Stage 8

The home straight! Well not quite! 80km with a couple of nasty climbs in btw.! We had the fortunate treat of lying in this morning as the start was pushed back to 8:30am from its usual 7am. That extra hours rest was much appreciated, and the chill had left the air by the time we cruised out of the starting blocks.

We started strongly but bike troubles forced us to stop, for some strange reason Chris’s brakes just gave up the ghost! When you pulled them there was absolutely no tension! We still don’t know what the caused it but with a little fiddling he managed to get them back up and running. A reliable regularly serviced bike is critical for the race!! I Can’t stress it enough!

There were very few flat stretches to this stage you were either climbing or flying down hill! Going over Sir Lawory’s pass was a special treat as we were taken through a spot where very few people are allowed to go. The neck which we eventually crossed was used by the foortrekkers and there are still old ox wagon tracks carved into the rock! We were forced to carry our bikes for this section, not that we would’ve been able to ride! Still amazed how those oxen managed! It was ridiculously steep and rocky!

The final 20km home were draw out and with 7km to go we had another flat! Fortunately the finish line was in ear shot and it didn’t take long before we crossed the line with our arms to the sky!

We had conquered the Epic! Chris rode with amazing guts and determination over the last couple of days! Each bump, and there are thousands, shot a bolt of pain up his leg! Hopefully you will all be able to see the bruises on TV some time soon! We managed to find two cameramen who filmed his rose buttocks!!

What an event! Incredibly well organized, to cater for 1000 tired, hungry, smelly and dirty cyclists for 8 days straight deserves more than a medal! I would definitely do it again and would recommend it to any keen mountain biker, or adventurer out there! The camaraderie amongst the riders and support staff is magical and the whole energy is electrifying!

Thanks must go out to our amazing support crew and sponsors! LPG Sport you are incredible and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without you!

To have Julia and Andrew there to hand us extra water bottles, sandwiches, to wash our bikes, clothes etc. Made it so much easier and more enjoyable! Thanks guys!!

Thank you to readers for following us and showing all your support we all really appreciate it!!!

A couple of points for future Epic riders

- Fitness: There is no substitute for fitness! Make sure you start at least 3 months prior to the event and ride regularly! We did on average 250km, 12-14hours per week!
- Reliable bike: When you have put some much time effort and money into this race the last thing you want is for your bike to give you constant up hill! Make sure you service it regularly leading up to the race and during the race. Soft tail is recommended!
- Partner: Know him/her really well. There are times out there when its just the two of you to keep each other going! There were teams which split up during the race and we did see quite a few riders on their own and when asked where their partners are they would say, back there some where but I can’t take it any more, they are struggling and it is too frustrating! You don’t want to be the one who is left behind!

Stage 7

Stage 7

Distance: 110km
Time: 5:19min

They say you shouldn’t get too comfortable and complacent when riding the worlds toughest mountain bike race! Each day is going to test you! With only two days to go you really feel like you are on the home straight and you can picture yourself crossing the line! Well I could anyway, but with another 200km to go anything can happen!

This stage was always going to be tough after two relatively less crazy days, Dr Evil had to make sure all the riders were broken by the time they crossed the line!

The first section followed the tar for a good couple of k’s, which Chris lapped up! The bug question on all our minds this morning was, was Chris going to be able to get back on the bike after his crazy fall yesterday!

Hard man Chris, after pumping in with some serious anti-inflammatory’s grit his teeth and knew that he couldn’t give up now with only 2 days left.

The strategy was to take it easy and see how we go!

The first major obstacle was the Groenlandberg, a massive mountain separating the hinterland from the coastal belt, Mike Mike the voice of international cycling quoted it to be the highest mountain in the Western Cape (sorry mike not quite) but it felt like it that’s for sure! We were able to ride up most of it, there is usually a bit of hiking in btw. The views back down into the valley were spectacular, Theerwaterskloof dam sparkled in the mid day sun.

From the top it was a fast down hill into Algin area, through the fruit orchards and over the N2 into Ledennon and beautiful pine forests.

For the last 30km it felt like we were riding in a furnace, with temperature in the 40’s! All we wanted to do was get out of the sun and Chris was very fortunate not to take another tumble when he got a flat on a very steep rocky section!

