the unofficial Cape Epic thread

[DieselnDust]

33 minutes ago, Stephan said:

My first Epic. Raw unfiltered thoughts. 

I did not plan or train to do Epic. I wanted to finish my second Attakwas (1st one last year) and did enough training to achieve it. My training for Attakwas only really started at Eselfontein in October, but I am mostly a weekend warrior so most weeks consisted of 3 rides a week. In December I did a week long bike packing trip from Hermanus to Riversdale, which gave me a good base and heat training. Two days after Attakwas an opportunity came up to do the Epic. I had six weeks to get as ready as I could. For six weeks I averaged 4 to 5 rides a week and between 10 and 12 hours on the bike, with as much elevation as I could get in. 

 

Registration day came and I was crazy excited. The experience was a little underwhelming (felt like every other race registration) and other than the awesome Uswe rider bag and (what looks expensive but is actually cheap) Ciovita puffy the “goodie bag” was disappointing and can definitely be improved significantly at very little cost to the organisers.

 

Prologue 

Started 8h40. Awesome experience. Loved every minute of it. I could not believe I was there. Slept at home. 

 

Stage 1

Started 3 batches from last which was the best we would do for the week. Knew parts of the course well. Really enjoyed the day, despite the suffering. Typical super hard Epic stage 1 and it was already clear to me that the level of the Epic was unlike anything I have experienced. The course is hard. 80% of the amateur athletes very good and strong. For us at the back it’s just about finishing. Slept in race village and really enjoyed the experience, but if you are looking for gees then you are at the wrong event. The vibe you get from most people is that they are here to race not mingle (I think this is made a little worse because there are sooooo many foreigners doing the event so Saffas are in the extreme minority in the race village). 

 

Stage 2 TT

Was very much looking forward to this stage since it was meant to be an easier day, but boy was I wrong. Weather forecast showed cooking temperatures for this day from a week out, so we knew it was going to be hot. But because it was a TT format we started individually which caused a huge time delay. Us amateur riders all started in the middle of the day and temps just kept climbing, while the pros started in the morning and had cooler temps yet many of them said post race they felt like they were in an oven towards the end. Well we were in an oven since before our start time of the 10h40 and it didn’t get better. I felt OK as I have done lots of riding in very hot conditions, but my partner struggled. He was hanging on for dear life and showed incredible guts to pull through. At recovery tent we were lying down for half an hour on our backs before we started feeling normal’ish. Some guy next to us looked like a ghost and said he was going to get a drip from the medical team. Off to find a tent and shower. Went to chill zone, which was packed with amateurs trying to escape the heat and recover from the day. Nobody was talking. I think everyone was surprised by how hard a relatively easy day should have been, and very worried about the next day. I remembered the “drip” comment from earlier and said to my partner let’s go to the medical tent. Very professional staff and setup. I was very impressed. My partners blood results came back. Creatine levels were 2.8 times normal range. Dr said he has to go to hospital and if he decides to ride the next day his kidneys would fail. In our pre race prep we had a detailed scenario planning discussion to agree on what we would do in whatever scenario we could come up with. This was one of them so we had a quick chat and decided I would continue alone. I could not help feeling angry at the organisers for sending amateurs off in the heat of the day. Poor decision by them. This was also the first time I started feeling that the organisers don’t give a crap about amateur riders at the back. All the route planning, WP distances, stupidly steep climbing etc is meant for the pros. Our job is to toughen up. It left a bad taste and the taste didn’t get any better as the week went on. 

 

