Cape Epic or Bikepacking in Europe?

[Eldron]

For the price of the Epic you can cycle tour Europe not bike pack it!

 

Between airbnb and choosing restaurants well you should be able to have a hot shower and a place to keep your bike while you tour the local highlights.

 

My money is firmly on bike packing over Epic.

 

Also - again with the binary thinking. Just because the majority prefer bikepacking doesn't mean we hate the epic...

[PhilipV]

Thanks man, Plz motivate the part where u say you would do any race in Europe above the Epic?

Make no mistake, the epic is a lekker way of spending 8-9 days on a bike. But I live in Epic central, there are very little trails that they ride that we can't ride or organise with a couple of phone call so for me the epic is terrible value in my opinion.

I'll rather spend those same days, or more days in a different location. Ie Europe. But I said any euro riding TRIP, not race. There are euro races I won't do either. So you misread me there. I'd rather ride around Mont Blanc than ride epic, or do a ski lift holiday In Morzine, Livigno Chatel etc. Or tour through the Pyrenees.

 

Ito the OP's question: Bike packing is done at a more leisurely pace (we raced epic, not enough sight seeing was being done,) so bike packing is way more sociable, fun, manageable, and will be a lot less afk@k.

We did a two day bikepacking trip in the Overberg recently, and did most of the lekker trails that the epic did in the area, and it was way more enjoyable than any two days of epic I've done.

Edited September 2, 2019 by PhilipV

[PhilipV]

OP, I'm hoping you can sort out the formatting quickly, because I'm chomping at the bit to read about it.

[eddy]

Thanks man, Plz motivate the part where u say you would do any race in Europe above the Epic?

I have never done the Epic and would much rather do a bike packing trip in Europe.

[Grease_Monkey]

OP, I'm hoping you can sort out the formatting quickly, because I'm chomping at the bit to read about it.

 

I'm still chomping at the bit to read about our bike packing trip    

[dave303e]

Having recently been on a few of these, a lot of people cycle the Great ways of Scotland.

• Land in Edinburgh, Rental van to Port Patrick
• Southern Upland Way to Cockburnspath
• Along the Coast to Dunbar, then jump on the John Muir Way to Helensburgh
• Three Locks Way to Inverglass
• Cross the Loch And join the West Highland Way and go through to Fort William
• From Fort William you should bag Glen Nevis on foot(Highest point in the UK)
• Then jump on the Great Glen Way to Inverness via the quaint Fort Augusts, riding above Loch Ness.
• Then Double Back a bit and join the Affrric Kintail Way through to Morvich
• From Morvich head through to the Isle of Skye.
• Isle of Sky up past Torridon and back to Inverness to fly Home. 

 

Most of the Backpackers will accommodate you fairly cheaply and are set up for bikes with storage.

Pack Plenty Rain jackets

My estimate is R25k will get you through comfortable including flights accom and food.

[Sharkie 2]

I just actually got back from a trip with a couple of friends from the UK for a quick cycle to Belgium.

We left Sevenoaks early Saturday morning and cycled to Dover 102km, had breakfast, and then boarded the ferry for a two hour crossing to Dunkirk.

Dunkirk to Brugge was up next and we got off the ferry at 3pm. Goal was to reach Brugge as early as possible and you can do this quite easily as it is mostly flat all the way.

We hit a snag with about 30km to go when a friend snapped his hanger, we made the bike single speed but kept on having issues every now and then. With all the stops we arrived in Brugge at 7.30pm, booked into our accommodation, showered and went out for dinner taking in some of the sights of the beautiful town. The town square was so lively with a show on and loads of people sitting around and enjoying the summer weather.

Dinner that night was great with a couple of Belgium beers and a fresh waffle to round it off.

Next morning was an 8.30am start back to Dunkirk to catch the ferry home at 2pm. Challenging with our friend on a single speed but made it in good time. Lunch on the ferry and a train back from Dover home.

Really beautiful cycling through the garden of England (Kent) on the way to Dover and then cycling along water canals all the way to Brugge passing through small towns.

We will be doing a lot more of this over the next couple of years.

