Absa Cape Epic 2018

[davetapson]

It is as difficult as you make it. If it is shorter/flatter, you go faster.

 

Let's make it 7 x 10km and ride like hell shall we?

[davetapson]

Think it is a fine line between putting together a route that will be over the top difficult just for the sake of being difficult, and putting one together that is challenging but enjoyable. 

 

Also you never know with the weather, if we had extreme high temperatures we might have had similar situation as last year when a large amount of the riders fell out. 

 

A question from my side, how to judge the difficulty of the race, based on the drop-out rate, the km, the total ascent, the number of bike breakdowns, etc?

 

1. That's what makes it a challenge. If there is bad weather, you must over-come.  Or give up.  

2. If everyone makes a cut off with time to spare on an easy day like to today, that's too easy.

3. This isn't an "everyone gets a prize" race, if it was, what's the point?  Oh wait, it is.

Edited March 19, 2018 by davetapson

[Andrew_Smith]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvD-tPENAP4

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ZRhzR8ePo

[davetapson]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvD-tPENAP4

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ZRhzR8ePo

 

Jirre, that's TdF stuff, that crash.  Thank goodness everyone got up...

[SwissVan]

Think it is a fine line between putting together a route that will be over the top difficult just for the sake of being difficult, and putting one together that is challenging but enjoyable. 

 

Also you never know with the weather, if we had extreme high temperatures we might have had similar situation as last year when a large amount of the riders fell out. 

 

A question from my side, how to judge the difficulty of the race, based on the drop-out rate, the km, the total ascent, the number of bike breakdowns, etc?

 

Depends who you talk to...

Find someone who has done all or most of them and ask them

 

IMO drop out rate and the amount of cut off time extensions would indicate a pretty difficult event

[davetapson]

Bitching aside, this is one hell of a race.

[Slowbee]

did it rain on last years epic?

[BaGearA]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but 320 UCI points to the winner... wonder if that still goes for the lone winner?? considering that a world cup win counts 300, the epic is a big deal to win

250 do wc win

 

Think epic is same but it gets split between the two riders AFAIK

[CogitoErgoSum]

Let's make it 7 x 10km and ride like hell shall we?

Ek kan net my kop skud....

 

Why aren't you riding then big shot?

 

There is every year someone on here complaining about the merits of the Epic.

 

Why does the difficulty concern you so much? What do you have to loose if this year is shorter/easier than previous times?

 

Everyone knows the Epic's marketing/media (specific ol' Gerald's commentary) is overly exaggerated.

 

If your existence depends on the difficulty level of the Epic, it is sad. If it is too easy this year, then so be it. There are worse matters to be concerned about.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

Edited March 20, 2018 by CogitoErgoSum

[davetapson]

Ek kan net my kop skud....

 

Why aren't you riding then big shot?

 

There is every year someone on here complaining about the merits of the Epic.

 

Why does the difficulty concern you so much? What do you have to loose if this year is shorter/easier than previous times?

 

Everyone knows the Epic's marketing/media (specific ol' Gerald's commentary) is overly exaggerated.

 

If your existence depends on the difficulty level of the Epic, it is sad. If it is too easy this year, then so be it. There are worse matters to be concerned about.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

When the Epic started, it was Epic. 

 

When those guys got to the finish line, you know they'd worked for it. You know it was an achievement. 

 

I spoke to one of the Polar guys, who back in the day were the only HR monitoring story in town and used to assist at the Epic, and he said that one thing a cyclist should do is get to the finish line of an Epic stage, because the human emotion was just another level and needed to be experienced.

 

Now?  Oh gosh, I'm a bit tired, but I got in with 40 mins to spare.

 

In your eyes, that's Epic?

[Shebeen]

Ek kan net my kop skud....

 

Why aren't you riding then big shot?

 

There is every year someone on here complaining about the merits of the Epic.

 

Why does the difficulty concern you so much? What do you have to loose if this year is shorter/easier than previous times?

 

Everyone knows the Epic's marketing/media (specific ol' Gerald's commentary) is overly exaggerated.

 

If your existence depends on the difficulty level of the Epic, it is sad. If it is too easy this year, then so be it. There are worse matters to be concerned about.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

I don't think there is ever going to be anything wrong complaining about over exaggerated marketing... Frankly it should be encouraged

[BaGearA]

When the Epic started, it was Epic. 

 

When those guys got to the finish line, you know they'd worked for it. You know it was an achievement. 

 

I spoke to one of the Polar guys, who back in the day were the only HR monitoring story in town and used to assist at the Epic, and he said that one thing a cyclist should do is get to the finish line of an Epic stage, because the human emotion was just another level and needed to be experienced.

