Cape Epic without spectators - Not Epic

[b-rad]

@Shebeen.  Agreed - Cape Epic as a single entity took a big hit.  I guess the only positive looking to 2021 is that a number of the international teams may defer to 2022, giving more local riders an opportunity to enter (assuming they can afford it).  

..

Don't the highly ranked teams get free entries and various other perks?

Not sure if it's changed in the last few years but a few years back when helping an international team that was the case.

[arendoog]

Burn them! 

 

Epic is lame anyway. Seriously, how cool would it be if they had an 8 day race, But day 1 was a prologue, day 2 was an XCM, day 3 was an XCO, day 4 was an Enduro, day 5 an XCM, day 6 an XCM with some 'super segments' both down and up that get timed and then added to your overall day time, day 7 was another short, fast technical xcm and the race finished with the last XCM with a rad timed Downhill to the finish. (Or another enduro or whatever)

 

You have to use the same bike for everything.

 

8 days of same same... pffft

 

 

Dinosaurs will die

 

Good summery of the Epic stages 

[arendoog]

The short answer ....

 

Epic was bought by Ironman.

 

Ironman is a wierd card house in serious financial trouble BEFORE Covid ... also serious allegations of bad business practices ...

 

Thus doing all the planning and some multiple expenses for two years, with only one year's income is not helping the group's books.

 

Let's see what this group looks like by end 2021, and intp 2022 ...

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wanda-sports-group-completes-the-sale-of-the-ironman-group-to-advance-and-announces-board-of-directors-changes-301096048.html&ved=2ahUKEwjhpsKclfvsAhVKZcAKHQRhCFgQFjABegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw0da7log__KGuDBuPgHvLxQ

 

 

How does all this impact on the business model for the epic event .... doubt we will ever know.

But then there are Covid relief funds .! Free cash for everybody !

[arendoog]

Damn. That’s embarrassing. I’d rather die there on the spot

Exactly .Falling at speed is better for the camera man 

[sirmoun10goat]

Ironman was sold back to its original owners at a discount If I recall. Wanda wanted to offload quickly and did. They may be stuck with the Epic Series for a while as they have not recovered that investment yet. Who would be interested in buying? ASO?

 

No, it never went back to the original owners, and not at a discount either. Wanda bought it from Providence Equity Partners for $650mil, and sold it to Advance for $730mil in a cash deal. And I'm sure they made good returns on each event hosted - 235 events a year. One of the investors from PEP was involved in the deal wih Advance.

[Dubber]

Don't the highly ranked teams get free entries and various other perks?

Not sure if it's changed in the last few years but a few years back when helping an international team that was the case.

I suspect if you have a seeding you get your entry for free?  Can't say with any certainty...

 

Big shots aside, there are also a large percentage of international Joe Soaps.  I remember 2017 the split was pretty much 50/50 international/local .  Not sure of the numbers for the last couple years..  I've been out of the loop since leaving....

 

So assuming flight restrictions, health concerns etc etc are still in play 5 months from now, there may be a hundred  odd entries available?

[Kranswurm]

I once had to sell our entry because of a bad fall and concussion and a big shot local bought it

[DieselnDust]

the only free entries as far as I know are for the last 4 Lions and Lioness.

Everyone else pays or their sponsor pays including the Pro teams.

[b-rad]

I suspect if you have a seeding you get your entry for free?  Can't say with any certainty...

 

That's the way I thought it was, based on rider UCI rankings. A number of years ago at least, but has probably changed in recent years.

Aren't a batch of entries also given to the big sponsors, Absa, Exxaero, etc etc? In effect they did "purchase" those slots though.

[b-rad]

I am almost certain there are no free entries at all. The sponsors will pay for them or the team management. Epic as far as I thought made quite a bit of their loot through tv rights. Heard it is broadcast in over 40 countries.

The whole appeal of Epic being the premier race in the world depends on the media coverage and high number of foreign pros racing. If one of these aspects changes for some reason it could just become another stage race.

[TeamBaja]

I was at the epic last year as a volunteer, fans aren't there it all(first day). Mostly family and friends of a few. Then on the last day people show up. No one goes to the epic to see fans cheer, is cool when you race and people cheer. But the epic is so long in every respect, that is impossible to have a huge fan base. The online fans are more important to the race and sponsors, the quality of the race is important to the racers.

 

I'm 99.999 sure the race will go on, everyone has been giving the opportunity to do what you consider right for you. We had to make a decision based, based on whats going on today and the forceable future. 

[Bike2Bed]

In all honesty, how can you stop spectators along the roads, etc? You cannot stop someone from stopping in their car and watching the race from the sidelines? The only difference really is you may not have your supporters to watch you finish the race each day at the finish area, but who can stop them from watching at various points? 

[babse]

In all honesty, how can you stop spectators along the roads, etc? You cannot stop someone from stopping in their car and watching the race from the sidelines? The only difference really is you may not have your supporters to watch you finish the race each day at the finish area, but who can stop them from watching at various points? 

 you cant and spectators will come out...

 

SA XCO in stellies a month ago was strictly no spectators and by the time the elites were off, most tech section had crowds.

[Shebeen]

I suspect if you have a seeding you get your entry for free?  Can't say with any certainty...

 

Big shots aside, there are also a large percentage of international Joe Soaps.  I remember 2017 the split was pretty much 50/50 international/local .  Not sure of the numbers for the last couple years..  I've been out of the loop since leaving....

 

So assuming flight restrictions, health concerns etc etc are still in play 5 months from now, there may be a hundred  odd entries available?

 

the 50% seems about right. there might be south africans living abroad coming out to the race, and local residents riding under a different flag.

 

just jogging through the results searching for "South africa", normally ~650 teams on startline

2019 - 648 ZAR

18 - 724

17 - 654

16 - 783

15 - 738

 

 

2021 will surely see a bigger swing to ZA riders. methinks there could be a lot of tickets going available closer to the time

[DieselnDust]

the 50% seems about right. there might be south africans living abroad coming out to the race, and local residents riding under a different flag.

 

just jogging through the results searching for "South africa", normally ~650 teams on startline

2019 - 648 ZAR

18 - 724

17 - 654

16 - 783

15 - 738

 

 

2021 will surely see a bigger swing to ZA riders. methinks there could be a lot of tickets going available closer to the time

 

 

what do the numbers in bold speak to?

[Shebeen]

what do the numbers in bold speak to?

amount of south africans in the results.

 

so 2019, 648 south africans amongst the ~1300 racers (assuming 650 pairs start)