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