 

Now?  Oh gosh, I'm a bit tired, but I got in with 40 mins to spare.

 

In your eyes, that's Epic?

Facepalms so hard I do A backflip

[Chingy182]

When the Epic started, it was Epic. 

 

When those guys got to the finish line, you know they'd worked for it. You know it was an achievement. 

 

I spoke to one of the Polar guys, who back in the day were the only HR monitoring story in town and used to assist at the Epic, and he said that one thing a cyclist should do is get to the finish line of an Epic stage, because the human emotion was just another level and needed to be experienced.

 

Now?  Oh gosh, I'm a bit tired, but I got in with 40 mins to spare.

 

In your eyes, that's Epic?

Sure thing, it was only day 1 and everyone is well prepared, excited and motivated.

Now go do it another 6 more consecutive days.

Personally, from a full blown weekend warrior, I consider it pretty epic. But that's just me.

[PhilipV]

When the Epic started, it was Epic.

 

When those guys got to the finish line, you know they'd worked for it. You know it was an achievement.

 

I spoke to one of the Polar guys, who back in the day were the only HR monitoring story in town and used to assist at the Epic, and he said that one thing a cyclist should do is get to the finish line of an Epic stage, because the human emotion was just another level and needed to be experienced.

 

Now? Oh gosh, I'm a bit tired, but I got in with 40 mins to spare.

 

In your eyes, that's Epic?

Just wait. Still early days. The attrition will come.

 

Besides, if you've never ridden the Karoo and dry Boland terrain you really have no clue how hard it can be.

 

Be wary of being an uninformed armchair critic, because you run the risk of looking like the uninformed father screaming at the ref at a primary school rugby game.

[LeoKnight]

My view, the Epic race is a combination of different events in one.  With the sharp end being the primary focus and not so much the back end.

 

Yes there is a component of riders that want to proof to themselves (and those around them) that they have overcome a grueling race that few others can achieve, something that takes dedication, training and mental strength to complete, I assume your view is that some of the guys / girls completing it this year does not fall under those categories, and that you would expect a flattish bell curve of success / failures.  There is also a component of riders signing up that want to enjoy it, they might not go as hard everyday from the start, rather conserving energy riding to finish instead of busting them nachos from the start, burning matches in the process, yet they do finish in time everyday, do the recovery at the end with a massage or two.

 

On the other side, the part that makes the advertising money, and the glam bit is the sharp end of the race.  At the end of the race do we feel that the best teams won the challenge, and were they properly tested between themselves, that we will only know in the end.  The clearest example that they race primary goal is the sharp end and not the back end, is the introduction of the shorter timetrail section.  That might sure not break any of the backmarkers, but it could have an impact on the overall standings, which more lean to the point that the epic is now a "lighter" version in some of the contributors here.

 

Let me put my my jokey jacket on, other things that they can do to make it more epic again:

- Stop offering recovery massages after the race

- Limit the food availability at the end

- Force everyone to sleep in tents

- Limit the amount of fluid that can be taken over the course

- Ban tubeless tires

 

 And for real epic, lets only allow hardtails

Edited March 20, 2018 by LeoKnight

[dannygirl]

My view, the Epic race is a combination of different events in one.  With the sharp end being the primary focus and not so much the back end.

 

Yes there is a component of riders that want to proof to themselves (and those around them) that they have overcome a grueling race that few others can achieve, something that takes dedication, training and mental strength to complete, I assume your view is that some of the guys / girls completing it this year does not fall under those categories, and that you would expect a flattish bell curve of success / failures.  There is also a component of riders signing up that want to enjoy it, they might not go as hard everyday from the start, rather conserving energy riding to finish instead of busting them nachos from the start, burning matches in the process, yet they do finish in time everyday, do the recovery at the end with a massage or two.

 

On the other side, the part that makes the advertising money, and the glam bit is the sharp end of the race.  At the end of the race do we feel that the best teams won the challenge, and were they properly tested between themselves, that we will only know in the end.  The clearest example that they race primary goal is the sharp end and not the back end, is the introduction of the shorter timetrail section.  That might sure not break any of the backmarkers, but it could have an impact on the overall standings, which more lean to the point that the epic is now a "lighter" version in some of the contributors here.

 

Let me put my my jokey jacket on, other things that they can do to make it more epic again:

- Stop offering recovery massages after the race

- Limit the food availability at the end

- Force everyone to sleep in tents

- Limit the amount of fluid that can be taken over the course

- Ban tubeless tires

 

 And for real epic, lets only allow SS hardtails

 

fixed