ABSA Cape Epic, toughest and biggest mountain bike stage race in the world. Ranked number one on the UCI list, by the organization and top athletes from around the world, you will understand why. Started in 2004, today its a successful event with top UCI riders participating in this endurance event and for every youngster or old, this a race that test yourself against all odds and every second counts.
International riders sees this as a version of the Tour de France, the only difference is they ride mountain bikes instead of road bikes. In the 2011 edition, 1 200 riders, 707km, 14 550m of climbing in only 8 days in the Western Cape - South Africa. Some do it for the experience, to race against others or simply ride for a charity of their choice however preparation is a must from professionals to amateur riders. No one ever said this will be easy. For those who finish it after 8 days they have spent for hours in a saddle, test your endurance, bike handling skills and physical and mental strength, is a achievement when crossing the finish line in Lourensford Wine Estate.
Every mountain biker's dream is do participate in this event however it takes 20 hours of hard training a week to find yourself on the start line and as we know Leon Evans known as Dr. Evil makes the route tougher every single year so preparation is crucial. Since follow the race since 2007, I never knew of it till they passed through Robertson. Ever since I follow the race on television or watch one of the stages when its in my area. This year, the people in Worcester went all out to welcome them as they visit Worcester Gim for 2 nights before heading out to Oak Valley in Grabouw.
The most amazing thing is that Worcester Primary school created their own arts piece by having coloured papers with the colours of the ABSA Cape Epic while spelling Epic out. With the amazing vibe on the school grounds, people were cheering on their favourite riders no matter if they are locals or international teams. With heavy rains the night before the start of the 32km time trial stage in Worcester, few damages out on the route made the organizers decide to change the route for safety reasons.
First bunch of riders started at 7 am the morning and with a rain cloud hanging over the grounds, this didn't stop any rider from going out of the start ramp while the referee count down the seconds. Spectators was streaming in to see the top 30 elite riders on the general classification in action. With defending Team Bulls not having a great Cape Epic, they focused on defending their 3rd place overall while Team Merida is second and 360ne Songo.info Specialized in 1st position.
Jose Antiono Hermida, world marathon champion was quickly interviewed by Francois and Paul before getting prepared to start. Everyone wanted to know, will Jose and Ralph win a stage?? the answer "I am still waiting for my legs to arrive, from there we will see what is going to happen" who knew what these two have up their sleeves. Burry Stander and Christopher Sauser is the last to start, can they win once again?? The answer is yes. You can never underestimate this pair when it comes to cross country and marathon racing. While Stander won African Cross Country Championships, South African Cross Country Championships, South African Marathon Championships and former U23 World Cross Country Champion, he is surely a champion on his own.
For many years, South African's tried to win this event but was unsuccessful and who knew that Burry Stander will come out and have the golden jersey over his shoulders for a week?? This was the first time a South African won it on home soil. Now for those who don't know after a long period of saying "I will never do it" came the words out of my mouth, "Gonna try and do it in 2013". This time around I will do the first one for experience before taking it very seriously. As we all know training for this ain't easy but with all the support I am getting, it surely do help in every possible way.
I will first do "Volunteer" work during the 2012 Cape Epic to stand a better chance of getting a entry but first I need to get confirmation if I'm accepted or not from there I will see what is lying ahead. Training will be crucial for me after my injury causing me to start all over again which is difficult as I don't know how it will effect me in my performance.
So far I got backing for sponsorships as well a partner. I am planning of riding for a charity called Ride For Recovery which is helping people who is addicted to drugs and many other things. By raising funds for them, makes me know that for all the pain and suffering me and my partner goes through will mean something special to someone else.
Follow me on Twitter @yolpret and my partner @DavidDebacker.
Till next time.
Yolande
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