Stage 3 the hot Paarl day

A lot has been written about this day already. I started second batch from last. The first climb 1km in was just silly. Nobody could ride it. The single track into Paarl mountain was jammed. Nobody could ride some sections. Time was ticking and it was getting hotter. I made cutoff at WP1 by 8mins and top of KOM climb by 2mins. At this point it was already 40deg plus and I decided I would ride until I got cut. Arrived at WP2 at the scheduled cut off time but they had extended it by 15min. Decided to keep going. Started feeling much better and stronger and enjoyed the next bit until WP3 just before returning to Paarl mountain to start making my way back over the mountain. By this point the heat started taking its toll. Survival mode kicked in. Not “get through the stage survival mode” as in “don’t get heat stroke” survival mode. Pushed bike up every uphill and stopped in shade patches to cool down and get HR down. The white race helicopter was now overhead and I got the sense they were checking for people down. I walked/rode past people who had pressed the SOS button on their tracker and realised we were all trapped on this mountain. Only way out was backtracking for several kilometres of single track, or push on up last switchback single track climb and hope there is help at the top. Next minute I heard a moerse roar and looked up to see red medevac helicopter dropping medics onto the ground. Slight panic setting in. Find a shade patch. Stop. Sit. Rest. Get up. Push bike until HR spikes. Stop. Repeat. All the way up the climb. Race staff were starting to walk down the trail with coke bottles and water. I passed the two guys who were behind worked on. It didn’t look good. I felt sick, angry and scared. Right at the top and interim water point had been set up. Water over my head. Drank two bottles right after. Get to USN hydration point. Carnage. People and bikes lying everywhere. They had run out of USN but still had water. Someone said the stage was cancelled. I chatted to the marshal who said I may continue to the WP at Krismis Camp “as long as you are sure you are not going to become another medical emergency”. I assume they had run out of resources and that would have been a major contributor to cancelling the day. Rode on to final WP and could see many many trucks and cars making their way up the mountain. Got to Krismis Camp and found a quiet spot to process what I had seen and been through and made the decision to quit. My wife picked me up and we drove back to Fairview Race Village (which I agree with Diesel was not ideal given the dust and thorns). Got cleaned up and went to hospital to see my partner and then to a guesthouse we had booked. 

 

Stage 4 

Got up and said to myself I am done. Put on civvies. Sat on bed and wondered about my decision. Civvies off and cycling kit on. Decided I would make a final call at the race village. Got there and wandered around and decided I am done. Walk to start line to see some batches set off. Sipho the Exxaro Epic Mascot came past and did his usual dance and rider blessing ritual and I thought to myself “I also want to experience Siphos blessing once”.  Went to fetch my bike and decided I would enter my chute first, meet Sipho and bail at WP1. I did get to the front and Sipho did bless me with his green stick thing and I said to myself “f$&ck it, ride until you can’t pedal anymore”. Turned out to be an amazing stage. I was riding by myself so started chatting to riders around me and then you start to realise that everyone is suffering and many others have lost their partners but we just carry on. Loved the gravel roads on top of Paarl mountain and the weather was cool. My wife and friends came out to meet me at the last WP and finish line, which was fantastic. Decided I was done with the race village because there is no vibe and I don’t know anyone and nobody wants to talk to you, so I went back home (southern suburbs) and would drive in every day. Watched the official highlights of the previous days stage. Not one mention of the amateur struggles. They didn’t even mention that the stage was cancelled. I felt more angry and betrayed. Then I read the official press release and lost all respect for the organisers. They don’t care about the amateurs, we just make up the numbers. 

 

Stage 5 

The Queen stage. I knew most of the route except for the neck climb and decided to ride from WP to WP. My body felt totally flat and I barely made it to WP1 which was way too far into the stage. Drank many cups of Coke and refuelled with other goodies and food. On to next WP. Started feeling better. Same story at next WP. Now for Botmaskop and then through Stellies and then one big last climb. Got to final WP feeling OK. Then the neck climb started. What a mess. The woman pro coverage said it all. They could not ride it. It was too steep and too muddy. Why even plan a route with such a climb? Lost even more respect for race organisers. Got to the top and bombed it down familiar LF trails. I was happy to finish but gatvol. 

 

Stage 6 

Look I love LF and was looking forward to this stage, and to be fair to JK and the team who set this route, in dry conditions you will not find a better route to ride. It had it all. But rain was predicted more than a week out and we have all done W2W and LF Classic and even previous Epics in the wet at LF and its a dog show of mud and clay. But no, the “pro show” must go on and let the amateurs just get on with it, it’s the Epic after all. Despite the horrible circumstances I actually felt good all day, but we lost so much time walking unridable muddy sections that most of us were chasing cut off from WP1. Many appealed to the commentators and UCI representatives to extend the cut off. Through WP2 still same cut off. 15min to spare. More mud, more walking, cleaning drivetrain in streams, etc. More people falling in the slippery conditions and breaking their legs and ankles (3 people). Again I felt angry.  At final WP the announcement came that cut off was extended, so now we could be more careful and ride slower. Then 5km from the end came the worst mud and clay of the day. Trails were getting absolutely destroyed. People were carrying their bikes through bush to get off the mountain. I honestly don’t understand the reasoning behind not having alternative backup routes in place. Finished the day and went home. One more day. 

