the unofficial Cape Epic 2024 thread

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Keyboard Epic riders are the best, they're always quick to point out what you should & shouldn't be doing 😄

to quote Theodore Roosevelt

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
 

[J Wakefield]

Cape Epic or any race / ride doesnt define if you a real Mountainbiker, road or gravel rider etc. 

You need psychological help if this is your thought pattern or belief. 

[Mook]

1 hour ago, J Wakefield said:

Cape Epic or any race / ride doesnt define if you a real Mountainbiker, road or gravel rider etc. 

You need psychological help if this is your thought pattern or belief. 

Spot on ☝️

 

Marcus Aurelius said: "Stop arguing about what a good man should be, just be one"

[Pandatron]

Well this is no fun now

[SwissVan]

21 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

 

Running Comrades is easy. Way easier than finishing the Epic. 

 

Jinna I dunno bud… 

Those runners sitting in the Avis busses and those trying to make the various cut offs might disagree, whilst never actually been there myself I have followed friends and my SOH on the route for many many years and have seen first hand the stress and 1000 yard stares when you try cheer them on…..

I’ve done a CE at the back squeaking in on some stages just before the cut off, (and once even after the cut off (it was luckily extended) most of the time the other riders around you are still in good spirits, and bar technical issues know you can make it.

Basically any cut off in any race is a B***H for someone.

just wait until you have a broom-bus travelling at a fixed speed of 34kmh following you…. That’s a tad unpleasant 

 

[Shebeen]

21 hours ago, nathrix said:

The REAL heroes are the ones who stay in those little ABSA tents every night, rain or shine, without any massages and make it to the end 🍻In my case i would prefer an airbnb and someone running around doing everything for me after a hard day in the saddle 😇

I'd like to see an award/category for riders who stay in the tent village. Could be sponsored by Getaway Mag or campmaster or  cadac. 

[Shebeen]

3 hours ago, J Wakefield said:

Cape Epic or any race / ride doesnt define if you a real Mountainbiker, road or gravel rider etc. 

You need psychological help if this is your thought pattern or belief. 

exhibit A: Munga startline

exhibit B: munga finish (yes, that annotation is correct).

 

 

exhibit 😄

Vasbyt AR

[babse]

27 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

I'd like to see an award/category for riders who stay in the tent village. Could be sponsored by Getaway Mag or campmaster or  cadac. 

those "Latvian wannabe pros" that won the amatuer cat are some serious amateurs ay... just missed out on top20 overall

 

🙃

[Jewbacca]

1 hour ago, SwissVan said:

Jinna I dunno bud… 

Those runners sitting in the Avis busses and those trying to make the various cut offs might disagree, whilst never actually been there myself I have followed friends and my SOH on the route for many many years and have seen first hand the stress and 1000 yard stares when you try cheer them on…..

I’ve done a CE at the back squeaking in on some stages just before the cut off, (and once even after the cut off (it was luckily extended) most of the time the other riders around you are still in good spirits, and bar technical issues know you can make it.

Basically any cut off in any race is a B***H for someone.

just wait until you have a broom-bus travelling at a fixed speed of 34kmh following you…. That’s a tad unpleasant 

 

One significant thing is the economic commitment to do comrades and Epic. People are very underprepared for both, but it's far easier to be underprepared for Comrades financially.

If you fork out 120k for an entry, chances are you will at least try to get there in some sort of form. When it's a few hundred bucks it's a lot easier to write off.

I stand by my statement that it's easier to finish Comrades, one effort, vs finishing Epic.

I'd bank on finishing Comrades 9.5 times out of 10 if you asked me to run it tomorrow, but would be WAY less sure on my odds over 8 days at Epic. There are far more variables 

With that in mind, statistics say that last year 92.6% of the field (almost 14900 of 16000 starters) finished, 2022 was 88.7%, 2021 was 89%........ I went pretty far back and despite the huge numbers, the finish rate is incredibly high. 

Like 85% or more

 

 

[DieselnDust]

59 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

I'd like to see an award/category for riders who stay in the tent village. Could be sponsored by Getaway Mag or campmaster or  cadac. 

Only if they cook they own food otherwise it just garden &home

[Shebeen]

10 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

One significant thing is the economic commitment to do comrades and Epic. People are very underprepared for both, but it's far easier to be underprepared for Comrades financially.

If you fork out 120k for an entry, chances are you will at least try to get there in some sort of form. When it's a few hundred bucks it's a lot easier to write off.

I stand by my statement that it's easier to finish Comrades, one effort, vs finishing Epic.

I'd bank on finishing Comrades 9.5 times out of 10 if you asked me to run it tomorrow, but would be WAY less sure on my odds over 8 days at Epic. There are far more variables 

With that in mind, statistics say that last year 92.6% of the field (almost 14900 of 16000 starters) finished, 2022 was 88.7%, 2021 was 89%........ I went pretty far back and despite the huge numbers, the finish rate is incredibly high. 

