29th Cat and 121st Overall E batch Start 98 KM and 1850 Meters
The Ceres stages were a true surprise for us. The amazing amount of flow and fun single track were a treat. I had a front puncture near the top of one climb that cost a few minutes but we rallied well on Stage 1. (first tire down for James, replaced the front Kenda Booster Pro 2.4 tire with a Maxxis Rekon Race 2.4) two tires down for the team. 4 Minutes due to the puncture.
(Crashes James 0 and Edward 2)
Stage 2 Ceres to Saronsburg 23rd cat and 118th Overall D batch Start 96 KM and 2100 Meters (Queen stage?)
Ceres to Saronsburg was a real mental test, the trails were a treat, but a "bad" DT Swiss EXP ratchet cost us dearly. The freehub would not engage and the first time we trouble shot this it cost us 12 minutes. We had to physically remove the rear wheel, pop off the cassette ad freehub and pry the ratchet out with my 2.5 mm wrench. This happened a total of 4 times, and cost us around 20 total minutes. Lynwood cycles was nice enough to loan us an extra wheel until DT Swiss was able to replace the freehub with a new one. Apparently this is a known issue, but we were not made aware. Multiple people were impacted by this during the race, and it ALMOST cost one team a finisher medal...you can do better DT Swiss. (thanks to our mechanic Danie for sorting us out) 20 Minutes lost to the DT Swiss Issue.
(Crashes James 0 and Edward 3)
The Ceres stages were a true surprise for us. The amazing amount of flow and fun single track were a treat. I had a front puncture near the top of one climb that cost a few minutes but we rallied well on Stage 1. (first tire down for James, replaced the front Kenda Booster Pro 2.4 tire with a Maxxis Rekon Race 2.4) two tires down for the team.
Stage 3 Saronsburg to Saronsburg 23rd Cat, 111th overall D batch Start 91km and 2100 Meters
No mechanical issues, and no crashes, wow what a ride, amazing trails, less jeep track than I'd imagined possible and so much fun. We worked well as a team and had plenty left in the tank for Stage 4. Rest and recovery went well, and the soft rear brake was brought to our mechanics attn to hopefully fix. Highlight of the day, mandatory Covid test . A major positive, our first day of Zero Mechanicals and Crashes
(Crashes James 0 and Edward 3)
Stage 4 Saronsburg to Slanghoek 22nd Cat, 104th Overall, C Batch Start 73KM and 1650 Meters
Well, it started out bad, as I'd forgot my bottles in the camper van, and had to run back and get them last second. This led to us starting near the back of our group. We then went out hot, and heavy, but after having a lead out by the overall Marathon World champ (his partner dropped out with GI issues the day before) Ed had a rear puncture 8km in, and we lost that advantage. We were rolling at 45km an hour when sealant sprayed all over me. We had a quick fix of the puncture, but the damage was done. To add insult to injury my rear brake had issues the day before and the interim fix of a shagura setup led to a wonkey AXS rear shifter that need 3 fingers to operate and a 25% power in the rear brake. While this was challenging mentally it did not have an overall impact. We fought back to the c batch and finished with our group.....damage mitigated. Mechanicals are part of racing and definitely make better stories. Danie (mechanic) and myself rolled to Stellenbosch to grab a replacement Magura lever to address the brake challenge. (tire number two for Ed for the week, done and dusted) 4 total tires down, and Ed had his worst crash of the week, looked worse than it was and we flew on the day. Mechanicals 4 Minutes today.