 

Stage 7

The last stage. I didn’t sleep well. I was very worried about the neck descent in the wet and mud on Dornier and Ernie tracks. I had memories of Fedhealth dog show there a few years ago in the rain. Got to race village early. Friends started sending messages that the route had changed. I was so relieved. Now the plan was to stay upright and pray that my bike will not break. I had a spare rear derailleur in my back pocket just in case. Mostly gravel stage with a few hard climbs. I loved it. I could contain my emotions until 3km from the finish when a marshal shouted “well done you have conquered the Epic” and man, tears started streaming down I could barely see where I was going. Friends, family and my partner met me at the finish and there were more tears. Many things got me to the end, but the highlights are:

 

To riding partner. Finishing it for him.

Friends, family and colleagues support.

Sipho the Cape Epic mascot. 

Madiba’s words “It seems impossible until it's done”. 

My fellow amateur riders at the back of the field. 

 

Lessons learned: 

 

Anyone can do the Cape Epic, but you need luck to be on your side and you need to be mentally strong. If your mind is right and you have done the physical preparation then it is possible. 

 

You don’t need the best bike to do the Epic. I have a bottom of the range five year old aluminium Spez Epic. Just ride whatever you have. 

 

The organisers don’t care about you. They care about money. Just accept it. It is what it is. 

 

The media coverage is all about the pros. The live stream is all about the pros. The event is organised for the pros. But this race is not about them, it’s about the daily grind and struggles at the back of the amateur pack. It’s about riders already suffering on prologue day and making it to the end. I saw this first hand and witnessed incredible human spirit, both from fellow riders but every volunteer at the water points, marshals showing you the route and cheering you on, security guards in the race village wishing you good luck. I can go on and on. This is what the Epic is actually about. And it’s why I will do it again. 

 

Love your write up 🙏🏼👍🏼

and well done for pushing through. You’re right on all points. I also felt an outcast at the event. I sat with Bulls ebike media crew every night as I know a few of them, but at the back end of the week I slept at home as I was gstvol of the crap vibe in the race village

[Pandatron]

33 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

Love your write up 🙏🏼👍🏼

and well done for pushing through. You’re right on all points. I also felt an outcast at the event. I sat with Bulls ebike media crew every night as I know a few of them, but at the back end of the week I slept at home as I was gstvol of the crap vibe in the race village

I wonder what the return rate of South African Riders is currently sitting at, having spoken to a few former consistent epic riders/racers, they haven't got a mind to return.

[SamTaylor]

Also very glad to have had the opportunity to ride, especially as it seemed like a non starter 2 weeks before the start, when my partner had to withdraw with injury. But then another guy in our group also lost his partner, and we could end up riding together. 
 

Looking back, I think if the weather played along, it would have been fantastic riding all along. But they should have known how hot it could get in Paarl, and stage 3 was always going to be a bad idea. That almost broke us. 

I also wasn’t a fan of stage 2 TT. That just seemed to be a convenient solution to what would otherwise have been a boring and perhaps too “short” for epic transfer from Meerendal to Paarl.

stages 4-6 was exactly what I was expecting and looking forward to. More of what we had signed up for.

The weather shortened stage 7 felt a bit of a disappointment at first, but turned out to be a good route considering the conditions. The lack of spectator points for a grand finale was a bit of a let down though. They also left the announcement way too late. We were in D, but had guys in our group riding in A, and they were already warned up and on route to the chutes when the announcement came through. I also think the 10:30 start was called 100% to ensure helicopter coverage for the UCI race, and nothing else. The route was as wet as it was going to be at 07:30 already. Waiting around in the race village without any real comforts until 10:40 was pretty crap. 
 

as to the “gees”, that was severely lacking. This was my first time out as a rider, but I think my 7th or 8th Epic I have been involved in as support staff/crew for teams etc. The lack of gees was a serious let down, and there was very little to make the race village a nice place to be in between stages. I think the layout of the race villages played a big role here (and in the fairview scenario, the choice of venue as well. It was all just ***. one of the other guys in our group summed it up well saying this was by far the most low budget epic he had ever done (and it was his 7th as a rider). I can’t ever recall the race villages being such cold, dreary places to be, and I’m very glad we opted to sleep out the first few nights, and could stay at home for the lourensford bit. 
 

