Description
March 18, 2024
Cape Epic 2024 🇿🇦 – Stage 1 – Saronsberg, Tulbagh – Saronsberg, Tulbagh : 88km | Climbing 2450m
The Absa Cape Epic, founded by Kevin Vermaak and also known as the Cape Epic,
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March 18, 2024
Cape Epic 2024 🇿🇦 – Stage 1 – Saronsberg, Tulbagh – Saronsberg, Tulbagh : 88km | Climbing 2450m
The Absa Cape Epic, founded by Kevin Vermaak and also known as the Cape Epic, is an annual mountain bike stage race held in the Western Cape, South Africa. First staged in 2004, it has been accredited as hors catégorie (beyond categorization) by the Union Cycliste Internationale. The eight day race consists of a prologue and seven stages, and typically covers more than 680 km (420 mi) with some 16,900 m (55,400 ft) of climbing. Professional mountain bikers from around the world encompassing up to 650 teams compete teams of two. To qualify for a finish, teams have to stay together for the duration of the race. The race is also open to amateurs, who enter a lottery in order to gain a slot. The times taken to finish each stage are aggregated to determine the overall winning team in each category at the end of the race. The course changes every year, but the race has always taken place in the Western Cape.
Bravery will be required on Stage 1. Tulbagh, once a frontier town, is still an untamed mountain biking destination. New trails and established challenges ensure a fittingly difficult day. Four major climbs punctuate the day with Raptor Rise setting a tone of sweeping switchbacks through fynbos, continued by Boegoe and the Kliprivier Trails. Fanti’s Pass, infamous in its intensity ensures the day’s elevation gain easily exceeds 2 000 meters. It’s not just all challenges and climbing though. Singletracks, never before ridden in a race, like Jan se Bos offer a welcome reward for uphill toils, as do established trails like Assegaaibos and God’s Window. Fortune will favour the brave on this stage. But the line between bravery and foolishness can be a fine one, so be warned.
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