Absa Cape Epic 2021 thread

[Cookie88]

7 minutes ago, eala said:

Ok ! Now that you mentioned our team ,I will give a short summary .We ride in the grand master category .After three false starts and having the option to ride in October or next year ,we sort of decided we will give it a go this year .I have one medal from 2019 and my partner has three .We have not ridden Epic together yet .Preparation was difficult for both of us .No events to measure or push yourself leading up to the date and training consisted mainly of IDT ,spinning classes, and free riding .I need to mention that we would have done Maluti double ninety and used the cancelled weekend to do a 140km mini Maluti and a 70 km the next day on our own with a group of friends  .That was the longest ride we did before Epic and we dearly needed time in the saddle  .

We stayed privately and barely saw the race village at start and finish .The prologue was wet and slippery and the initial climbing surprised us once again .Our aim was only to finish and ride up dead man's tree .We managed that and walked  muddy plumb pudding after my partner fell .

Tulbagh valley was stunningly beautiful where we stayed .Stage one was a round trip to eselfontein and back .It was a cool perfect day and we rode all that eselfontein had to offer and then some detour trails coming back .Lots of technical single-track at eselfontein that slows you down and saps energy. My bottom bracket with only 80 km of use started making terrible noises and had to be replaced that evening .I also had an over the handlebar when my handlebar rotated  down  .Note .Check everything yourself .Mechanics don,t !

Stage two started calmly and was another perfect weather day .The climbs were all manageable but the sting was the technical rocky section after du toit,s drop that is also used in the Tankwa trek .Everybody around me had heard my full vocabulary of swear words' by now .The climb up the Witzenberg brought back memories of the 42 deg Celsius day during the tankwa trek when we i stood at the top ,cramping and looking back at devastated riders suffering from heat exhaustion .Today was pleasant and we proceeded to the hell of all descents on Tulbagh side .My calves and upper body  cramped and my partner fell lightly on a switchback ,narrowly missing a twig eye injury that cut skin just below his left eye .Another stage completed but little time for rest as we finished around four pm .Our bodies were aching  everywhere .Pain meds brought light relief. 

Stage three was going to test us and it did .Our average speed was slowing from sore legs and bodies ,but we managed to get to Fanties,s pass .my back was killing me from pushing it up the impossible to ride pass .It just kept going up and getting steeper ,up to 20 % .Getting to the top was a relief and  we thought a quick easy decent and some well earned rest waited for us .NOOOO!!!!!! we we wrong .Another hiking trail  through the cool forest and into the open mountain side ,only to find the next section of switchback climbs going up once more .I had energy for this climb but not for any more .Thankfully the trail turned downwards and we thought we were home safe with 25 minutes to cutoff and the last few km to ride ,only to find that forest single-track was now our next obstacle to the finish and both of us got stung by bees riding through a fruit tree orchard. My partner is allergic to the little buggers ,so i was expecting him to come to a stop pretty soon .Luckily he takes antihistamine every day   We used all our remaining energy and talent to blitz the last few km ,ignoring paining bottoms, arms ,legs and backs .We made it with less than 10 minutes to cutoff .+

Stage four was a welcome easier day with good weather and flowing singletrack .We both felt good and needed some more recovery time .We used the shorter day well and new the next day was going to test us .

Stage five started well for us .Well rested and energized we rode the first 50 km and 2000 m of climbing well and even caught the next group .We were positive and left the top waterpoint as it started raining harder and it was getting colder as the wind picked up .No reason to worry we marched on until my rear tire started slipping and i noticed that slime was bubbling from the valve .I inflated it and bounced the wheel .It held pressure for a while and then the same thing repeated .It was not sealing even with ample amount of sealant bubbling out so we put a tube in . With cold slippery hands and equipment it took some time to get the orange indestructible tube in .There was still copious amounts of sealant in the tire and no other sharp items  .I noticed that the the area of the valve was large and stiff and did not fit nicely into the rim .But it is the indestructible tube so if it did not fit flush it should not be a problem .We got going again with now cold stiff bodies and the pace was slow .At the last proper waterpoint i bought three more bombs if we needed them and we were of .We had a 35 minute time buffer still but there was still 800 meters of climbing in the last 30 km .Barely 20 minutes later ,making good time and warming up the rear flat repeated again .As i inflated it i could hear the air leaking from the valve .A passing rider gave us her tube and we put that in and started from scratch with cold bodies up the remaining climb .Another 15 minutes gone .At that point i already new if the remaining 600 meters were going to be technical our stage was over .we had to average at least 15 km/h to make it .The rest of the climb was muddy ,technical and our legs were dead by now .The pace was too slow .I watched my GPS and hoping that the organizers had made a mistake with the ascent as we were still going up and up .At 2850 meters we reached the top .Downhill all the way ! We could still make it .I dropped my seat post and started the flowing descent through the pine forest .It was slippery with trees, rocks and sharp turns .My partner rode above his comfort zone and very nearly had a massive crash .We weren't going fast enough .I noticed my partner had slowed down and i glanced at my watch .Cutoff was two minutes ago .So we slowed down and leisurely rode the last few km home .Myself with a stuck dropper at the bottom

