General Cape Epic 2014

[Gen]

Well to all of you that are doing it.. all the best.

[Pieterg]

thanks

[NotSoBigBen]

I watched the insert on Super cycling last night of the Epic.What is your take.What will you rate the Epic out of 10 for difficulty. Leave the hype factor out

 

I don't know about out of 10 but I found it damn tough and I have been to the army in the late 70's, done quite a few 'endurance' events like IronMan, Comrades and stuff ......... BUT you don't have to be some elite or super athlete to complete it.

 

Disclaimer - this is of course IMHO and I am aware that some consider it not much of an achievement and that one shuld not brag about it or wear the T-Shirt/leave the sticker on your bike or even put up pictures with your medal on the mantelpiece

[Newboy]

I watched the insert on Super cycling last night of the Epic.What is your take.What will you rate the Epic out of 10 for difficulty. Leave the hype factor out

 

It is rated out of category. It will physically be very hard and mentally even harder. It will be the best thing you have ever done and maybe the hardest as well.

 

Don't over analyze it, take it from day to day. Once you are through day 4 it actually becomes easier, I think your mind and body has by then accepted that it is going to be punished and starts to adapt.

[Tankman]

I watched the insert on Super cycling last night of the Epic.What is your take.What will you rate the Epic out of 10 for difficulty. Leave the hype factor out

 

If we did every stage as a one day race, weekends apart, it probably wouldn’t be that tough. But then it would not be the Epic or an endurance event.

 

It becomes difficulty after the 3^rd/4^th day of continuously punishing your body. Being in the saddle that long every day and giving 100% concentration, wears you out.

When fatigue set in, I found my body’s natural balance and responses were much slower.

 

Personally, I had the toughest day on a bike in my life ever on stage 6. The Stage was not that technical, except all the climbing … but I was farked. I also heard guy say you get stronger as the race goes on. That did not happen to me. Probably cause we went out hard from the get go and paid the price later on.

 

My partner told me after the stage “Gaan dokter toe!”

I said “Hoekom, sodat hy vir my kan se ek is gef**, ek weet is is gef**?!”

 

Then next day I was feeling strong as a horse again.

 

So ja, some days are more difficult than others!

[I FLY]

It is rated out of category. It will physically be very hard and mentally even harder. It will be the best thing you have ever done and maybe the hardest as well.

 

Don't over analyze it, take it from day to day. Once you are through day 4 it actually becomes easier, I think your mind and body has by then accepted that it is going to be punished and starts to adapt.

 

I split up each day's stage by waterpoint so I was only focussed on getting to the next watering point..

 

That worked for me.

[Pieterg]

I think there is a big difference between race and surviving everyday

[Carmichael]

We rode each stage within our limits and not pushing hard. After stage 3 we went quicker and lifted the pace a bit. We both felt good and got stronger. And you make up alot of places like that.

[Newboy]

I think there is a big difference between race and surviving everyday

 

Last year we had a rule, which we luckily did not have to consider: we will start each stage, if we bail it can only be at the first water point.

 

Once you are there you have loosened up and you are in to it again.

[flyluis]

10. It's effing hard.

[flyluis]

Don't forget, thousands have finished it!!

[V12man]

Don't forget, thousands have finished it!!

 

Just over 4000 people have finished I understand - of a possible 12 000 (or possibly slightly less, because of the number of entries has grown over the years)

 

Of course a few people have done it twice or more...

[Goodbadugly]

How tough?

Remember there are only 3 places on the podium. Unlimited places in the DNF category.

[Blits]

Really?!!! And how am I suppose to sleet 2night? Sjo, excited and scared.... very scared at the same time!

[sometime]

I watched the insert on Super cycling last night of the Epic.What is your take.What will you rate the Epic out of 10 for difficulty. Leave the hype factor out

 

Pieter we raced it for the first time last year as vets > 45 years old. We went there to race hard and wasted no time at things like water points, and each day we gave it everything. We paced ourselves more slowly for the first few days (but stayed in A batch - top 150) but moved up the GC every day. We finished in the top 20% of the total field and top 30 in category at the end which we were very chuffed with.

 

Out of 10 I would give it an 8. I'm guessing we could have finished in the top 100 if we'd pushed ourselves to a 9 or a 10 but at the end of the week we'd really enjoyed the race and each others company something I doubt we would've done if we'd pushed that little bit harder each day. We were even back on our bikes the week after Epic. You also risk sickness & injury if you push that last little bit, something we saw happen to MANY teams who were quicker than us the first few days but who we left standing towards the latter half of the race.

 

Good luck - I'm getting serious FOMO

Edited March 13, 2014 by sometime

[G-Unit]

Pieter we raced it for the first time last year as vets > 45 years old. We went there to race hard and wasted no time at things like water points, and each day we gave it everything. We paced ourselves more slowly for the first few days (but stayed in A batch - top 150) but moved up the GC every day. We finished in the top 20% of the total field and top 30 in category at the end which we were very chuffed with.

 

Out of 10 I would give it an 8. I'm guessing we could have finished in the top 100 if we'd pushed ourselves to a 9 or a 10 but at the end of the week we'd really enjoyed the race and each others company something I doubt we would've done if we'd pushed that little bit harder each day. We were even back on our bikes the week after Epic. You also risk sickness & injury if you push that last little bit, something we saw happen to MANY teams who were quicker than us the first few days but who we left standing towards the latter half of the race.

 

Good luck - I'm getting serious FOMO

 

Had the same thing in 2012. The cool thing after training for Epic, is that for a long while afterwards you can pitch up and ride any event with little or no preparation.