the unofficial Cape Epic 2024 thread

[BaGearA]

3 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

the live timing is not so easy to navigate this year.

if you dnf at a waterpoint, i guess thta means you got there and pulled out.

 

there must still be like 40+ teams with timing still at WP2 Welgemeen (47km), but not yet tracked at WP3(70km).

They've been going for at least 6:30 hours now. What's the cut-off going to be?

still a climb out of WP3 to then go down the wapad, they will be struggling.

 

agreed the timing is horrific to follow but the latest team in has a time of 6:47:30 something which is already a massive day, but acceptable imo 

 

up to 175% of the winning time in my mind is a fair bench mark for amateurs to chase 

 

with cutoff maybe being like 220% , I honestely have no idea how cutoff is actually calculated 

[BaGearA]

7:12:16 for the team that just crossed 

[SwissVan]

5 minutes ago, BaGearA said:

It honestly blows my mind that someone signs up for this when they must know they won't finish.

 

Sure lots of people have 135k to just throw away casually twice a week but even when you're ready and fit you know there's going to be some suffering involved 

 

Starting so late is definitely a crappy spanner to be thrown by the organizer but surely if you can't make it halfway by 13:00 on stage 2 then you should never have even been allowed to start on Sunday

A year ago when lots of people entered not even sure if they would get a ticket...it seemed like a great idea.

Unfortunately once you have entered and paid, its hard to take it back 

 

[DieselnDust]

4 hours ago, Shebeen said:

the live timing is not so easy to navigate this year.

if you dnf at a waterpoint, i guess thta means you got there and pulled out.

 

there must still be like 40+ teams with timing still at WP2 Welgemeen (47km), but not yet tracked at WP3(70km).

They've been going for at least 6:30 hours now. What's the cut-off going to be?

still a climb out of WP3 to then go down the wapad, they will be struggling.

 

The teams that have not checked in at WP 3 by 15:00 are in trouble. Cut off is 9hr 40 so if departing at 8:20 the cut off is at 18:00

three hours to complete the last 27km is a big ask especially when that wagon train descent isn’t a free ride home

Edited March 19 by DieselnDust
Corrected my crappy clock math

[BuffsVintageBikes]

I just mentioned to some friends that the thing most Epic first-timers fail to train for is the hike-a-bike sections and they absolutely kill your legs for the next days stage. You end up with massive muscle stiffness because you're only conditioned for cycling so the glutes, hammies & calves take a beating. It sounds inconsequential but believe me, you pay the price. It's literally only the Pros that can climb those massive mountains on the bike, for the rest it's a 30min to 1 hour hike, almost every day.

[BuffsVintageBikes]

3 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

The teams that have not checked in at WP 3 by 15:00 are in trouble. Cut off is 9hr 40 so if departing at 8:20 the cut off is at 17:00

two hours to complete the last 27km is a big ask especially when that wagon train descent isn’t a free ride home

Pretty sure they'll extend cut off today due to the abortion on the climb

[DieselnDust]

6 minutes ago, SwissVan said:

A year ago when lots of people entered not even sure if they would get a ticket...it seemed like a great idea.

Unfortunately once you have entered and paid, its hard to take it back 

 

A lot of the dropouts are sponsored entries. Theres not much commitment other than pride when its a freebie

[DieselnDust]

16 minutes ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

Pretty sure they'll extend cut off today due to the abortion on the climb

According to rule 15 it shouldn’t be extended further since the max allowed stage time is the greater of the max advertised stage time (9hr40) or double the stage winner’s time ( 8 hr 10min 44sec)

the race director can extend it but the past few years they have only done so if conditions were extreme. In 2016 we had 44C temps but the cut off remained at 17:00

Edited March 19 by DieselnDust

[mikkelz]

13 minutes ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

for the rest it's a 30min to 1 hour hike, almost every day.

I can think of better things to do with my money (and time) than taking my bike for a hike. 😂

[ajnkzn]

Unpopular opinion, but if you look at the day's profile and where the Wagon Trail is situated on the way out / back;

 

No matter how fast the top guys are and how far after them one starts (is it 07h00 for top dogs and last batch off at 08h20 - only 1hr20?), if you can't get to 20km in 3 hours or so then I'm not sure it's the organisers who are to blame?

 

It's (arguably) the most prestigious and "hardest" MTB stage race in the world so if you enter, make sure you are experienced, fit, fast and technically very able.

Edited March 19 by ajnkzn

[Newbie321]

4 minutes ago, ajnkzn said:

Unpopular opinion, but if you look at the day's profile;

 

No matter how fast the top guys are and how far after them one starts (is it 07h00 for top dogs and last batch off at 08h20 - only 1hr20?), if you can't get to 20km in 3 hours or so then I'm not sure it's the organisers who are to blame?

 

It's (arguably) the most prestigious and "hardest" MTB stage race in the world so if you enter, make sure you are experienced, fit, fast and technically very able.

Those poor oakes probably spent all their money on the entry instead of buying a race ready bike worth north of 150k.

[Pandatron]

Just now, Newbie321 said:

Those poor oakes probably spent all their money on the entry instead of buying a race ready bike worth north of 150k.

Little bitter there

[ajnkzn]

If you see Oli Munnik and partner a few years ago on their Signal Hardtails (yes they were kitted with nice wheels etc but still a basic bike), the bike is not what's holding anyone back?

 

I would bet that a R 40 k used aluminium Giant / Orbea / Spez dual sus, well serviced and with a good rider, could get into the top 100 easily.

[Newbie321]

3 minutes ago, ajnkzn said:

If you see Oli Munnik and partner a few years ago on their Signal Hardtails (yes they were kitted with nice wheels etc but still a basic bike), the bike is not what's holding anyone back?

 

I would bet that a R 40 k used aluminium Giant / Orbea / Spez dual sus, well serviced and with a good rider, could get into the top 100 easily.

That's the joke

 

Edited March 19 by Newbie321

[Pandatron]

2 minutes ago, ajnkzn said:

If you see Oli Munnik and partner a few years ago on their Signal Hardtails (yes they were kitted with nice wheels etc but still a basic bike), the bike is not what's holding anyone back?

 

I would bet that a R 40 k used aluminium Giant / Orbea / Spez dual sus, well serviced and with a good rider, could get into the top 100 easily.

Going to say hmm maybe, the sharp end of that bunch really do push the peformance out of their bike.

[Shebeen]

11 minutes ago, ajnkzn said:

Unpopular opinion, but if you look at the day's profile;

 

No matter how fast the top guys are and how far after them one starts (is it 07h00 for top dogs and last batch off at 08h20 - only 1hr20?), if you can't get to 20km in 3 hours or so then I'm not sure it's the organisers who are to blame?

 

It's (arguably) the most prestigious and "hardest" MTB stage race in the world so if you enter, make sure you are experienced, fit, fast and technically very able.

They first did it in 2011, 110km stage

back then the descent into the valley was also the return path, I have put today's route in orange, which should have made a clash less likely.

 

https://www.strava.com/segments/718210?filter=overall