the unofficial Cape Epic thread

[JohanDiv]

I see now that the organizers told Netwerk24 that it is false that they ran out of water, and that there are no fatalities. 

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

Last year at Trailseeker Cradle, it was 36 degrees (according to my watch) at 09:30am and as we hobby riders approached WP1 (if I recall) riders who had turned around said there was no water. Lots of people pulled out. I had a backpack and bottles so carried on. By the time I got to the WP there was water arriving and there was water and electrolytes at the next one as well. 

This year at the same event we reached WP2 with the tail end of the bunch (2200 riders on the day) and it was still fully stocked and operational with not only water but all the food offerings as well and it was probably 10 degrees cooler than last year. 

Maybe Faces/Advendurance should take over the operations of the Epic. If they can manage Ride Joburg, the Trailseeker series (consistently over 2000 riders per event) and others during the year, they are surely the better people for the job than the crowd doing the current “organisation”. Last year I watched the support crew come in at the end of 947 and what Faces/Advendurance pulls together is really something incredible. 

Of course Trailseeker isn’t the Epic in terms of the riding itself but I’m speaking purely from an organisational point of view. 

[duringd]

How is it possible that Epic can go to press and officially say no waterpoints ran out of water and ice and only a few riders needed to be taken to hospital for evaluation and possible treatment? Were they not there yeaterday? Do they seriously still live in an era where they believe there is no social media detailing actual facts? 

They are doing the credibilty of this event no favours..... any thoughts of future participation is waining......

[NotSoBigBen]

6 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

The trail is very broken at that crossing. You have to get the approach right or you’re walking. It’s easy to get it wrong as you can see.

It did, but only at the top of the peaks

Riders had to be evacuated because the course was needed for emergency services. Several distress calls went out from the trackers. I know because I passed almost all the casualty cases, one of which I don’t want to talk about as I’m still processing

teo ladies were with one of the casualties and they were already waiting for an hour for assistance. I decided the best o could do was try and get helP so I kept going a little faster which wasn’t smart as I put myself into a near dehydrated state but felt it coming on. Paramedics were already trying to get to all the casualties

I saw the first ambulances heading to the top of the singletrack as I was descending a long hill toward WP3. I knew the race was cancelled and that the situation was dire. 

 

Re the deaths rumours. The official statement is laced with a semantic nuance. “No one passed away on course.”

one will never be declared deceased at an event. They will transport you to a hospital where a registered physician will make the call and sign the death certificate. I found the handling of this situation extremely troubling as in 2005 a rider passed away in his sleep in ahis tent at boschendal. The event manager made the announcement on the start line (without names) and asked for a minutes silence.

 

moving into my report back. 
 

the stage started at 6:45 for the pros. We were in M group and departed 7:55. Already too late in the morning. We headed across the road to Diamant estate and climbed a darn steep brick road that became gravel till we entered the aingletrack. This was poorly maintained and unrideable in many places causing long queues. There were sections I simply could not get traction. Once we cleared the sandy bits it was lovely riding all the way to the monument. It was already 30degrees and my team mate was showing signs of overheating. 
on the dryland climb he cracked, soldiered  on to WP2 which we arrived at 11:45 , 10 min ahead of cut off. He went to the medics and they pulled him . I continued.

With the stage cancellation they took it that since we made cut off for the WP 2 we can continue as a team tomorrow. He’s in a bad way so I’m. It sure how it’s going to play out 

Don't know you from a bar of soap but from what I've seen and interactions with you on this forum you clearly have a level head but still be careful and safe out there! Your health and wellbeing must be foremost in your mind

[love2fly]

8 hours ago, SwissVan said:

Yip it can be tasty drinking from a downt tube bottle that spent the last few hours behind your front wheel riding through farmlands etc… LOL

Tell me more about this toilet paper trick, Why, how etc…

At home after I rinse the bladder I hang it from a hook with a dish towel in it to wick away the last moisture. At an away race toilet paper will do. Or roller towel or your neighbouring tents underjocks ...😬

[DieselnDust]

6 hours ago, JohanDiv said:

I see now that the organizers told Netwerk24 that it is false that they ran out of water, and that there are no fatalities. 

“No fatalities on course” was the wording they used

[DieselnDust]

49 minutes ago, NotSoBigBen said:

Don't know you from a bar of soap but from what I've seen and interactions with you on this forum you clearly have a level head but still be careful and safe out there! Your health and wellbeing must be foremost in your mind

Thanks Ben. I’m considering every tweak squeak and niggle

[ChrisF]

7 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

The trail is very broken at that crossing. You have to get the approach right or you’re walking. It’s easy to get it wrong as you can see.