There weren’t even refreshments in the rider lounge/chill zone unless you paid for it - not even electrolytes. It was only water from one centrally placed (and therefore far from everything) water station. Anything else you wanted had to be paid for. 
 

The “lunch” if you can call it that given out at the finish was essentially glorified airplane food, and if you wanted to buy something else to eat in the race village your choices were very limited.

Dinner wasn’t too bad, but it’s a long way from what we were expecting. Hard to think this is the same team that puts on wine2whales, where the food, and the gees, is always awesome. 
 

the spirit of riders out on course, that stays awesome, and is probably the only reason I will give it another go next year, but only after having a good look at the proposed route. If it isn’t going a little further affield, like to Ceres or the Overberg again, then I’m out. 

[ArrieM]

Awesome insight thanks @DieselnDust @Stephan I get massive FOMO every year and desperately want to tick it off the list but listening to your experiences its a tough sell. I value the gees of an event high. Can you guys share some insight into total cost to do CE?

[Stephan]

18 minutes ago, ArrieM said:

Awesome insight thanks @DieselnDust @Stephan I get massive FOMO every year and desperately want to tick it off the list but listening to your experiences its a tough sell. I value the gees of an event high. Can you guys share some insight into total cost to do CE?

I live in CPT so no travel costs like flights etc. I paid:

R5k for kit. 
R1k’ish for race fuel and nutrition.
R6.5k for bike service and parts during the race. 

R950 Epic laundry service.

R10k for full bike service pre race and replacement of all worn parts. 
R1.5k guest house accommodation. 
R5k various things like new sunglasses, hydration packs etc. 
Thats it. I didn’t have any massages or anything fancy during the race and don’t know how much this would even cost.

Keep in mind I didn’t plan to do Epic, but if I did I would do Attakwas, Imbuko Big Five and Tankwa Trek as prep races, so add another (I think) R20k to maybe R25k in entry fees, fuel and accommodation for these events.
 

The biggest actual “cost “ I think is time to train in the week and weekends. 

 

[ajnkzn]

For clarity, is an entry approx R 140-R150k for a team, or per person?

[DieselnDust]

5 minutes ago, ajnkzn said:

For clarity, is an entry approx R 140-R150k for a team, or per person?

team

[SamTaylor]

6 minutes ago, ajnkzn said:

For clarity, is an entry approx R 140-R150k for a team, or per person?

For 2024 it was R113500.00 per team, 2025 will be R119500.00 per team. 
 

international riders pay a USD price that works out closer to R150k per team, not entirely sure why, as they get the same service as SA riders 

[ajnkzn]

To pay R 57k each and have to pay extra for food and drink in the rider zone is a bit of a stretch...

[Lynskey]

8 minutes ago, ajnkzn said:

To pay R 57k each and have to pay extra for food and drink in the rider zone is a bit of a stretch...

Well the Lourensford pass is 15K alone. 

[Dappere]

23 minutes ago, SamTaylor said:

For 2024 it was R113500.00 per team, 2025 will be R119500.00 per team. 
 

international riders pay a USD price that works out closer to R150k per team, not entirely sure why, as they get the same service as SA riders 

If I recall, this was something Kevin implemented. He mentioned that he wanted the race to be more accessible to South Africans, which is why South Africans pay a reduced entry fee.

And now, let the “How is R113,500 considered accessible to South Africans?” comments begin. 🙈🫠

[b-rad]

49 minutes ago, ajnkzn said:

To pay R 57k each and have to pay extra for food and drink in the rider zone is a bit of a stretch...

Helping a team at the 2012 event I recall Woolies providing some of the food, think it was the finish line lunches etc. including a help yourself to chocolate milks. Coffee trailers in the afternoons and mornings, and race village dinners being very decent. I suppose this is a very distant situation? 

[Spinnekop]

[quade]

1 minute ago, Spinnekop said:

I was holding off posting anything until it was announced
He was from Europe not S.A. 

I wont mention names as its not my place, my thoughts are with his family

[Headshot]

Good write ups guys, thanks and well done.

[SwissVan]

1 hour ago, SamTaylor said:

For 2024 it was R113500.00 per team, 2025 will be R119500.00 per team. 
 

international riders pay a USD price that works out closer to R150k per team, not entirely sure why, as they get the same service as SA riders 

Well done to you all that took part and finished 
 

I always wonder why overseas participants pay extra, it’s the same with the comrades marafun.