the unofficial Cape Epic thread

[ajnkzn]

https://off.road.cc/content/feature/2025-absa-cape-epic-prologue-gallery-16749

https://off.road.cc/content/feature/bike-check-lukas-baums-2025-cape-epic-orbea-oiz-16775

https://off.road.cc/content/feature/how-amputee-riders-approach-the-cape-epic-16763

https://off.road.cc/content/feature/retrospective-the-evolution-of-nino-schurter-s-cross-country-race-bikes-14797

 

[Dappere]

17 minutes ago, andydude said:

Running a well organised event and still having a positive impact is not mutually exclusive?

Both can — and should — coexist. However, given the sentiment expressed here, it does appear there’s a call to boycott the event or to respond with anger or a sense of retribution, without acknowledging the broader impact the event has had — and continues to have.

It comes across as, “I’m angry, so everyone else should be too,” with little consideration given to the wider context or the positive contributions the event brings to local communities and the country as a whole.

[Mamil]

1 hour ago, Pandatron said:

Its the bikehub forum, every year this follows the same journey. 

We watch Epic, cheer our people on and then write a masochistic self flagellation of how we would never ride epic due to the price and whatever flavour is going of the current year. We then end this off with a disclaimer that if we got a ticket for free we would do it.

 

That sums me up in a paragraph

[Rowl]

32 minutes ago, Dappere said:

Both can — and should — coexist. However, given the sentiment expressed here, it does appear there’s a call to boycott the event or to respond with anger or a sense of retribution, without acknowledging the broader impact the event has had — and continues to have.

It comes across as, “I’m angry, so everyone else should be too,” with little consideration given to the wider context or the positive contributions the event brings to local communities and the country as a whole.

If a well organised event attracts people, then a poorly organised/less optimal event will potentially antagonise participants and start pushing people away. Short-term unhappiness will lead to potentially a decline in long-term numbers, and all the postive externalities/impact on the WC/SA will fall away?

 

Is it not in the best interest of the organiser and region, for the organiser to action the rider feedback? And not come across as tone-deaf?

 

I didn't participate, won't probably ever (unless I get a free ticket), but can surely see that the Epic's lekkerness will decline with the current approach. 

[Dappere]

17 minutes ago, Rowl said:

If a well organised event attracts people, then a poorly organised/less optimal event will potentially antagonise participants and start pushing people away. Short-term unhappiness will lead to potentially a decline in long-term numbers, and all the postive externalities/impact on the WC/SA will fall away?

 

Is it not in the best interest of the organiser and region, for the organiser to action the rider feedback? And not come across as tone-deaf?

 

I didn't participate, won't probably ever (unless I get a free ticket), but can surely see that the Epic's lekkerness will decline with the current approach. 

I don’t dispute the positive outcomes a well-organised event brings — I’m fully aligned with you on that. I also agree that it’s in the organiser’s best interest to take rider feedback seriously if they wish to preserve the event’s long-term appeal and its value to the region.

That said, while there’s clearly a lot of frustration being expressed here, the tendency to respond with anger or a sense of retribution is something I struggle to support. I’m genuinely curious — beyond the discussions on BikeHub, what active steps have been taken by those voicing these concerns to provide constructive feedback? On what basis are we saying the organisers are coming across as tone-deaf?

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that poor organisation should be overlooked simply because the event delivers value. Quite the opposite — we should acknowledge its value while also raising concerns in a manner that fosters improvement, rather than further division.

[Action_Man]

On 3/23/2025 at 10:24 PM, Shebeen said:

Yes. Definitely the female GOAT. To dominate 6 months after having a baby is insane.  But it also says so much about the depth of the female field. Equal prize money has not raised the standard (many will say told you so). Not sure what they do, but the ladies race is just not the same level. 

Platt and sauser still the ones up in lights (imho).

Perhaps you missed watching last year's Epic, or have forgotten already, but the women's race was super tight racing all the way to the final stage. 

