the unofficial Cape Epic thread

[Bro Derek]

Bikes and equipment have also evolved. 

In those days 26er bikes with 1.9 tubed tires, road bike geometry and pretty rubbish suspension was also the norm.

40 minutes ago, Zebra said:

I thought it was a very well-balanced article, which gave me a much-clearer idea of just how much this event has changed in its nature, from ‘endurance’-focus, to much more of a skills-focus.

Back in 05/06/07, it really was more of a gravel-type stage race, with say a bit of Groenlandberg, and small bits of single-track thrown in, whereas today it really is a different ‘animal’. I am wiser for reading his well-reasoned argument.

Chris

Events have to evolve to stay relevant. Most of the evolution happened before IM involvement in an attempt to keep the race attracting top XCO names to generate the return and desire.

The improving broadcasting and images would have also likely not have happened without some top names being present.

Just because things didn't go down well this year doesn't mean the whole event is terrible.

BUT, the price is a ridiculous, so any shortfall will always draw attention and ire as one expects 100% excellence at the sort of prices the entries go for.

There is no room for error or sub par delivery at these sorts of premiums without backlash

[SamTaylor]

4 hours ago, SSCC said:

I think it’s your reading and comprehension skills that are lacking rather than his writing skills. You completely misunderstood his point about JHB riders. 

He makes lots of good points backed up by stats.

What was his point about JHB riders then that I completely misunderstood? He claims the majority of the field is from Gauteng - that is the bit I didn’t agree with, because from my experience they weren’t, there were a hell of a lot of internationals, and a lot of locals from the cape, as well as riders from all over South Africa. 
 

If GP trail parks don’t prepare you for riding the epic, or if GP riders aren’t doing enough technical terrain training, then maybe they should get some prep in elsewhere also. Last time I rode up there, there were tons of options that provided some big days out, technical riding in the Magaliesberg, and there are trails in the escapement/mpumalanga/waterberg etc that are proper. 

Edited Saturday at 02:46 PM by SamTaylor

[Titan Racing Bikes]

On 3/22/2025 at 4:49 PM, Rowl said:

@Titan Racing Bikes when can we expect a write-up 😀

Bike Hub Bike Check here:
https://bikehub.co.za/news/cape-epic-bike-check-bianca-haws-titan-racing-cypher-dc/

[love2fly]

On 3/28/2025 at 8:26 AM, Shebeen said:

is it just me, or where there basically no mechanicals in the elite fields this year? I know jobert/nortje needed to swap out a wheel from their backup team in one of the early stages, but that's about it. Didn't follow it as closely in the past, but can't really think of any that affected the racing. 

 

Things getting more reliable, or riders going for more durable stuff (ie. tyres/wheels)?

 

I was going to ask what the reason was for minimal flats at the sharp end, especially Nino?

[peetwindhoek]

1 hour ago, SamTaylor said:

What was his point about JHB riders then that I completely misunderstood? He claims the majority of the field is from Gauteng - that is the bit I didn’t agree with, because from my experience they weren’t, there were a hell of a lot of internationals, and a lot of locals from the cape, as well as riders from all over South Africa. 
 

If GP trail parks don’t prepare you for riding the epic, or if GP riders aren’t doing enough technical terrain training, then maybe they should get some prep in elsewhere also. Last time I rode up there, there were tons of options that provided some big days out, technical riding in the Magaliesberg, and there are trails in the escapement/mpumalanga/waterberg etc that are proper. 

Sigh I actually went and read the article - is this some clever guerrilla marketing trick? I’m not sure what the fuss is about. He only said that many riders are coming from Gauteng, not that they’re the majority

[love2fly]

On 3/28/2025 at 11:46 AM, Dappere said:

Tyre choice is largely a matter of personal preference, with factors such as skill level, rolling resistance, and grip all playing a role. The Pirelli Scorpion RC XC tyres I used are quite similar to the Rekon Race, and I’ve never had any issues—they offer more than enough grip for my needs.

My riding partner completed two Epics on a single set of Rekon Race tyres—Cape Epic (March) and 4Islands (April)—with zero issues, even on the notoriously rough, sidewall-eating rocks of 4Islands. Based on that, I’d say they are more than capable for the Cape Epic.

As for width, we personally prefer wider tyres, and we both run 2.4s. At this size, the Rekon Race weighs around 800g per tyre, which is slightly heavier than the Pirelli Scorpion XC RC ProWall at approximately 700g per tyre.

I once bought a Vittoria Barzo Epic something based on the spec weight, only to weigh it and sell it and immediately go back to my Ardent race.  😄

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, SamTaylor said:

What was his point about JHB riders then that I completely misunderstood? He claims the majority of the field is from Gauteng - that is the bit I didn’t agree with, because from my experience they weren’t, there were a hell of a lot of internationals, and a lot of locals from the cape, as well as riders from all over South Africa. 
 

If GP trail parks don’t prepare you for riding the epic, or if GP riders aren’t doing enough technical terrain training, then maybe they should get some prep in elsewhere also. Last time I rode up there, there were tons of options that provided some big days out, technical riding in the Magaliesberg, and there are trails in the escapement/mpumalanga/waterberg etc that are proper. 

My you are sensitive today....

Tread magazine publishes an article post epic every year revealing various stats of the completed event I assume that Bardie is drawing on this factual information when he says " a reasonably significant percentage of the South African entrants are from the province of Gauteng."