Crashes James 0 and Edward 4)
Stage 5 Wellington to Wellington 25th Cat, and 106th overall, C batch Start 84KM and 2900 Meters
The REAL queen stage of the week......they said Stage #2 was, but this one tested more riders. With a new brake lever installed and what felt like fresh legs we had high hopes for the day. These were dashed quickly when after 5km into the 84km day my rear brake lever failed. Ed claims I crashed today, but really it was a tight 180 turn that led to the front wheel washing out, I'll agree with him, but crash tally for the week is 1 James and 5 for Ed....he's taken a commanding lead! Anyways, back to the brake. Ed, remember that time we rode at the Cape Epic, and I had just a front brake for most of a stage, well I do. It was a heck of an experience, and truly made me a better rider. Ed was a great partner leading us into corners and calling out the challenges so I could manage them safely. Unfortunately those legs that felt great at the start failed us in the middle. Now Ed will say he "cratered" but no one finishes as strong as he did cratered, he had a rough middle 10-15km but rallied after that middle aid stop. He'll credit the 3 bananas he shoved in his mouth in 10 seconds, but good training likely kicked in. Missing a rear brake for me, likely led to a recovery like pace at times too. Along comes our last 10-15km for the day and enter Gerald and Jerome, they passed us on one of the last climbs, and we found ourselves on their wheels descending. That friggin Gerald was rolling hot, I mean hot. I had one brake, and Jerome was hanging on for dear life. Ed and I were able to sneak past Jerome, and then Gerald had to wait for him with 3km to go.....we were able to roll on, limit our damage on what felt like our most challenging day of the week. Great fight to the end! (and embrace with the french team after the finish) Bike straight to Danie the mechanic to address the brake issue.......found a lever of all places in the support village while joking with the guys from Lynwood Cycles from Pretoria.....they had a Magura Pro and voila, future days are saved. Thanks again boys! No idea if this mechanical really cost us though....so zero minutes.
(Crashes James 1 and Edward 5)
Stage 6 Wellington to Wellington 22 cat and 99th Overall, C Batch Start 81km and 1850 Meters
Rain, rain go away, man the torrential rain from the night before led to a reduced course length by 9 Km's. James front tire swapped to an Ardet 2.4 to handle the Mud, tried to find another Rekon 2.4 in the village. The first 20km was a slogfest. The mud was inches deep. Chains/drive trains were abused to the point that we both lost our chains multiple times, as well as multiple minutes. We were able to use our water bottles to sufficiently clean up the drive trains to roll to the first water stop, we quickly filled our bottles and pushed on. The second stop had a solutions orientated farmer on site with a high pressure hose to clean up the bikes, and WOW what a difference. The bikes were on point and the legs came alive and we finished HOT. We had a tussle with the same french team from the day before. Gerald and Jerome put in a heck of an effort up the last climb, but Ed dug deep and kept us in front for a "our own little battle" for the day. 9 Minutes of Mechaicals
(on the day, James 2 crashes and Ed 1, for the week, it's James 3 and Ed 6.
Stage 7 Wellington to Val De Vie 22 Cat and 103rd Overall, C batch Start 68km and 1850 Meters
Our Overall Finish Spot for masters was 20th in Category, and 101st Overall. For us that's great, we are middle 40 somethings with 2 boys each, caring wives and heavy lifting day jobs......a true sense of accomplishment for us, and our second leg together of the Epic Series. (we competed as a team this year in the Swiss Epic also)
The rest stops:
The Cape Epic team pulled this off well too. Distanced tables, food in cups, and east to access hydration was awesome. As team we used bottles, and we skipped every other one as needed. LOVED the USN products, and really enjoyed their endurance blend. Both blends agreed with our stomachs, and helped us across the line.
Course Markings:
Excellent as always, our two wrong turns on day 7 were self induced by following others. The signs and blue course tape made the turns easier to spot.
The Village
The experience was so intimate compared to 2019. The field being smaller was a HUGE win in my opinion. It felt relaxed and fun. We stayed in a camper van in the support Village with Peak 2 Peak our massage team, and across from Danie Van TOnderour mechanic. This setup was a huge plus over the tent city from 2019. It allowed us more time to recover and relax. Daily temp check and mid week covid test was a new twist, but added to the challenge. The addition of Thirsti water was a massive plus, we inhaled them. The Woolies recovery tent was awesome, as was the mobile coffee stand, we hit that twice a day! Support Village internet would be a cool add on, I'd pay more for that privilege.
The chill Zone was massive, and due to the limited field felt like there was plenty of room.
Normally the nightly event update and awards are live on stage, due to covid this was all pre-recorded and played back during dinner. This always adds to the intimacy of the event, and it was nice to be so close to all of the Pros and fast folks! On the flip side it was nice to be able to access the pre-recorded info as needed on social media and you-tube.