No finisher medal for us ,but we could still ride the next two stages .We were disappointed ,but also relieved that it was up to us if we wanted to start the next day's mud fest. The decision was almost instantaneous  and both of had had enough .

The next day we visited the village to return our electronics and watch the leaders at the finish line .We spent the weekend with our families at the wine farms and had a memorable time .We rode from sunday to friday ,500 of the 650km .The experience was wonderful ,but the riding was harder than previous epics ,especially the technical singletrack ,hiking trail, sections .

    

 

 

 

Wow, thank you for sharing. Sounds like a helluva tough week - you are fortunate that you have a finishers medal under the belt otherwise I imagine it might have been a lot more painful not making that cut-off!

[Cookie88]

Any idea on how many Teams didn't finish in this years edition? Given some of the rainy conditions it would be interesting to see if the attrition rate was any worse.

 

 

Edited October 29, 2021 by Cookie88

[eala]

On 10/29/2021 at 12:46 PM, Cookie88 said:

Any idea on how many Teams didn't finish in this years edition? Given some of the rainy conditions it would be interesting to see if the attrition rate.

 

 

Stage three started with one less starting bunch .I know of two friends that did not finish .Both with medical problems .On day three the teams were down from 291 to 265 

Edited October 30, 2021 by eala

[eala]

On 10/29/2021 at 12:45 PM, Cookie88 said:

 

Wow, thank you for sharing. Sounds like a helluva tough week - you are fortunate that you have a finishers medal under the belt otherwise I imagine it might have been a lot more painful not making that cut-off!

The rain was almost a blessing in disguise .We would certainly have continued if we still had a medal chance ,but had no appetite for a 6 to 7 hour mud contest .Wet riding kit ,open wounds and expensive group sets don,t like mud and rain on the trails .Been there ,done that! I notice ten bikes all lonesome and clean in the bike park  the next morning .We were not the only one,s feeling this way .Team 5 with one dirty and the other washed after stage six

Edited October 30, 2021 by eala

[ChrisF]

2 hours ago, eala said:

Ok ! Now that you mentioned our team ,I will give a short summary .We ride in the grand master category .After three false starts and having the option to ride in October or next year ,we sort of decided we will give it a go this year .I have one medal from 2019 and my partner has three .We have not ridden Epic together yet .Preparation was difficult for both of us .No events to measure or push yourself leading up to the date and training consisted mainly of IDT ,spinning classes, and free riding .I need to mention that we would have done Maluti double ninety and used the cancelled weekend to do a 140km mini Maluti and a 70 km the next day on our own with a group of friends  .That was the longest ride we did before Epic and we dearly needed time in the saddle  .

We stayed privately and barely saw the race village at start and finish .The prologue was wet and slippery and the initial climbing surprised us once again .Our aim was only to finish and ride up dead man's tree .We managed that and walked  muddy plumb pudding after my partner fell .

Tulbagh valley was stunningly beautiful where we stayed .Stage one was a round trip to eselfontein and back .It was a cool perfect day and we rode all that eselfontein had to offer and then some detour trails coming back .Lots of technical single-track at eselfontein that slows you down and saps energy. My bottom bracket with only 80 km of use started making terrible noises and had to be replaced that evening .I also had an over the handlebar when my handlebar rotated  down  .Note .Check everything yourself .Mechanics don,t !