The last 1km was on the beach, looked good but have you ever tried riding on beach sand??! It doesn’t work to well! Ask Chris about his little tumble 100m before the finishing line! We were both very happy to cross the line and put our feet up with the view of the sea!

Stage 6

Stage 6

Distance: 115km
Time: 5h 38min

Quote of the day:
Too shell shocked to remember! Lucky to be able to continue after what has been a very close call!

An eventful day on the world’s toughest mountain bike race! Just when you think you are on top of things and starting to get into the groove and you are invincible things can turn very quickly!

We had just completed the 6km hike-a-bike and enjoying the down hill, maybe a little too much! After a rugged section we hit a smooth steep tar road and let our brakes go! Clocking 80km/h! The tar met the dirt right at the bottom of hill and at the same time it took a sharp right! I was leading the way and just managed to hold it together, I let out a scream, with my adrenalin pumping!

I turned round expecting to see Chris flying up along side! The next thing I saw was Chris sliding down the dirt road on his back with his bike tumbling across the road! The two following teams, who saw the whole incident unfold shouted as they flew past: “It was bad! Very bad!” After seeing him there I instantly noticed the two farmers had a bakkie! It won’t take us long to get him to a proper doctor! When I got to him all Chris was concerned about was his bike! “I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m worried about my bike!” The left side didn’t look too good, serious grazes down the leg and his shorts weren’t holding up too strong! His clothing was severely ripped, helmet smashed looked pretty beaten up but all he was concerned about was his bike! True to his claim to fame (Hard man Chris) he was back on his feet in no time! A little shocked but riding none the less! Fortunately the next water stop was 5km away where a medic would be on hand to clean and take a proper look at his injuries!

Thankfully we managed to hobble through the last 25 kms and finished relatively strongly considering the days events!

Moral of the story we are both very lucky still to be in the race and can thank the man up stairs for watching over us! The next couple of days are going to be interesting, tomorrow is a biggie – going to be riding through the beautiful fruit orchards down into Klienmond, forecast says 35 degrees! Pole pole!

Scene of the day: Arriving at the last water station at the same time as the best mountain biker in the world! Christoff Sauzer! Clearly he was taking his time out there today!

Race Village

1000 + riders have to moved (thanks to their bikes), washed, fed and kept happy for 8 days through some of the most beautiful scenery in the country! So far it has been a very well oil machine!

Typical day:
Truck horn sounds, loud enough to wake even the sleepiest riders, at 5am!
No you don’t really want to get up! You are stiff and sore and the temperature outside is very nippy indeed!

Breakfast is served from 5am – 6:30am!
Bacon, Eggs, fruit, yogurt, cereal, tea, coffee and a display of breads!!
I wish is was hungry at 5am! We really have to force all this good food down!!

Get prepared for day ahead – half asleep – fill water bottles, apply some much needed milking cream (to our behinds!!) check tyre pressures and make sure your bike is really to roll!

Ride begins 7am sharp! We usually enter our group (C) 5min before they close them off! No need to stand around in the cold when you could be wrapped warmly in your sleeping bag!

Ride:
Most riders fly off while we allow our bodies to warm up, which usually takes 30min before its in full swing!

Water stops are positioned throughout the course, usually before all mountain passes.

Each stop is very well organized:
- Plenty of liquid, coke, water and Powerade
- Medic tent
- Shamano technical tent
- Motorex (bike oil) personnel running around cleaning riders chains (key to your bike running smoothly)
- Plenty of energetic supporters screaming and shouting and taking plenty

Stage 5

Darrydale – Montague
Distance: 105km
Time: 5h15min

Quote of the day:
I hope my bike goes missing!
(Riders comment after another tough day in 30 + degree heat!)

Why we are really doing this crazy race:
To kick back, put our feet up and be massaged at the end of each day!!

Sorry you guys but there was no internet in Barrydale and very limited cell reception!

How is the butt going? I really don’t want to speak to soon, but so far so good! Definitely a little tender for the first icy 20km but once it warms up there are no issues!!! Others are less fortunate, a friend of friend rode standing up the whole day! 105km – Apparently he has the worst butt in the Epic! Poor guy!