The showers and bathrooms: Both the main village and support village had dedicated set ups. They were cleaned regularly and we had plenty of hot water in the showers.
The Cape Epic team really nailed this event. There was not any dust left on it at all after almost 20 months since the 2019 version. We had shortened stages, weather challenges, "alternate race villages" big wind, and torrential downpour didn't dampen the mood.
The food and Beverage
Breakfast and dinner were served via 2 buffet lines in the dining tent.. Water was to be found in chillers in the dinner/breakfast tent as well.
Woolworth's Coffee stand was used thoroughly by us.
2 Food Trucks were available too for Thai and Wraps.
For the most parts the towns were close enough to be a choice for food as well.
The Equipment
We both rode the 2021 S-Works Epic with Roval Control SL wheels, AXS Reverb Droppers and AXS Drivetrains. Ed used the SRAM Level Ultimate brakes, and I was on the Magura MT8 SL. Pedals were TIme XC12's, tires were Maxxis from Stage 1 Forward. Grips were ESI Chunky, computers were the Wahoo Elemnt Roam. Helmets by POC, Tectal Air Spin. Shades by ROKA, and Ryders, both photochromatic. Shoes the S-works Recon, and all of our Kits were by Love the Pain in Los Angeles. Nutrition was provided by Infinit, and Massage by Stephanie Sawyer and Peak 2 Peak. Our mechanic was Danie Van Tonder (an independent from the Cape) who has common tie to us through another multi stage event, the BC Bike Race.
*The Training: I put an asterisk on this as we originally did not have this on the calendar for the fall. We were signed up for March 2021, and the training ended up changing. We currently use www.highlandtraining.net teamed up with Jeremiah Bishop. Myself (James) has been using JB since fall 2018 in preparation for the 2019 Cape Epic. Edward joined in 2020, and we have been on their "Gold" plan since. Training consists of on bike, off bike, and trainer workouts. It has varied from 7-16 hours a week. Mike Schultz at Highland is our Primary Coach and Jeremiah Bishop backs this up with practical knowledge of Epic Series type races. Combing the two gives us truly unique perspectives. Due to our limited time on trail (our trails are closed in the rain) we are on the Road and Indoor trainers a lot. Our indoor trainers are the Wahoo Kickr Bike paired with Zwift and the work desks. The desks allow both of us to work and workout at the same time. Most Saturdays are reserved for 100 Miles+ rides, 5-8000 ft of climbing with 5-6 hours in the saddle. We also tend to have one night during the week we ride together. We focus heavily on communication, IE calling out turns and changes in our pace as well as upcoming gearing changes. The Saturday rides usually have one additional rider with us who is MUCH stronger. He really pushes us and has a 5+ Watt/kg FTP, as opposed to our 4.2/kg FTP. We mix hills in with HIIT outside. Inside it is a very targeted regiment of HIIT and endurance that is supplied via Training Peaks on Zwift. Workout times are 1-2.5 hours during the week on or off trainer. To help with skills building we go to our local track at Devou, Brown County in Indiana, and Snowshoe Bike Park in WV. I feel it's very important to mention that we did do the Swiss Epic this year, and that was a HUGE positive as it was treated as a training camp. Also moving from March to October was another advantage for North Americans and Europeans as we could train all summer, VS inside on the trainer in the winter. +1 for a October Cape Epic!!!! Maybe there should be two a year in SA Major tip to share is be consistent with your training and your fueling, above all listen to your body! If you over train, or get hurt you need a break.
The Emotion, and a comment on Ego:
I'd like to tackle Ego first. We have made a point to leave our Egos at the door whenever we ride together. Ed and I are a team, and sometimes one is stronger than the other. Personally I think overall we do a great job with this, but are human too. We try to be the BEST TEAM we can be, and not really compete with others. We measure ourselves by improvement through the week. We are VERY honest after each day, and do an ARR, or After Race Review. We call out what went well, and what can go better. This is really the first race we ever targeted where we wanted to finish the next day and how we would do it. IE our pacing strategy for the day.....now that works until as Mike Tyson says, "everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face.....IE mechanical, or crashes. This does force you to change strategy. Only the last day did we focus on another team and where they were.....basically we wanted to make sure we kept them in eyesight so we would finish in the GC ahead of them. Other than that we focused on the best we could be. Ed on numerous occasions provided feedback on where small changes could help us be faster together. This is a TEAM event, if you are a bad team mate and only carte about yourself and how "you do" or where "you" can do well then this is a pass. We-ology not me-ology apply for an Epic Series race.
