Absa Cape Epic 2022

[Jewbacca]

Just now, J Wakefield said:

Many of the ladies teams have done stage races in Europe instead. Med Epic for example. More competition depth and cheaper to attend (as budget was mentioned) 

That's the answer. Instead of packing up a whole support team etc and taking an expensive trip to Africa, stay (mostly local), close to their teams, doctors etc and do the same thing there.

That makes a lot more sense to me

[J Wakefield]

4 hours ago, openmind said:

Not sure what you mean. I paid full retail for the tyres and they work well. Happy customer. All I meant to say with my post was that the Aspens are not a bad choice for the Epic. Nino either just had really bad luck or he has some custom version of the tyre that is less durable than the stock version, which obviously then was a bad choice. 

You raced them at Epic and had same handling conditions? 

[openmind]

1 minute ago, J Wakefield said:

You raced them at Epic and had same handling conditions? 

I have not done the Epic, but I raced them in last year's Wines2Whales and have been using them ever since. I live in Stellenbosch and ride all the local trails (incl. Jonkershoek) and they are fantastic. I don't think the Epic is harder on gear than that. I am pretty gobsmacked myself as I thought I was taking a chance with them on W2W, but they were flawless. Much more grip than I expected. No sidewall issues. I previously rode Icon/Ardent Race and Schwalbe RRs before that. These are faster (according to my Strava segments) wil no downsides (except mud!).

[wolver]

13 minutes ago, J Wakefield said:

Its a stage win at Epic. Free or not its a big thing for a cv. 

 

For sure! Just wondering how the contracts work and how much teams/sponsors value the additional exposure they get for stage wins.

[J Wakefield]

5 minutes ago, wolver said:

For sure! Just wondering how the contracts work and how much teams/sponsors value the additional exposure they get for stage wins.

Stage win for exposure and personal is big for any rider or team, it sometimes carries a team into the next season or helps that rider negotiate better on the next contract. However, it is not there for a stage win on 97% of the teams. 

Epic is typically a overall GC Bonus only and also in a very few teams only. 

To win a stage is often better than coming 5th overall on GC

 

Edited March 23, 2022 by J Wakefield

[J Wakefield]

5 minutes ago, wolver said:

For sure! Just wondering how the contracts work and how much teams/sponsors value the additional exposure they get for stage wins.

this also isnt SX with heat race wins or moto bonus's 

[wolver]

1 minute ago, J Wakefield said:

this also isnt SX with heat race wins or moto bonus's 

Haha... clearly Mike Genova doesn't run a mtb team 🤑

[J Wakefield]

20 minutes ago, wolver said:

Haha... clearly Mike Genova doesn't run a mtb team 🤑

Some teams barely make the entry cost. 

[OVERDRIVE]

5 hours ago, openmind said:

Not sure what you mean. I paid full retail for the tyres and they work well. Happy customer. All I meant to say with my post was that the Aspens are not a bad choice for the Epic. Nino either just had really bad luck or he has some custom version of the tyre that is less durable than the stock version, which obviously then was a bad choice. 

Lol am saying I’m sheep and I follow the hype. So when I see something breaking on tv on the pros I run away🤣

[IMan777]

I searched but could not find anything... Is there a Bikes of the Epic Thread yet?

 

Edited March 23, 2022 by IMan777

[DJuice]

1 hour ago, IMan777 said:

I searched but could not find anything... Is there a Bikes of the Epic Thread yet?

 

Nope, no bike checks from last year on Bikehub.

The source from last year has also not posted any new articles.

[kosmonooit]

Is Baaart B of American Eagle racing in the Masters again? sorry could of course dig deep on the interwebs for the answer but maybe someone knows, he normally brings a few of his team as well and having heard a bleep in that regard so maybe not

[DJuice]

17 minutes ago, kosmonooit said:

Is Baaart B of American Eagle racing in the Masters again? sorry could of course dig deep on the interwebs for the answer but maybe someone knows, he normally brings a few of his team as well and having heard a bleep in that regard so maybe not

Grand Master cat and winning.

On his American Eagly dual suspension, have not seen other team members.

Except the lumo yellow Mugura brakes on Mariska’s Liv. 

[ChrisF]

@JohanDiv how are you doing ?

 

 

[Jbr]

2 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

@JohanDiv how are you doing ?

 

 

According to instagram he’s doing ok 👌😬

[DieselnDust]

57 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

I don't think it is the biggest stage the wold can offer though?

It's marketed as such, but in reality it isn't. Marathon racing is not a big sport in 99% of the world. 

XCO, CX, crits and road racing are far bigger in most places. The emphasis isn't there. 

If they want more teams and bigger names, they will probably need to move the race outside of pre season too.

I'm a huge fan of women's sport. I love the raw emotion and the competitive unpredictability. But MTB, and women's MTB, are still relatively juvenile and basic in the era of pro sport. 

The fact that a student and a full time employee could break with the best the pro field could throw out today is testament.

It shouldn't happen.

If the epic team want to grow the race in that regard, they need to look beyond marketing and actually discuss a timeframe and negotiate options with the stakeholders in international women's cycling.

 

I completely agree, 

There should also be a financial return to the UCI teams entering the event in the form of appearance money that at least covers travel costs and create opportunities for those teams to exploit and maximise the media for a better exposure to their sponsors. It still appears that this is limited for the event sponsors which stifles the opportunity for growth