Another crazy day spent climbing mountains and flying down the other side! With the halfway mark behind us we left this morning with a spring in our stoke! Our motto to date has been Pole Pole (Slowly slowly in Swhaili). Survival is definitely the name of the game! 8 days, 900km you really have to take it one day at a time (more like one mountain at a time)!

We usually start slowly waving everyone past knowing that we will see them shortly, at the next climb. Today was slightly different as we knew that their was plenty of single track in the beginning, where you have to follow one another single file, you don’t want to get stuck behind millions of ‘slower’ riders. So off we flew in amongst our group (riders start in separate groups A – G we have been starting in group C or D) keeping pace through the winding paths through the orchards – amazingly beautiful, with the farm workers screaming enthusiastically!

The first climb had been hyped up last night but sitting here I can’t even remember it! Clearly my mind was else where!

The scene of the day was on a tar section (unfortunately there aren’t enough of them!) We had pushed hard to keep up with 2 other groups, tucking in behind to conserve our energy. It wasn’t long before Chris’s good sportsmanship led him to the front and began pulling us along nicely, a little too nicely for my liking, he was flying along and we still had a couple of big climbs ahead. I pulled up along side to share the effort and we rode along for a while. The next thing we looked around and the 4 riders had become 100 riders!! Nice LPG!

The last 20km turned into a bit of fun, after flying down a seriously steep track we came upon 2 teams who look pretty serious!!! With the finish in close range we jumped at the opportunity to stretch our legs, finishing strongly has been the highlight of our days. Pole pole went out the window and began racing for the first time! Reality kicked in 10km later when the thought of another 3 long days still to come! Reluctantly we let them go!!!

It wasn’t long before a climb brought us back together! With Montague in sight Chris was off like a race horse, there was no stopping him! We finished strongly once again and ended the day a little higher up the field than any other day!!

Nice work Team LPG!
Overall Team position: 137/601
Men’s teams: 87/400

Stage 6
Not too sure of the route – guaranteed to be tough, all I know is that we have a 6km hike a bike! I.e. too steep to ride!

Stage 4

Ladismith – Barrydale
Distance: 120km
Time: 5h 48min
Climbing 1 300m

Before I get into it, we have just witnessed the funniest scene see on tour to date!
Picture this (sorry ladies still no camera!!) it is 40 degrees in the shade you have just ridden for 7hrs and you are covered in mud, from head to toe and all you want is to be clean and passed out in the shade! A shower trailer follows the camp around which caters for about 30 people at a time, when 1000 riders all want a shower a roughly the same time a short queue quickly develops!

As always a Boer maak ‘n plan!?

Off with the kit and into the sprinklers! The next-door field was being watered by a serious sprinkler system! 20 over excited adults (hard to believe) running around in their baby suits (not sure where they found the energy) screaming as they fired the power hoses at one another!! All the ladies in the camp had their cameras out in a flash while the rest of the guys were rolling around with laughter!


Quotes for the day:

Chris: Are we going up?
(The heat was clearly getting to us by this stage! We were riding along a rocky track and Chris didn’t know if we were going up, down or flat!)

Rich: I hope the next hill is steep enough to walk!
(Clearly Rich wasn’t going to strong at this stage!)

Fellow rider: I think I’m taking up road riding! Chris: I think your brain will fall asleep!
(There is little, which keeps you more focused on a bike than flying down a rocky mountain pass, any slight miss judgment, and over you go! Ask Chris he will let you know all about it!)

Chris: “We have just climbed Everest!”
(We have climbed the equivalent height of Everest!)

Our rest day! NOT! 120km in 30degree heat through a desert is no rest no matter who you are! Arguably the hardest staged mountain bike race in the world is not letting its reputation slide!

The day begins with a 4:45am wake up call, one of the trucks sounds its horn, waking up who ever might still be resting, in the quiet little town of Ladysmith... and anyone else within a 100km radius!

We departed at 7am... as per usual, but there was definitely an eminent chill in the Ladysmith air this morning, the first 40 km’s to water station number one we were quite relaxed for team LPG Sport, we saved as much energy as possible and then capitalized when the track got more technical putting a bit more effort in through the sandy and rocky sections which has become the general trend for us. Let everyone push hard on the flats and take them on the technical sections! Sorry we aren’t here to race!

The day saw us heading through a hot dry karoo and trees were few and far between so it was a pleasant relief to get out of the sun in under six hours!

