Cape Epic 2026

[Shebeen]

1 hour ago, DieselnDust said:

Well that’s going to be interesting if they do arrive at the same time for a sprint finish…..

I see the opportunity for multiple fups

Unlikely at EXACTLY the same time.

 

Presumably the Elite women will have a shortcut somewhere, then rejoin the race route. There will be some drafting regulation if they overlap.

The split argus works because the women finish well before the men - not sure if that is the attempt here or not.

 

[Headshot]

1 hour ago, DieselnDust said:

Well that’s going to be interesting if they do arrive at the same time for a sprint finish…..

I see the opportunity for multiple fups

I think its crazy that the top women ride a shorter distance than the rank and file. Just seems wrong. And the F Ups you allude to could be a thing.

[Kylie]

1 hour ago, DieselnDust said:

How do you feel about this development @Kylie

I'm stoked. I think it's a really bold move by the organisers, as I'm sure it's going to add logistical complexity to what is an already complicated machine. Marathon MTB is one of the few disciplines that I am aware of where women compete in same distance, and given the very real physiological differences between men and women, plus the coverage and spectator dynamics, it makes sense to me to scale things in this way. I do understand the perspective of those women who want to do the full distance (and fortunately they still can). I think this is only going to make the racing closer, and more aggressive and hopefully bring in some more XCO specialists to deepen the field.

 

As I mentioned earlier, this is one of those issues that is always going polarise opinions

[BlinkFan]

4 hours ago, Kylie said:

Another announcement from last night, which was not mentioned in the press release,  is that the Elite women are going to race a shortened course to finish in a similar time as the Elite men. Much like how the women's XCO courses are shortened to give a similar race time.

This should make it more exciting for spectators, and make the media coverage easier, and hopefully result in some sharp racing. I believe the exact mechanics are still TBC.

I have no doubt there will be some very polarised views on this, but I think it's a great proactive step towards deepening the field and raising the level of the women's race. 

But how does this help?

Let's look at the broadcasts of years passed...

• Men and women are both still riding - 20% of coverage is on the women.
• Men finish - 10% of coverage is on the women
• Men wash themselves - 80% coverage is on the women (for 20mins)
• Men ceremony - 0% coverage is on the women (and now it's go time for them in arguably the most critical time of the race)
• Men ceremony done - 100% coverage on women, but Specialized already broke away so we missed the action

New schedule:

• Men and women are riding - 20% of coverage on women
• Men and woman finish - 50% coverage on woman

 

TLDR - if ACE doesn't prioritise actually broadcasting the womens race then, this new format will be worse for them?

[MongooseMan]

@guidodg do you have any idea how the "UFO" section in the Stage 4 route differs to the long Canola Roller section? It looks quite similar (from a zoomed out arial view at least)

[renayg]

I think the shortened elite ladies' race is a great proactive step taken by the ACE.

Including the Epic in a race calendar for an XCO specialist is already a stretch for the men due to the time it takes to recover and time out of specific XCO training. Due to the extended time the elite women spend out there each day, this has an amplified effect and has a big impact on the depth of the women's field.

It's a bold move for sure, but I really hope it pays off and more top talent gets drawn as a result. There will for sure be some extra logistics involved, but I think the potential benefits far outweigh the risk and will hopefully go a long way to growing the depth of the women's field. If it doesn't work, at least no one can say they didn't try.

[guidodg]

2 hours ago, MongooseMan said:

@guidodg do you have any idea how the "UFO" section in the Stage 4 route differs to the long Canola Roller section? It looks quite similar (from a zoomed out arial view at least)

it climbs from a different side and goes up higher… then you have a long rocky switchback descent on the other side🤓

[mrcg]

Only time will tell how this pans out. For sure the ladies field depth has always been lagging behind the men's. In fact, it's often been sub par. Not sure the XCO ladies will suddenly rush to attend, but let's see.

My only concern is for both men and women, if they come upon each other at end of race in single track sections. That might lead to some "problems"

Edited October 10, 2025 by mrcg
Auto correct fixed

[DieselnDust]

16 hours ago, mrcg said:

Only time will tell how this pans out. For sure the ladies field depth has always been lagging behind the men's. In fact, it's often been sub par. Not sure the XCO ladies will suddenly rush to attend, but let's see.

My only concern is for both men and women, if they come upon each other at end of race in single track sections. That might lead to some "problems"

 I have serious reservations about the length of the ladies race being the primary problem. I think  its more about shortening the broadcast length and the duration the helo's are in the air. This all speaks to cost reduction on a grand scale. 

The depth of the ladies field is all about lack of interest and team budget. hanging around with some of the XCO teams when they're here is quite revealing re the Epic.

"It's hard, its exciting but it has no relevance to my season, or my sponsors.."

"recovery is a problem because we can't stay in SA for another week to recover properly. The budget isn't there."

"i have to peak too early for the Epic. I can't go into it and ride myself in. I have to peak two or three more times in the season. That's not possible.

 

On the men's side, Only Avondeto and Braidot did well in the season but also raced Cape Epic. Chris Blevins skipped the Epic and had his best season ever. I would say Braidot and Avondetto were largely unaffected by riding Cape Epic. Maybe because they started their prep later?

Point is, if the ladies teams really want to win it and perform well in the XCO season they can find a way to achieve this. Its happened before, just ask Annika Langval, Kate Courtney. I'm sure John Wakefield can add very useful insights

[DieselnDust]

On 10/10/2025 at 12:12 PM, Shebeen said:

Unlikely at EXACTLY the same time.

 

Presumably the Elite women will have a shortcut somewhere, then rejoin the race route. There will be some drafting regulation if they overlap.

The split argus works because the women finish well before the men - not sure if that is the attempt here or not.

 

Their short cut will have to be around 20 to 25km because they’re usually about an hour to 1:10 behind the men over a 90km stage. 

[babse]

How does this affect the winnings for elite men's and women? 💰

[DieselnDust]

22 minutes ago, babse said:

How does this affect the winnings for elite men's and women? 💰

Interesting question….

[ChrisF]

Any Hubbers doing Cape Epic 2026 ?

[mrcg]

Cool docu

[Shebeen]

On 10/11/2025 at 8:30 PM, babse said:

How does this affect the winnings for elite men's and women? 💰

Equal prize money has done little to elevate the depth of the ladies field, but it's a headline grabber so will have to stay. 

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, Shebeen said:

Equal prize money has done little to elevate the depth of the ladies field, but it's a headline grabber so will have to stay. 

So that’s unequal pay then…

ride less km but get paid the same = more $/km with a smaller field…