Stage two started calmly and was another perfect weather day .The climbs were all manageable but the sting was the technical rocky section after du toit,s drop that is also used in the Tankwa trek .Everybody around me had heard my full vocabulary of swear words' by now .The climb up the Witzenberg brought back memories of the 42 deg Celsius day during the tankwa trek when we i stood at the top ,cramping and looking back at devastated riders suffering from heat exhaustion .Today was pleasant and we proceeded to the hell of all descents on Tulbagh side .My calves and upper body  cramped and my partner fell lightly on a switchback ,narrowly missing a twig eye injury that cut skin just below his left eye .Another stage completed but little time for rest as we finished around four pm .Our bodies were aching  everywhere .Pain meds brought light relief. 

Stage three was going to test us and it did .Our average speed was slowing from sore legs and bodies ,but we managed to get to Fanties,s pass .my back was killing me from pushing it up the impossible to ride pass .It just kept going up and getting steeper ,up to 20 % .Getting to the top was a relief and  we thought a quick easy decent and some well earned rest waited for us .NOOOO!!!!!! we we wrong .Another hiking trail  through the cool forest and into the open mountain side ,only to find the next section of switchback climbs going up once more .I had energy for this climb but not for any more .Thankfully the trail turned downwards and we thought we were home safe with 25 minutes to cutoff and the last few km to ride ,only to find that forest single-track was now our next obstacle to the finish and both of us got stung by bees riding through a fruit tree orchard. My partner is allergic to the little buggers ,so i was expecting him to come to a stop pretty soon .Luckily he takes antihistamine every day   We used all our remaining energy and talent to blitz the last few km ,ignoring paining bottoms, arms ,legs and backs .We made it with less than 10 minutes to cutoff .+

Stage four was a welcome easier day with good weather and flowing singletrack .We both felt good and needed some more recovery time .We used the shorter day well and new the next day was going to test us .

Stage five started well for us .Well rested and energized we rode the first 50 km and 2000 m of climbing well and even caught the next group .We were positive and left the top waterpoint as it started raining harder and it was getting colder as the wind picked up .No reason to worry we marched on until my rear tire started slipping and i noticed that slime was bubbling from the valve .I inflated it and bounced the wheel .It held pressure for a while and then the same thing repeated .It was not sealing even with ample amount of sealant bubbling out so we put a tube in . With cold slippery hands and equipment it took some time to get the orange indestructible tube in .There was still copious amounts of sealant in the tire and no other sharp items  .I noticed that the the area of the valve was large and stiff and did not fit nicely into the rim .But it is the indestructible tube so if it did not fit flush it should not be a problem .We got going again with now cold stiff bodies and the pace was slow .At the last proper waterpoint i bought three more bombs if we needed them and we were of .We had a 35 minute time buffer still but there was still 800 meters of climbing in the last 30 km .Barely 20 minutes later ,making good time and warming up the rear flat repeated again .As i inflated it i could hear the air leaking from the valve .A passing rider gave us her tube and we put that in and started from scratch with cold bodies up the remaining climb .Another 15 minutes gone .At that point i already new if the remaining 600 meters were going to be technical our stage was over .we had to average at least 15 km/h to make it .The rest of the climb was muddy ,technical and our legs were dead by now .The pace was too slow .I watched my GPS and hoping that the organizers had made a mistake with the ascent as we were still going up and up .At 2850 meters we reached the top .Downhill all the way ! We could still make it .I dropped my seat post and started the flowing descent through the pine forest .It was slippery with trees, rocks and sharp turns .My partner rode above his comfort zone and very nearly had a massive crash .We weren't going fast enough .I noticed my partner had slowed down and i glanced at my watch .Cutoff was two minutes ago .So we slowed down and leisurely rode the last few km home .Myself with a stuck dropper at the bottom

No finisher medal for us ,but we could still ride the next two stages .We were disappointed ,but also relieved that it was up to us if we wanted to start the next day's mud fest. The decision was almost instantaneous  and both of had had enough .

The next day we visited the village to return our electronics and watch the leaders at the finish line .We spent the weekend with our families at the wine farms and had a memorable time .We rode from sunday to friday ,500 of the 650km .The experience was wonderful ,but the riding was harder than previous epics ,especially the technical singletrack ,hiking trail, sections .

    

 

 

Thank you for sharing your ride and experience.

