Platt & Huber take the lead after Stage 2 of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic

[Matt]

Riders had to head into the Koue-Bokkeveld, known for its spectacular sandstone formations and summer temperatures regularly in the upper-30 degrees Celsius. Riders put mileage into their piggy banks early on when they scaled Middelberg Pass, 900 meters of altitude gain over the first 18 kilometers, on tar and smooth gravel. The descent onto the plateau was fast with a few sharp bends. Riders made up some time until just before the halfway mark, where a four-kilometer climb took them to the highest point of the entire race (1 150 meters above sea level). They were then rewarded with a five-kilometer single-track section that wounded through red sandstone formations. This stage felt fast and relatively flat, until the rugged and challenging wagon trail took the field into the Witzenberg Valley. Cleared for the race by local mountain bike-enthusiast farmers, this part of the race offered some of the finest terrain the Western Cape provides. The best was saved for last: a technical five-kilometer single-track, an old wagon trail opened up for the 2010 Absa Cape Epic, which plummeted into the Tulbagh Valley. It was a challenging transition onto a new playground, from the rugged and remote Cederberg to the fertile Tulbagh Valley with its quaint village and wine farms.

 

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