Like 85% or more

Epic = ~R60k per person and rock up on the startline with a mtb and your buddy in the same outfit.

Comrades = R1200 (R4.5k for internationals!!)  and finish a qualifying race in a certain time before collecting your race pack.

The next logical step is for Epic to actually introduce qualifying criteria. They are already heavily sold out so it would not drive the demand away significantly.  They've obviously thought about it and decided not to.

 

I think trying to compare them is a fools errand, they are that different (granted I have done neither - yet)

[Pandatron]

4 hours ago, Shebeen said:

exhibit A: Munga startline

exhibit B: munga finish (yes, that annotation is correct).

 

 

exhibit 😄

Vasbyt AR

Munga is pretty easy

[SwissVan]

4 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

One significant thing is the economic commitment to do comrades and Epic. People are very underprepared for both, but it's far easier to be underprepared for Comrades financially.

If you fork out 120k for an entry, chances are you will at least try to get there in some sort of form. When it's a few hundred bucks it's a lot easier to write off.

I stand by my statement that it's easier to finish Comrades, one effort, vs finishing Epic.

I'd bank on finishing Comrades 9.5 times out of 10 if you asked me to run it tomorrow, but would be WAY less sure on my odds over 8 days at Epic. There are far more variables 

With that in mind, statistics say that last year 92.6% of the field (almost 14900 of 16000 starters) finished, 2022 was 88.7%, 2021 was 89%........ I went pretty far back and despite the huge numbers, the finish rate is incredibly high. 

Like 85% or more

 

 

Increasing the cut off time for comrades from 11 to 12 hours in +/- year 2000 helps those stats, the majority of runners finish in that last hour, now they can do it a bit more "comfortably"

Ultimately like Shebeen suggested, trying to compare the 2 is silly unless you've done both and even then it will be a personal opinion, me I'm far more comfortably cycling for 10 hrs a day for a week than running for 11 to 12 hrs in one day... my legs feel sore just thinking about.  

[SwissVan]

4 hours ago, Shebeen said:

Epic = ~R60k per person and rock up on the startline with a mtb and your buddy in the same outfit.

Comrades = R1200 (R4.5k for internationals!!)  and finish a qualifying race in a certain time before collecting your race pack.

 

For the CE the costs end up being so much more, and if you are traveling from overseas it gets really silly expensive....hell i even went on holiday to the Maldives just to get an entry by entering from an exotic IP location like the Maldives 😁.... factor in air travel with a bike, hotels, renting a car in ZA 😢 

[Zebra]

On 3/26/2024 at 4:30 PM, Jewbacca said:

The strength of commitment and emotional responses on this thread by guys who aren't ever going to ride the race is testament to how big the race is!!! 😜

Running Comrades is easy. Way easier than finishing the Epic. 

8 days of riding under pressure in a row is tough. There is absolutely no denying that. Probably tougher for the very back markers than the front/mid pack amateurs.

Walking trails when you're dehydrated, exhausted and running on empty is often a management tool. You just want to get to the finish without breaking anything.

Same as guys walking up hills.

If you haven't done a race longer than 3 or 4 days, you are likely not in touch with what goes on physically or mentally.

Compounded fatigue is real.

I still think the challenge is rad, as long as the motivation driving you isn't to be a part of an imaginary real mtb rider club.

Regardless of body shape, skill, bike brand etc getting this battle done isn't for everybody, but a helluva achievement nonetheless.

 

I’m with you on your thinking: CE may well be ‘harder’ than a Comrades, for THREE reasons (caveat: done a few CE’s, 0 Comrades)

1. staying HEALTHY for 8 days, esp. using the old Portaloos, actually takes some doing, and riding with Epic bum for a good few of the 8 days is hectic (yes, CE has/had a bum-clinic every morning…).

2. Avoiding crashing/injury to at least 1 of the 2 riders, whilst riding for 8 days takes some doing…

3. the H-E-A-T on MULTIPLE days is something else; manage the heat, and you manage the race, my experience.

I think Comrades is WAY harder than ANY single day of the Epic, but the Epic is challenging, due to its DURATION.

Cheers.

[karma]

8 hours ago, Zebra said:

I’m with you on your thinking: CE may well be ‘harder’ than a Comrades, for THREE reasons (caveat: done a few CE’s, 0 Comrades)

1. staying HEALTHY for 8 days, esp. using the old Portaloos, actually takes some doing, and riding with Epic bum for a good few of the 8 days is hectic (yes, CE has/had a bum-clinic every morning…).

2. Avoiding crashing/injury to at least 1 of the 2 riders, whilst riding for 8 days takes some doing…

3. the H-E-A-T on MULTIPLE days is something else; manage the heat, and you manage the race, my experience.

I think Comrades is WAY harder than ANY single day of the Epic, but the Epic is challenging, due to its DURATION.

Cheers.

Is Comrades/CE/W2W harder than Ironman?

(I'll see myself out)