[Shebeen]

On 10/28/2021 at 11:24 AM, JohanDiv said:

Any idea or rumors yet of what the 2022 route will look like? I just accepted an entry from a client/friend.. guess I'll have to start training now!

is it in march again?

ok went to le website, looks like all they really have a is a date for now.

BUT it is hugely encouraging to see that they got this thing done, and (AFAIK) no major covid implications from it.

 

 

[Shebeen]

On 10/27/2021 at 11:01 PM, copperhead said:

What happened to Max Mensies? The steel rigid, single speed man? My kind of style ????????

 

On 10/28/2021 at 10:47 AM, eala said:

We saw them at the start everyday  .They looked fresh and strong 

looks like they finished Lanterne Rouge, well bloody done.

 

[Hairy]

3 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

 

looks like they finished Lanterne Rouge, well bloody done.

 

Team Brandslang ... met some of them at a W2W couple of years back ... that Mampoer with a chili in it that gives their name is actually flipping delicious 

[J Wakefield]

5 hours ago, copperhead said:

The Epic is not easy. It is not meant to be. No disrespect to anyone at all but you don't enter a race without prior knowledge of what happens. Well done to all who finished. Those who didn't train harder for next year. Love the stories. Respect to everyone. 

Train smarter not harder 

[DieselnDust]

56 minutes ago, J Wakefield said:

Train smarter not harder 

Spot on John,

For my last epic I maxed out at 12hrs per week with typical week training at around 10grs including gym work. Faired just fine, never struggled with the legs, Dropping BMI is also hugely underrated. There are people who still believe go in 5kg heavier even when they have 10kg spare....

One of them ordered pizza for recovery last night..????

 

Edited October 29, 2021 by DieselnDust

[eala]

9 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

Spot on John,

For my last epic I maxed out at 12hrs per week with typical week training at around 10grs including gym work. Faired just fine, never struggled with the legs, Dropping BMI is also hugely underrated. There are people who still believe go in 5kg heavier even when they have 10kg spare....

One of them ordered pizza for recovery last night..????

 

All above is spot on .Smarter training and max 12 h a week quality training.Ride the equipment that never breaks on the saddle that never hurts with the shoes that you can walk in also 

[J Wakefield]

Have many athletes who can only afford to do the 10-12hr and fair just fine at epic. 
 

have had many of their partners or ride groups make fun on them and critique that they need 20hr weeks and 6hr rides to complete epic and then themselves not finish, battle and go worse than the 10-12hr guys. 
 

[Dicky DQ]

Some freaks of nature also almost podium in masters and are high up in GC on 9 to 12 hrs. Quality over quantity. After all they are short stages these days. Needing more skill intensity than grinding out long hrs.

Sometimes I think going longer more often in training makes you slower, but what do I know. 

[Zebra]

On 10/30/2021 at 6:49 AM, eala said:

….Ride the equipment that never breaks on the saddle that never hurts with the shoes that you can walk in also 

nice Mantra; I like….

Edited November 19, 2021 by Zebra
Spelling

[DieselnDust]

10 hours ago, J Wakefield said:

Have many athletes who can only afford to do the 10-12hr and fair just fine at epic. 
 

have had many of their partners or ride groups make fun on them and critique that they need 20hr weeks and 6hr rides to complete epic and then themselves not finish, battle and go worse than the 10-12hr guys. 
 

I found the 7 to 12 hr per week more than enough. I am only limited by the capacity to recover and repeat on the wrong side of 40 but generally fair much better than blokes or gals following some high load programs that doesn’t allow proper periodisation.
three sub 3 argusts in the past 4editions speak ve troof

[Red Bird]

13 hours ago, J Wakefield said:

Have many athletes who can only afford to do the 10-12hr and fair just fine at epic. 
 

have had many of their partners or ride groups make fun on them and critique that they need 20hr weeks and 6hr rides to complete epic and then themselves not finish, battle and go worse than the 10-12hr guys. 
 

Also did same. Coached by Pierre Nel. The key is higher intensity. Even on weekends he scheduled 3 hours, but I had to include technical climbs and attack them. I train mainly for XCO, but was able to maintain endurance in the legs even on the “real queen stage” in Wellington. Fatigue only really set in on day 8, but the legs woke up somewhere during that stage. This was my first stage race longer than 2 days. Rode well over 7 hours on some days. As a female rider, on a hardtail, I don’t feel too bad about that.