General ABSA Cape Epic 2015

[Gandalf]

#Aprilfools

 

Damnit I thought it was reading a lie.

[goodluck Phil danger]

#Aprilfools

 

Not cool. There are some things they should not joke about!

[GoLefty!!]

Back on topic, what could the "radical" changes be?

 

1) removal of free radicals to dotox the race i.e. your parterner drops out, so do you.

 

2)increase the number of stages to 10.

 

3) moving the event to October/November time frame to allow for more XC pro's to participate

 

4) moving the start to Cape Town Watefront and the finish to Knysna.

 

5) Include West Coast destinations includng Citrusdal, Wuppertal, Van Rhyns Dorp

 

6) include a stage from Waterfront to Cape Point.

 

7) nothing radical at all but a move back to Knysna to Cape Town

[Sasquatch]

Dates have

Back on topic, what could the "radical" changes be?

 

1) removal of free radicals to dotox the race i.e. your parterner drops out, so do you.

 

2)increase the number of stages to 10.

 

3) moving the event to October/November time frame to allow for more XC pro's to participate

 

4) moving the start to Cape Town Watefront and the finish to Knysna.

 

5) Include West Coast destinations includng Citrusdal, Wuppertal, Van Rhyns Dorp

 

6) include a stage from Waterfront to Cape Point.

 

7) nothing radical at all but a move back to Knysna to Cape Town

 

The dates have already been announced 15-22 March 2015

[goodluck Phil danger]

When will we know? May?

[N-I-N-J-A]

Yep, apparently in May. Another theory is that they might stop the teams helping each other, it does seem a bit unfair if you have 3 support teams while others have none! I wonder what RECM got for being Specialized's backup team. Then you get guys like Centurion Vaude giving the Topeak guys wheels on two stages!

[GoLefty!!]

Would be interesting if they changed the rules to three person teams with the 2nd riders time counting. that way one rider can be the mule.

 

Would be even more interesting if you have to finish on the wheels, tyres and frame you started the race, like it was in 2004 and 2005 (with the exception of the tyres)

 

I also wonder if the prologue will be a night race....?

 

@Sasquatch, yes I see the dates have already been announced therefore it is impossible to change it...

[evolve]

Saw there was a race TransCape from George (I think) to Cape Town 7-14 Jan 2015. So if Epic is going to that route again we have two races on same type route......mmmm dunno so much.

[ians H2Sport]

Trust me on this - you won't care at the end of a stage.... that said - I also fit in a tent fairly easily...

 

The issue with the upgrade is really the additional travel and waiting time... which can be considerable on a daily basis, so depending on who is in your group, you may sit around for hours after finishing, and still face an hour in a vehicle.... either way....

 

Also you 'lose' the atmosphere a fair bit... whether that's a good or bad thing is difficult to say...

2014 was my first Epic and I went with the premium upgrade option. A huge amount of cash to drop on top of the entry fee, but money very well spent. I found the hosts very accommodating. They went out of their way to fetch & carry us. Where required we caught lifts with other busses/hosts so never ended up sitting around waiting. Sleeping in a warm, dry bed and having your own toilet and shower is priceless a few days into the event. You can still spend any amount of time you want in the race villages, but those who have done the Epic will know, getting to sleep early and sleeping well is vital for recovery. All round a fantastic event!

[Flowspeed]

Heavens no, I can't even begin to contemplate the horror of the tents,let alone the atrocity of the port-a-loo. I simply will have to get a premium upgrade.

 

Those tents aren`t that bad, once you put down your head at night you`re out for the count. And the camaraderie in the tent village is worth experiencing.

Those poop-scooters also are (surprisingly) not too bad, it`s not like the stinky long-drops of the old days. You should give it a try.

[BigGuy]

Just the EVOC bag costs you R4k. Seems that although the entry fee is quite steep you do somehow get value for money

I am pretty sure the supplier of the bags has to pay KV to hand them out. It is all about brand names and the opportunity to be seen with the CE. That goes for everything inside the goodie bag as well.

[V12man]

Those tents aren`t that bad, once you put down your head at night you`re out for the count. And the camaraderie in the tent village is worth experiencing.

Those poop-scooters also are (surprisingly) not too bad, it`s not like the stinky long-drops of the old days. You should give it a try.

 

I must admit I prefer being in the action of the race village - gives you some break from your partner too if you want it.

 

I think the experience of the upgrade is often variable - certainly last year there were issues with some of the venues, with some people being rather more than unhappy about a couple of them - couple of mates even moved out and went to stay elsewhere a few nights.

 

I suspect next year we will give the campers a go, sort of as a midway point with a few more facilities.

[Shebeen]

Would be interesting if they changed the rules to three person teams with the 2nd riders time counting. that way one rider can be the mule.

 

Would be even more interesting if you have to finish on the wheels, tyres and frame you started the race, like it was in 2004 and 2005 (with the exception of the tyres)

 

I also wonder if the prologue will be a night race....?

 

@Sasquatch, yes I see the dates have already been announced therefore it is impossible to change it...

good idea, although it does seem that the bog standard is TWO person pairs - an individual race could be a whole different dynamic.

[GoLefty!!]

good idea, although it does seem that the bog standard is TWO person pairs - an individual race could be a whole different dynamic.

 

 

But that would move the entry fee into the stratosphere. The individual entry fee of R26750 p/p is already pretty steep. Making it R53700 per person would be a deal breaker

[kandui]

We booked our own self- catering at a cost of R2080 in Robertson (for 3 nights for 3 of us and R3600 in Greyton for 2 nights for 5 of us. In Grabouw we stayed on a friend's farm. My wife was the team physio so we had our own transport. After hearing about and from teams about catching tummy bugs, we stopped eating in the race village after Robertson. Food was not great anyway.

Race pack was pretty good with a decent bag, jacket,buff,cap, t-shirt,Assos bum cream. As Amabubesi, I got another t-shirt, buff, cap and an Assos cycling jersey.

Woolies flops and socks too.

[G-Unit]

Trust me on this - you won't care at the end of a stage.... that said - I also fit in a tent fairly easily...

 

The issue with the upgrade is really the additional travel and waiting time... which can be considerable on a daily basis, so depending on who is in your group, you may sit around for hours after finishing, and still face an hour in a vehicle.... either way....

 

Also you 'lose' the atmosphere a fair bit... whether that's a good or bad thing is difficult to say...

 

In 2012 I did tents, and this year I did guesthouses with someone to drive us to and from the race every day.

 

Staying in guesthouses is MUCH better. You don't queue for anything and you rest properly. The travelling time was a minor inconvenience. In terms of losing out on the race village vibe - quite honestly, IMO, Epic doesn't have much of that anyway, compared to say Sani or CPT.

 

If your budget allows, I would strongly suggest doing it this way. If you live in the WC, well then, bonus - just drive to and from the start every day.