Most days we pass through a number of tiny little villages and the local communities come out in force to support the riders. All the kids are let out of the classrooms and wave the various flags of the countries competing that they have drawn in art class. Everyone cheers ecstatically and tries to give you high fives as you zoot past, one little kid had to jump up to get to reach us! The farm workers are all let off work and sit on the banks next to the road to shout and cheer the cyclists on. The atmosphere all along the route is electric day in and day out and is a great deal of what makes this race such an amazing experience!

The toll on our bodies

As we have mentioned before... this race is definitely not for sissies!! Our bodies have been taking a beating... as is to be expected!

The real deal:
Both our knees are taking serious strain! A couple of anti-inflammatory pills (little pink beauty’s) later all is back under control!

There I was cruising through the desert landscape thinking this race wasn’t too bad. We had survived the first three days without too much trouble and were even beginning to get a little cheeky, thinking that the Epic was a walk in the park, ok maybe it was just me! The next thing I turned round expecting to see Chris right behind me. He was a little further back reaching for some anti-inflammatory tables! “Rich I think my right knees is giving in!” We slowed a tab and took the rest of the climb a little easier.

Less than 2min later my right knee suddenly went as well! Direct pain shot through my knee cap making every stroke agonizingly painful! “Chris I think I need a couple of those bad boys as well!” The next 15min were seriously painful and it suddenly dawned on me that just finishing this race is going to be an achievement! It was during this time that I said: “I hope the next hill is steep enough to walk!” I never thought I would be saying that but honestly a walk was all that I was wanting at the time! Unfortunately it wasn’t too be! Fortunately those little pink pills definitely worked!

I’m now sitting with some ice on my knee while Julia prepares a little bandage to hold it together! Looking over one of the most beautiful valleys in the country! Life isn’t too bad!

We are only half way!!

Stage 3

Oudtshoorn – Ladismith
Distance: 130km
Time: 7h 30min
Climbing 2 700m

The most difficult stage of the race! Helps hope so! We are very glad to see the end of today!

Quotes of the day:
Chris: “This race is not for sissies!”
Fellow rider: “I used to be friends with my partner!” This was after he explained to us how he wrote all over his 2005 Epic dvd: Never and again!

They said that day two was going to be the most difficult day, then again they have said many things which have yet to materialize!

“Not too much further, only 15km to the end!” The finish line ended up being 25km further up the road!

So yes we have stopped listening to anyone other than our bike computers, however even those tell us that the finish line should have come 5km before it eventually does!

When you have been in your saddle for over 7 hours and climbed the equivalent of two and half Table Mountains two you can just imagine how excited you are to put your feet up, down a cold drink and do absolutely nothing! This is where our seconders come into their own!

Andrew and Julia are absolute legends, the first thing other than that ice cold coke that goes down is our protein shakes, which A & J have pre mixed! One thing you learn when doing this crazy race is how much energy your body can burn! We have been eating enough food btw the 4 of us to feed an army!

We set off as usual at 7am sharp and took our usual casual approach to possibly the toughest Epic day in history! Majority of the riders were off in a shot while Chris and I held back knowing that we would be seeing them shortly! The first hill/mountain would bring everyone back together and we wouldn’t have expensed too much valuable energy!

The key is to ride your own race and not get too influenced by the other riders around you. This may sound pretty straight forward but believe me it quickly gets competitive out there, with everyone sizing each other up, “big carves! Strong arms etc etc!! LOL Don’t be fooled, we have seen some very average looking riders, including woman power themselves past us!

The first of two major mountains, in all previous bike races I’ve ridden you look out for the hills, then again this is no ordinary bike race, came after 40km! Our tactics worked a treat and all the riders who flew ahead earlier were back with us.

This is a bike race but once again Dr Evil (route organizer) thought a little hiking would be fun! So off we walked, pushing our bikes up a ridiculous steep gradient for about 45min. The views down over the surrounding valleys were incredible, we had to keep reminding ourselves to take it all in, anything to get our minds off the never ending track ahead! The down hills have become our strength and where we seem to over take many riders, not that we are racing! (more about that later!)

This decent was probably the best of the race so far, a 20km stretch all the way back down to the next water point!

