Epic MTB riding skills - not a lot going round it seems :-)

[TrackGuy]

The Cape Epic is more about endurance than skill, or so it seems.

[Stevief]

Ive ridden  that section  with both my Hardtail and my dual with dropper post, its alot easier with the dropper but to be honest if you cant ride that and you doing the Epic then you still have a lot to learn about basic MTB skills.

[Epic Rookie]

And it all boils down to the marathon epic mentality in SA that says lighter bigger wheeled bikes are what mountain biking is all about. Some of those guys have never even heard of a dropper post...

I won't lie, I was pretty chuffed to still see a couple 26ers coming passed

[dev null]

I saw a team come up that first tiny climb off Rhodes Mem tar, guy waited 3-4minutes for his partner who was walking, slowly, up the hill! Didn't look like a good start at all and checked their prologue finishing time on the results, 3hrs17!!!!

Just why?

 

 

Guess Groenlandberg will sort these riders out today.

[porqui]

I won't lie, I was pretty chuffed to still see a couple 26ers coming passed

 

Would love to know the ratio of 29 : 27.5 : 26 ers in the Epic

[Samurai Pizza Cat]

These guys just might have the answer to all of SA's problems:

 

Before you are allowed to race in any of the big stage races, you have to compete in 2 Enduro races. (To improve your mountain biking skills.) 

 

More Enduro races will result in the following:

1. more awesome trails,
2. an overall happier cycling community ( more trails =  )
3. Happier cycling community = a happier overall population
4. Job creation (Someone have to build these trails.)
5. A drop in the crime rate ( more people have jobs)
6. Less time spent in tight clothing will result in an improved libido....the divorce rate will drop
7. Add your benefit here..

I know these guys will probably have to sell their R120 000 S Works Epics, but you can buy 1 very decent enduro bike for R60 000, and a very decent marathon bike for the other R60 000.

 

An idea well worth investigating....

[V12man]

Would love to know the ratio of 29 : 27.5 : 26 ers in the Epic

It's in the ride guide for last years numbers - 90% 29er.... and almost no 26ers left.

 

I wonder if there wasn't a rock or gulley hidden in the dust in that spot  mid way down - they all seem to fall in the same way at the same place pretty much - nothing like hitting a small hidden obstacle with front brakes on for a quick roll in the dust..... with or without a dropper post.

 

Personally I don't think that is a hugely tricky looking section compared to what some stages have in them - riding the same technical section several times makes you look better than you actually are - riding it sight unseen for the first time is another matter entirely,...

[Hackster]

Headshot, I like the Chariots of Fire music.

 

....but that little 20 m long stretch is waaaaay trickier than the camera angle makes it look. It is blooooody steep, off camber and loose as greased ball bearings on banana peel! Without a dropper post, most xc race bikes will drop their riders otb there. The bit above it is gnarly enough to make most riders seriously nervous, so, by the time they get there, they are all stiff with a death grip on the brakes, a recipe for otb. 

You nailed it.

 

It's the 100 metre stretch before this little section that sets you up for failure. It's a badly-rutted walking trail with enough gulleys, rocks and holes to keep your pace way slow.

 

I have never ridden anything remotely as demanding in any race I've ever ridden. It's DH type stuff, but without the jumps or the speed. Most MTBers in the area don't ride it because it's just not fun.

 

That bit in the video is technical in its own right and I suspect that the sheer-ish slope to their left interferred with the concentration a bit.

 

No shame in wiping on that section, I'll stick my neck out and say that 80% of us would have done the same - had we even ridden it in the first instance.

[porqui]

V12man you have a point.

 

Brian Lopes would say they focused on a point and did not look AHEAD.

[GLuvsMtb]

These guys just might have the answer to all of SA's problems:

 

Before you are allowed to race in any of the big stage races, you have to compete in 2 Enduro races. (To improve your mountain biking skills.) 

 

More Enduro races will result in the following:

1. more awesome trails,
2. an overall happier cycling community ( more trails =  )
3. Happier cycling community = a happier overall population
4. Job creation (Someone have to build these trails.)
5. A drop in the crime rate ( more people have jobs)
6. Less time spent in tight clothing will result in an improved libido....the divorce rate will drop
7. Add your benefit here..

I know these guys will probably have to sell their R120 000 S Works Epics, but you can buy 1 very decent enduro bike for R60 000, and a very decent marathon bike for the other R60 000.

 

An idea well worth investigating....

Conversely you can argue that before you are allowed to enter an Enduro event, you should at least be able to climb 1000m over 40km. Getting to the liaisons is just as important as going down. I know a few riders (female in particular) that simply does not descend well. One in particular is doing her 6th Epic this year. If you tell her to first do 2 Enduro's she'll tell you that technical descending is a very small part of the Epic and if thats the case, she'll stick to doing Ironman instead. 

She knows her limits and sticks to it. There is no shame in getting off your bike on a technical section and walking it. If the riders behind you have a problem with that, they should work on their climbing rather than tell you to work on your descending. 

[DJR]

You nailed it.

 

It's the 100 metre stretch before this little section that sets you up for failure. It's a badly-rutted walking trail with enough gulleys, rocks and holes to keep your pace way slow.

 

I have never ridden anything remotely as demanding in any race I've ever ridden. It's DH type stuff, but without the jumps or the speed. Most MTBers in the area don't ride it because it's just not fun.

 

That bit in the video is technical in its own right and I suspect that the sheer-ish slope to their left interferred with the concentration a bit.

 

No shame in wiping on that section, I'll stick my neck out and say that 80% of us would have done the same - had we even ridden it in the first instance.

Can see that you have ridden it, you understand the importance of what is above that spot.

[V12man]

V12man you have a point.

 

Brian Lopes would say they focused on a point and did not look AHEAD.

Who is Brian Lopez again?

 

How many Epics podiums does he have? :ph34r:

[DJR]

Who is Brian Lopez again?

 

How many Epics podiums does he have? :ph34r:

  :D As much as I admire Brian Lopez I have to laugh at this! 

[Epic Rookie]

For 20km? 

6.1 kph, that is barely above walking pace.

Checking the Water Point 3 results and they seem to have lit a firecracker up their a@#ses, almost 2 hours ahead of the last team!!! Team Duelling Paellas - 399

Go boys go, haha

[DIPSLICK]

i dont know who said it previously and couldnt be bothered about who should and shouldnt be riding

the person who gets the entry simple, no matter how even if it was a gift, someone thought you derserved it simple

im not the fastest rider or the most technical,in fact im far from it im probably  the guy who you say shouldnt be riding, point remains if you get a ticket you have done more than the LEGENDS posting from their aircon offices, yes i agree many "tough" men do it just to say they have done it, but who are you to say who should and should not be there,,,,jealous much????

and no i dont want to do the epic nor do i ever want to try just tired of LEGENDS deciding who is worthy of riding events

[Stevief]

There is no shame in getting off your bike on a technical section and walking it. If the riders behind you have a problem with that, they should work on their climbing rather than tell you to work on your descending. 

Disagree with this viewpoint.  Why should some people learn to work on one skill but its fine for others to neglect another skill?