 

The problem this year is that the UCI moved the Brazil XCO World Cups a week earlier which made it a bad idea for anyone who's serious about the XCO season to come to Cape Epic. 

 

Unfortunately there is little to no money in marathon racing globally, men and woman; hence why many marathon racers from overseas can't afford to come race the Cape Epic - it's not a true reflection of how many good marathon racers there actually are out there. Have a look at World Marathon Championships results over the past years and see how many guys who have done well at Cape Epic have not even been able to feature at a Marathon World Champs as a comparison because foreign countries can afford to send riders to a Marathon World Championships, but they can't afford to send them to do the Epic. 

 

XCO has more budget, but none of the XCO women's teams were willing to spend big budget this year sending riders and staff to Cape Epic so close before the start of the XCO series. The risk vs exposure wasn't worth it. 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2025 by Action_Man

[Rowl]

52 minutes ago, Dappere said:

I don’t dispute the positive outcomes a well-organised event brings — I’m fully aligned with you on that. I also agree that it’s in the organiser’s best interest to take rider feedback seriously if they wish to preserve the event’s long-term appeal and its value to the region.

That said, while there’s clearly a lot of frustration being expressed here, the tendency to respond with anger or a sense of retribution is something I struggle to support. I’m genuinely curious — beyond the discussions on BikeHub, what active steps have been taken by those voicing these concerns to provide constructive feedback? On what basis are we saying the organisers are coming across as tone-deaf?

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that poor organisation should be overlooked simply because the event delivers value. Quite the opposite — we should acknowledge its value while also raising concerns in a manner that fosters improvement, rather than further division.

Maybe those that did participate can confirm whether there was any sort of rider survey? 

Looking at some of the other forums/platforms it does seem like the organisation can do with some refinement. Not sure whether the organisers are actually reading any of this.

[Stephan]

9 minutes ago, Rowl said:

Maybe those that did participate can confirm whether there was any sort of rider survey? 

Looking at some of the other forums/platforms it does seem like the organisation can do with some refinement. Not sure whether the organisers are actually reading any of this.

No survey (yet). I would more than welcome a meeting with the organisers to share my newbie-back-of-the-bunch feedback, or even just complete a survey. I do hope they send one. 

[karma]

3 hours ago, andydude said:

Saw on Beers' instagram!

Zone 2 ride....

[Shebeen]

1 hour ago, Action_Man said:

Perhaps you missed watching last year's Epic, or have forgotten already, but the women's race was super tight racing all the way to the final stage. 

 

The problem this year is that the UCI moved the Brazil XCO World Cups a week earlier which made it a bad idea for anyone who's serious about the XCO season to come to Cape Epic. 

 

Unfortunately there is little to no money in marathon racing globally, men and woman; hence why many marathon racers from overseas can't afford to come race the Cape Epic - it's not a true reflection of how many good marathon racers there actually are out there. Have a look at World Marathon Championships results over the past years and see how many guys who have done well at Cape Epic have not even been able to feature at a Marathon World Champs as a comparison because foreign countries can afford to send riders to a Marathon World Championships, but they can't afford to send them to do the Epic. 

 

XCO has more budget, but none of the XCO women's teams were willing to spend big budget this year sending riders and staff to Cape Epic so close before the start of the XCO series. The risk vs exposure wasn't worth it. 

 

 

Yeah I watched last year, and cheered for your wife. and will be next weekend again too.

That doesn't change the fact that the strength of the field in the mens cat is way deeper than the womens. By orders of magnitude.

 

I do like facts, so since you highlighted last year as a good example let's look at the two fields.

2nd placed M/W - +11/8mins

3rd place  +11/36

5th 27mins/1:47hours

10th  1:33/5:48hours (yes, you still get prize money for being almost 6 hours back)

 

Sort of agree with you on the marathon vs XC issue. ever since they changed it to a marathon event a lot of the XCO guys didn't do Epic. The best riders are just XCO focussed, so when you are having marathon champs at UCI worlds means the best (XCO) riders won't do it.

