Absa Cape Epic 2017

[CAAD4]

Am I right that if guys missed cutoff yesterday, they can still ride today with blue board?

 

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Yes, but not if they were pulled off by medical staff?

[Gnarly]

...... pulled off by medical staff?

 

Well that's just gross.

[LeoKnight]

So did all the finishers make use of the transports from Caledon or did a few decide to just use their own bikes to get to the actual finish line ?

[Nick]

Hijack: The photos are up from Stage 1 in our Epic Photo Comp. Take a look and vote for your favourite here.

[Odinson]

So what's the number? How humid is it?

 

4

[Montblanc]

Very interesting. Tomorrow is another 35°

2016 first 3 days had a high of 38 degrees on each day.

[T-Bob]

Just drove past the field all coming into the revised Caledon finish... and a lot looked dead on their bikes. Full respect, my car was registering 40c and hammering out even the reduced 60km+ in that heat is a very tough day in the saddle.

 

Looked like transport was in full swing. Epic vehicles everywhere, local taxis looked like they'd been drafted in, camper vans and trailers shifting bikes etc down the highway through the long weekend traffic

[Gen]

Shortening Stages doesn't always make it easier, it just makes the guys race faster.

Racing was on fire with the Elites today.. full gas from the beginning.

 

We've seen is at road events too, those shorter stages makes for hectic racing.

[Bernard Horn]

Yesterday at 4.30 it was still 35 degrees.Was just outside town between 12 & 2 on last bitch of a climb and I was getting cookèd.Much respect to riders.Some US riders i followed came in 8 1/2h then still hundreds of riders on trails

[kosmonooit]

Shock horror..... it's hot in the western cape, don't need to be an expert to know that.

 

What's next?

 

 

Its always hot dry and dusty (and windy) in the WC this time of the year .... however its probably conditions that a lot of the internationals are not familiar with.

 

If the Elite Men took 5+hours yesterday on Stage 1 to do 100 k's, that's quite slow relative to most mtb marathons here. It would mean I would take 10 hours and I generally finish in the lower 1/3 of the field (but always do finish) so its a bit mean to set the cut-off time at 9:30, if I faced the Epic chop I would protest vividly, especially if I had come from afar. Was it just bad planning that they had such a hard-core stage Stage 1 or is it their intention to flush out the unacclimatised / reduce numbers they have to cater for?

[Gen]

The actual visual content is world class. Think Gerald is horrible - but that's personal preference, and a mute or moot point. Only would also like to see more of the back markers - maybe a 2 hour 'Stories of the Epic' for when everything is done?

Visuals are brilliant..agree 100%

 

 

It would be nice to see footage from the other cats though I know there is an ebike following the ladies, but no live feed from there..sure it will happen in the next couple of years that we have a choice of watching different streams.. that would be cool.

[the nerd]

Visuals are brilliant..agree 100%

 

 

It would be nice to see footage from the other cats though I know there is an ebike following the ladies, but no live feed from there..sure it will happen in the next couple of years that we have a choice of watching different streams.. that would be cool.

My point as well. Some visuals of the other cats would be cool, they too are pros and deserve better.

 

 

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[Gen]

My point as well. Some visuals of the other cats would be cool, they too are pros and deserve better.

 

 

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Technology is improving a few years ago we had nothing only the finish line stream, it is improving every year..it will come..they can however just get more jacked on their twitter feed, so that we can at least follow all the cat action.

[The Bull Shark]

Just drove past the field all coming into the revised Caledon finish... and a lot looked dead on their bikes. Full respect, my car was registering 40c and hammering out even the reduced 60km+ in that heat is a very tough day in the saddle.

 

Looked like transport was in full swing. Epic vehicles everywhere, local taxis looked like they'd been drafted in, camper vans and trailers shifting bikes etc down the highway through the long weekend traffic

 

I was part of that long weekend traffic. If i was not pulling my large Jurgens Penta with a K1 on the roof of my 'Tuna, I would have pulled into Caledon when we passed through. But we did see the riders ride the track on the mountainside, same trails we rode on the Staalwater Day 1 last year, but in reverse.

[The Bull Shark]

Its always hot dry and dusty (and windy) in the WC this time of the year .... however its probably conditions that a lot of the internationals are not familiar with.

 

If the Elite Men took 5+hours yesterday on Stage 1 to do 100 k's, that's quite slow relative to most mtb marathons here. It would mean I would take 10 hours and I generally finish in the lower 1/3 of the field (but always do finish) so its a bit mean to set the cut-off time at 9:30, if I faced the Epic chop I would protest vividly, especially if I had come from afar. Was it just bad planning that they had such a hard-core stage Stage 1 or is it their intention to flush out the unacclimatised / reduce numbers they have to cater for?

 

Epic has been known to flush out a lot of teams on day 1.

[Newboy]

Its always hot dry and dusty (and windy) in the WC this time of the year .... however its probably conditions that a lot of the internationals are not familiar with.

 

If the Elite Men took 5+hours yesterday on Stage 1 to do 100 k's, that's quite slow relative to most mtb marathons here. It would mean I would take 10 hours and I generally finish in the lower 1/3 of the field (but always do finish) so its a bit mean to set the cut-off time at 9:30, if I faced the Epic chop I would protest vividly, especially if I had come from afar. Was it just bad planning that they had such a hard-core stage Stage 1 or is it their intention to flush out the unacclimatised / reduce numbers they have to cater for?

Winning time yesterday was 4:25. I can only remember 1 stage when I rode when cut off was extended. The rule of thumb then was the winning time x 2. If the published winning time was longer the published time applied.