Now onto the emotion of the week. This was my second Cape Epic and 5 Epic Series race. It feels different the more of them that you do. One is not better than another, they are just different. This was different for me as it was a first Cape Epic for Edward, and I was excited to share this experience with him. Being the "veteran" I was able to share my previous experiences with him, but make sure that his one was his own. Each day had highs and lows......the mechanicals tend to suck some life out of you, but you can't control them, you only can control how you react. IMHO that is where we shine as a team. We never let it get us down, and Edward was HUGE part of that. We like to say we "turn the page better than most" I'd agree. As each day passed we would talk of visualizing the "finish". What does Val de Vie look like and feel like, or as Edward said, I'll crawl across that finish line if need be. That's the winning mentality. Yes I know we weren't a podium team, but in our minds we were, and that's what pushed us to make it, together. We punched above our weight in overall finish due to our team work. So when picking a partner, pick fit, pick smart, but pick HUMBLE and someone that communicates well and can take any and all feedback. Notice I didn't say, pick some with a HUGE FTP and light bike, and time off. Those things are fine, but not nearly enough to make it through the inevitable tough times you'll have during the week.
How does it feel to finish as a team? Our first and second pictures below say it all. We had fun as a team. I was incredibly proud to have Edward as my partner. We had each others backs on and off course. We challenged each other, we made each other better team mates through the week. After we finished we shared our private moments and words. I'd prefer to keep that private, but they centered around pride in the team. It didn't last long, because Edward asked as we walked off the medal presentation podium, "so what's next?" I loved it, this is a journey, it has no end.
The Cape Epic Vs the others:
We are signed up for the 2022 Swiss Epic, 2022 Pisqah Stage Race, 2022 BC Bike Race. The 2023 Cape Epic is on tap as well with a large group from the USA in tow. IMHO the BC Bike Race is the most chill event, it has so much single track, and BC is gorgeous. I grew up in this part of the world so it's close to my heart. As far as best experience of the Epic series my favorite is the Swiss. As Edward says it's like riding in a post card. Everywhere you turn it is jaw dropping. You sleep in a bed, and you only move once or twice. The trails are VERY challenging, up and down, but wow it's just amazing. The Swiss are well, the Swiss, and everything is precise. Also from North America it is an easy trip.
The Cape Epic overall in my opinion is truly the one that measure it all. The people are so kind, the staff very accommodating, the terrain gets better and better. The weather is a real wild card, and the field is soooooo strong overall. The trip is a real challenge though.
The Pioneer New Zealand is again a breath taking venue. It's in-between the Cape and Swiss in course, but is more rugged and rural. The trip to get there from NA is a haul too. It was the first Ironman acquisition but feels the least at "home" in the family. I'll take some flack for saying this but it's not as "Epic" as the others. I hope that moving to the North Island elevates the event to this category. When I think of an Epic Series race I think of an elevated experience, and in order to attract those that can swing these races it needs to be elevated in every way while still having a local flavor. I don't know what the overall goal is for one of their races, but at least 50% intl entries seams about right. In order to hop on a plane, and commit to all of the above it has to be attractive, it has to be hard (or why would be do it) and it has to be unique. Overall, all the above events do that. So what is holding you back? Next year will come and go, so if you have the means, commit, do it, find a partner, lean into him, be selfless and put team above self. You'll create your own memories and have your own experience. For most of us off the podium that is what it's about.
To all that finished GREAT WORK!!!! You all deserve that medal and the stories that go with it! To those that had an issue that prevented you from finishing, hope you are able to make it back someday and fulfill your dream.
Ed and I are half way across the Atlantic as this is being written and we both are really looking forward to seeing our families. Work of course is waiting too.
If you've read all of this, kudos to you, but wanted to share our experiences with those that want to experience the "race that measures it all!"
PS> Please excuse my writing skills and grammar, alas I am no Tim Brink
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