It did, but only at the top of the peaks

Riders had to be evacuated because the course was needed for emergency services. Several distress calls went out from the trackers. I know because I passed almost all the casualty cases, one of which I don’t want to talk about as I’m still processing

teo ladies were with one of the casualties and they were already waiting for an hour for assistance. I decided the best o could do was try and get helP so I kept going a little faster which wasn’t smart as I put myself into a near dehydrated state but felt it coming on. Paramedics were already trying to get to all the casualties

I saw the first ambulances heading to the top of the singletrack as I was descending a long hill toward WP3. I knew the race was cancelled and that the situation was dire. 

 

Re the deaths rumours. The official statement is laced with a semantic nuance. “No one passed away on course.”

one will never be declared deceased at an event. They will transport you to a hospital where a registered physician will make the call and sign the death certificate. I found the handling of this situation extremely troubling as in 2005 a rider passed away in his sleep in ahis tent at boschendal. The event manager made the announcement on the start line (without names) and asked for a minutes silence.

 

moving into my report back. 
 

the stage started at 6:45 for the pros. We were in M group and departed 7:55. Already too late in the morning. We headed across the road to Diamant estate and climbed a darn steep brick road that became gravel till we entered the aingletrack. This was poorly maintained and unrideable in many places causing long queues. There were sections I simply could not get traction. Once we cleared the sandy bits it was lovely riding all the way to the monument. It was already 30degrees and my team mate was showing signs of overheating. 
on the dryland climb he cracked, soldiered  on to WP2 which we arrived at 11:45 , 10 min ahead of cut off. He went to the medics and they pulled him . I continued.

With the stage cancellation they took it that since we made cut off for the WP 2 we can continue as a team tomorrow. He’s in a bad way so I’m. It sure how it’s going to play out 

 

Truly a sad day in the sport.

 

Today should start cooling down ... just hope it is not hot and humid as the rain moves in.

 

Hope your team mate recovers well enough to complete today.

 

BEST wishes bud !

[love2fly]

To all those still in the Epic, you're flippen legends! Have a safe day. 🚲 💪

[JohanDiv]

8 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

Truly a sad day in the sport.

 

Today should start cooling down ... just hope it is not hot and humid as the rain moves in.

 

Hope your team mate recovers well enough to complete today.

 

BEST wishes bud !

It's already hot and humid. At least it looks like there might be some cloud cover this morning. Rain only moving in late afternoon. The dust bowl race village will be a mud fest by 8pm

[Mook]

4 minutes ago, JohanDiv said:

It's already hot and humid. At least it looks like there might be some cloud cover this morning. Rain only moving in late afternoon. The dust bowl race village will be a mud fest by 8pm

Clocked 28 deg C in Wellington at 05:45 this morning. Humidity is next level with typical thunder cloud cover. Rain expected within next 24 hours.

Conditions might just go further south than yesterday 😬

[ChrisF]

10 minutes ago, Mook said:

Clocked 28 deg C in Wellington at 05:45 this morning. Humidity is next level with typical thunder cloud cover. Rain expected within next 24 hours.

Conditions might just go further south than yesterday 😬

 

NOT good for those that barely made the cut yesterday.

 

Personally I can cope with the 40 degrees, (for a bit ... did my Rapha in those conditions, riding past Malmesbury and Paarl).  But once it gets hot and humid I suffer !

 

This is turning into a real tester of a race.

[PhilipV]

On a less somber note:

Annika Langvad is smashing it, all while being a new mom. My respect for her just reached epic proportions. 
 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHWTMl8uiDw/?igsh=YWM3dW0zcWQ3ZWh1

[guidodg]

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/absa-cape-epic-2025.1234295/page-10

[Iwan Kemp]

7 hours ago, JohanDiv said:

...

Sure it was hot, I needed two water bottles for my 20km ride.. but you have to question the fitness/readiness from some of the riders. I've basically stopped riding my bike since 36One last year, overweight and in my worst shape in the last decade, and I was moving at double the speed up that climb than some of the riders. There is no way I'd even consider entering the Epic in my current shape! They will have to start looking at a screening process for entrants for their own safety. 

...

Let me get this right. You did this one 20km ride this week. That correct? You did not do the Prologue at full tilt, suffered through Stage 1, the stage 2 time trial that even the proest pros said was more XCC than XCM and then took on the heat of stage 3 from the start line? Also, I doubt you were pacing yourself to try and make it to the finish line, and then do another 4 stages.

If it is correct, how does that even remotely compare? 

[The Bull Shark]

8 hours ago, JohanDiv said:

I see now that the organizers told Netwerk24 that it is false that they ran out of water, and that there are no fatalities. 

Any decent investigative journalist will be able to fish out the truth. We know what our mates riding the Epic reported back, and we have no reason not to believe them.

Edited March 20, 2025 by dev null