 

 

more importantly - good luck in Brazil.

[cadenceblur]

3 hours ago, andydude said:

Saw on Beers' instagram!

Have to say, looking back - such a pity that much of this thread was not about the performances of the athletes and gear on display.

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

Income of ~R78 million before sponsorship. 

For the 60k per person the organisers have R7,500 per participant per day to make sure accommodation (tents!), food and support is provided. 

I don’t think anyone was expecting Michelin star food, 5* accommodation, pristine routes.

But they got *** food (or could buy some from limited options), thorny or muddy campgrounds, insufficient support despite knowing the conditions in advance, limited comms and then got bare-faced lies when raising the issues. 

That jobs are created by the event is like saying it’s ok to wait in queues at Home Affairs when 8/10 staff are drinking tea and watching memes on their phones because at least they have jobs. 

The same and more jobs would be created if the organisation was better. Like a job for the guy to double check the camp sites for thorns before pitching the tents. A job for a food QC guy. A job for a person with a phone to send out comms. Jobs for dudes on quads to ferry 25L water cans around with a medic behind them or even sponsored bottles with cold water handed out along the way. Jobs for another 10 medics. 

I’m sure there was room in the 78mil for more jobs? 

Yes; it is supposed to be epic. Even epically hard. But it’s not supposed to be dangerous and uncomfortable for fit and prepared people because of poor organisation. 

 

[Titleist]

Can those who participated this year please post some feedback on your training for the past 6 months so we can see what it takes?

Weekly hours, intensity, amount of rides >4 hours etc etc.

[Pandatron]

41 minutes ago, Titleist said:

Can those who participated this year please post some feedback on your training for the past 6 months so we can see what it takes?

Weekly hours, intensity, amount of rides >4 hours etc etc.

Willing to bet that a lot of people who 'Trained', didn't actually train as much as they thought they did or ultimately just junk miled themselves into a state of perceived readiness.

[Dappere]

1 hour ago, RobynE said:

Income of ~R78 million before sponsorship. 

For the 60k per person the organisers have R7,500 per participant per day to make sure accommodation (tents!), food and support is provided. 

I don’t think anyone was expecting Michelin star food, 5* accommodation, pristine routes.

But they got *** food (or could buy some from limited options), thorny or muddy campgrounds, insufficient support despite knowing the conditions in advance, limited comms and then got bare-faced lies when raising the issues. 

That jobs are created by the event is like saying it’s ok to wait in queues at Home Affairs when 8/10 staff are drinking tea and watching memes on their phones because at least they have jobs. 

The same and more jobs would be created if the organisation was better. Like a job for the guy to double check the camp sites for thorns before pitching the tents. A job for a food QC guy. A job for a person with a phone to send out comms. Jobs for dudes on quads to ferry 25L water cans around with a medic behind them or even sponsored bottles with cold water handed out along the way. Jobs for another 10 medics. 

I’m sure there was room in the 78mil for more jobs? 

Yes; it is supposed to be epic. Even epically hard. But it’s not supposed to be dangerous and uncomfortable for fit and prepared people because of poor organisation. 

 

I’m not sure where those figures originate — without proper transparency, it’s difficult to verify their accuracy.

As I’ve mentioned previously, I don’t condone poor organisation. However, with South Africa’s unemployment rate at 31.9%, it’s important not to overlook the broader economic benefit events like this can provide.

Raising concerns is both valid and necessary, but when the tone shifts towards outrage or retribution, it risks becoming counterproductive rather than contributing to meaningful change.

[jcza]

I thought the Bikehubbers are already boycotting the Epic with such limited participation. Was great to watch both the mens and ladies races and we all secretly wanted to be there. Entry fee is steep plus all the extras you are probably looking at R100k each as a minimum coming from outside the Cape. Seems that the race is too big now and almost out of control. Back of the field starting way too late, saw the same last year at Tulbagh with leaders coming down the mountain while the last batches not even up the first climb.