[100Tours]

Methinks a better comparison would be a week on the epic or a week on european routes. I've done 2 epics and half-a-dozen European trips. None were bike packing however - generally we hire a car and then plan circular routes.

 

First up the week on the epic will cost more. Current entry cost on the epic is R45,000? and that's before any equipment or nutrition. You can budget on maybe 10,000-15,000 a week in Europe if you include good accommodation and car hire, and then add your flight cost to that. So for the cost of the epic you can do at least 2 weeks in Europe.

 

A few awesome eu trip ideas that you could do for R25k (incl. flights)-

• A week in the Alps (France). Base yourself around Alpe d'Huez and see how many categorised climbs you can visit in a week. 
• A week in the Pyrenees. We took MTBs for this one. pretty awesome.
• A week in the Dolomites (Italy). road bikes.
• Do a spring classic 'sportif'
• Spend a week in Belgium in April and do 2 - Paris Roubaix and RVV are 1 week apart.
• Asturias and the Basque country in Spain (see this week's Vuelta coverage)

Having said that the Epic is a real life changing experience. It is just so all consuming while you're on it, and such a uniquely 'semi-pro' cycling experience that parallels are probably non-existent. It will also thoroughly disrupt any relationships or working arrangements that feature in your life, leading to much self interrogation about why you're doing it at all. I would do at least one if you could.

Edited September 2, 2019 by 100Tours

[DJR]

Methinks a better comparison would be ...............

GREAT POST 100Tours

Edited September 2, 2019 by DJR

[100Tours]

GREAT POST 100Tours

 

Thanks - if anyone ever wants info on doing one of these trips feel free to drop me a line. Happy to share some experience and a few itineraries if these are useful.

[Duane_Bosch]

Thanks - if anyone ever wants info on doing one of these trips feel free to drop me a line. Happy to share some experience and a few itineraries if these are useful.

My other half and I are going to the Pyrenees next June.

 

Gonna be based in Argeles Gazost and hitting the TDF cols. Probably gonna do a day trip to Ainsa. 2 days not smoking any weed at all in Amsterdam on the way back.

Edited September 2, 2019 by Duane_Bosch

[Prince Albert Cycles]

Did one Epic and 4 Europe cycling holidays , firstly for one Epic Entry you can do 2 Europe trips . And in Europe you can ride a road bike which I don't do in SA .

But for one Epic entry you can bike pack for months in SA . I meet lots of European cyclist in my little shop in Prince Albert who bike pack our country . Camping , sleeping next to the road and been taken in by our friendly South Africans .

[Nevermore]

Bike packing in Europe - seriously I cannot stress enough how much better of a option that is over the Epic.

 

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

 

DO NOT DO EPIC OVER

 

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

BIKE PACKING IN EUROPE

have u done the epic?

[Fat Boab]

Ground Hog day?

[mtb impi]

have u done the epic?

Quite persistent (or curious)!?

A trick question ..., since you have an answer ready either way?

[ChrisF]

Did one Epic and 4 Europe cycling holidays , firstly for one Epic Entry you can do 2 Europe trips . And in Europe you can ride a road bike which I don't do in SA .

But for one Epic entry you can bike pack for months in SA . I meet lots of European cyclist in my little shop in Prince Albert who bike pack our country . Camping , sleeping next to the road and been taken in by our friendly South Africans .

 

So true !!

 

Or even a gentler version, as we did in January this year .... bike on the car, drive up to Prince Albert.  Cycle the Swartberg Pass and a couple of farm roads, AND got to meet Arno. 

 

Next day we drove to Calitzdorp, stayed on a farm enjoyed some routes in the area.

 

Then on to Montagu for some more farm roads.  Actually Montagu Tourism office has LOTS of info on cycling routes in the area !!! 

 

 

I got to cycle new routes.  We got to enjoy the "plaas dorpies" 

 

 

 

SO MANY roads in SA that I still want to cycle ....

 

 

 

PS - and if I could afford it, and if I had the legs for it, I surely would do at least one Epic, K2C, S2C, ....  Okay, as other Capies have said, as we have access to so much of the Epic routes already I would probably want to go for K2C and S2C .... 

Edited September 3, 2019 by ChrisF