I can't fault the statement beause I drew a similar conclusion. Put of a sample of 30 okes I chatted to over the week the vast majority of them were from Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloem or Gautengers living along the Garden Route. Of the Kaapies, Stellies and Paarl seemed to provide the numbers. When tread releaes the article we'll see if this bares out but I tend to trust Bardies numbers

Furthermore, the point he makes is that these riders are not interested in upskilling their technical riding. That is a fact I can testify too. Flip I nearly fell asleep on Stage 4 through the XCO courses the riders were moving so slowly. Its even worse at W2W and these okes get aggro when you overtake them. I don't see anything wrong with how the article is written or its intent. 

11 minutes ago, peetwindhoek said:

 

Sigh I actually went and read the article - is this some clever guerrilla marketing trick? I’m not sure what the fuss is about. He only said that many riders are coming from Gauteng, not that they’re the majority

^^^Correct, also not seeing what the fuss is about.  A greater crisis has arisen in my household. My wife has opened the cupboard and discovered her Toblerone is missing so I better getting missing too

[Robbie Stewart]

13 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

Furthermore, the point he makes is that these riders are not interested in upskilling their technical riding. That is a fact I can testify too. Flip I nearly fell asleep on Stage 4 through the XCO courses the riders were moving so slowly. Its even worse at W2W and these okes get aggro when you overtake them. I don't see anything wrong with how the article is written or its intent. 

I went for a ride at Conties yesterday and saw a bunch of people attending some event promoting Sani2C. Didn't think much of it and did my own thing. Last night I came across a reel on Instagram about the day and there was some drone footage included of people descending "Cheeky Corners" which has got to be the easiest trail on that entire network. It consists of nothing more than a few bermed switchbacks that aren't very tight, yet from the drone footage it looked like just about everyone was having difficulty riding it. To me that just confirms my bias to stay as far away from these types of events as I can get. Thankfully the lines I rode was untouched by these people because they'd probably end up in the ER if they tried.

[Mamil]

27 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

I went for a ride at Conties yesterday and saw a bunch of people attending some event promoting Sani2C. Didn't think much of it and did my own thing. Last night I came across a reel on Instagram about the day and there was some drone footage included of people descending "Cheeky Corners" which has got to be the easiest trail on that entire network. It consists of nothing more than a few bermed switchbacks that aren't very tight, yet from the drone footage it looked like just about everyone was having difficulty riding it. To me that just confirms my bias to stay as far away from these types of events as I can get. Thankfully the lines I rode was untouched by these people because they'd probably end up in the ER if they tried.

Super tubes is the easiest trail at conties.

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, Robbie Stewart said:

I went for a ride at Conties yesterday and saw a bunch of people attending some event promoting Sani2C. Didn't think much of it and did my own thing. Last night I came across a reel on Instagram about the day and there was some drone footage included of people descending "Cheeky Corners" which has got to be the easiest trail on that entire network. It consists of nothing more than a few bermed switchbacks that aren't very tight, yet from the drone footage it looked like just about everyone was having difficulty riding it. To me that just confirms my bias to stay as far away from these types of events as I can get. Thankfully the lines I rode was untouched by these people because they'd probably end up in the ER if they tried.

 

Uhmm jaaa ...

 

OR, consider the following.

 

The organisers WANT to upskill people to the point where they can actually enjoy their Sani2C.

 

Good on them for doing something to up the skill level.

 

 

PS - yes, I know one of the coaches of yesterday's session.

[ChrisF]

14 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

 

Furthermore, the point he makes is that these riders are not interested in upskilling their technical riding. That is a fact I can testify too. Flip I nearly fell asleep on Stage 4 through the XCO courses the riders were moving so slowly. Its even worse at W2W and these okes get aggro when you overtake them. 

 

It was clear as day during the prologue that some riders had not worked on their trail skills .... 

 

The few Hubbers that dared to point this out was asked to provide their Epic CV or to rather stay silent. 🤣

 

Respect and kudos to the Sani2C team for actually reaching out and raising the skill level of prospective riders 👍

[Robbie Stewart]

5 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

Uhmm jaaa ...

 

OR, consider the following.

 

The organisers WANT to upskill people to the point where they can actually enjoy their Sani2C.

 

Good on them for doing something to up the skill level.

 

 

PS - yes, I know one of the coaches of yesterday's session.

Upskilling is something I will always get behind, and if that was the intention of yesterday then that is a good thing. My only concern would be to not leave it until a few weeks before the event. 

I'll be honest and say that it always intrigues me to notice the amount of people who pedal past the Leatt Skills Park on a given weekend without ever taking enough time to observe what's on offer. These are usually the people who also enter these events, and to my mind they would benefit greatly from just riding there even just once a month. 

You can learn how to properly ride berms, drops, skinny's, even rocks and not once need to jump anything if you don't want to. That park has so much more to offer than big, intimidating jumps. And the best part is that there are so many folks who can help most weekends that you don't need to be stressed riding there the first time. Since I started frequenting that skills park my trail side technique has vastly improved and now I ride down very technical trails with absolute confidence. And that is 90% because of the skills park. People don't know what they lose out on by not riding there. 

[Robbie Stewart]

1 hour ago, Mamil said:

Super tubes is the easiest trail at conties.

Potayto potaato

[Mamil]

10 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Potayto potaato

Didn't I read a post of your somewhere saying you were tired of being injured and were scaling back on sending the dangerous lines? The addiction got you in its clutches? Do we need an intervention? 😂

[Robbie Stewart]

7 minutes ago, Mamil said:

Didn't I read a post of your somewhere saying you were tired of being injured and were scaling back on sending the dangerous lines? The addiction got you in its clutches? Do we need an intervention? 😂

Hi, my name is Robbie and I'm a mountainbikeaholic

[El Duderino]

8 minutes ago, Mamil said:

Didn't I read a post of your somewhere saying you were tired of being injured and were scaling back on sending the dangerous lines? The addiction got you in its clutches? Do we need an intervention? 😂

I think that was @MORNE