We were flying with about 3 other teams along the banks of a beautiful river when Chris got a flat! Our first after 280km of riding through some of the toughest most testing conditions I have ever been through, not bad going indeed! You see teams down, well sometimes only a single rider, fixing punctures the whole time and your heart goes out to them! Well we now know what it feels like! While we repaired our puncture about 4 different bunches (50 riders) came screaming past! (Who cares we aren’t racing!) Fortunately it was 2km before the next water spot and we were quickly reunited with most of them less than 10min later!

The next mountain was similar to the first, we all attempted to ride as far as we could up the absurdly steep slope before it was impossible to go any further, dismounted and began hiking! 30min later we were flying down the other side unsure what lay around the next corner!

Beautiful fruit orchards carpeted the valley, lying in the shadow of some of the most beautiful rock formations! Their rich reddish / orange colour contrasting against the luminous green plum trees. Sorry but you have to do anything to keep your mind off the repetitive peddling action!

Then came the Carlitzdorp Crusher! This is an understatement! Out of now where rose this massive mountain! The only way was over it! Mlevi the Landy took some serious strain and we are very grateful to have our support team with us!

1000m, 10km later we finally reached the summit! We were all ready relieved and thought that was it for the day!!

Alas another 30km and 400m of climbing later we eventually found ourselves in Ladysmith!!

Wow that was exhausting just thinking back over today!

A further 35 teams didn’t make the 5pm cut off and won’t be recognized as official finishes!
It is heart breaking stuff, at exactly 5pm every day the race organisor turns his back to the line and fires a gun signaling the end to another Epic stage. Anyone who comes in after that have their numbers cut off their bikes and are issued with a blue number! They may continue riding, if however they don’t make it during another stage they are not allowed to continue the next day.
There you have it another Epic day and we are holding up strong!

Stage Two ABSA Cape Epic

Stage Two ABSA Cape Epic

Time 7h 30min
Distance 139km
Climbing 2300m


Wild life sighting of the day: 3 Elephants! Seriously, we rode through a big 5 game park!

Quote of the day: As we were flying along at 35km/h through rolling hills our new Dutch friends chirped up: “This stage is a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing!”

Stage 2 Uniondale - Oudtshoorn
Well, well as you can imagine this all changed very quickly! The first 35km to the first water point was pretty quick, good farm roads with no noted worthy climbs.

Last night during race briefing the organizer kept warning all riders of a “little” mountain pass the riders would have to negotiate! The most testing climb of the 8 days! Beware of “Stair way to heaven”, a sting in the tail right at the end of the 15km pass, “don’t worry we don’t expect you to be riding up it”! He was spot on the sting did hurt and no we definitely didn’t ride it! Well we actually started walking about 2 km before that!

Down hills are supposed to be your reward after slogging your way up a mountain pass! Well well The Cape Epic doesn’t conform to many rules, I’ve never seen so many riders walking down a hill! Chris and I saw our chance and hurtled bye! It was going to have to be vertical before we were going to start walking – down hills!

The remaining stretch home (70km!) was broken into a two different sections:
Open gravel flowing road: We both agreed to take it easy and cruise the remained of the stage, drafting each other to save energy. It didn’t take too long before a decent sized group caught us and we quickly fell into line... (Chris continues)... or to be more accurate... everyone fell in line behind Richard!! Seriously!!... Every time LPG tried to let someone else take the pull, the whole bunch slowed and looked away!! Anyway, the flowing gravel road eventually came to an end and the last stretch awaited.

Game reserve: The next obstacle was a 20km section through a game reserve along a windy jeep track (more familiar territory for me), the highlight being the elephant spotting... and seeing our star seconders at the cyclist’s watering hole.

Wow how often do you have the opportunity of riding through a game farm!! Out biggest threat other than lions, Leopards etc was a pair of Rhino’s, who are currently breeding! We were warned not to aggravate them but if we could ride faster than 35km/h we should be ok!!

Arriving in Oudtshorn to a more than welcome rest stop was awesome and some more LPG treatment ensured we would be fired up for all the challenges tomorrow holds!

Watch this space!!!

Other topics to come:
- A day in the Cape Epic village, 1000 riders!

Stage 3: Another tough tough day!
Distance: 126km
Climbing: 2500m
The last big day, “It is going to separate the men from the boys!” one of the race organisors.