Africa's untamed MTB race
26 March 2007
Over 1 000 riders representing 42 countries are taking part in the 2007 Cape Epic, which started in Knysna on Saturday and finishes at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West on 31 March.
The event is the most widely broadcast mountain bike race in the world - and it's not hard to see why.
The 900km route that takes in some of South Africa's most breathtaking scenery, moving through a number of national parks and vast tracts of protected terrain, including the Cape Floral Kingdom, one of only six floral kingdoms in the world.
The race has once more attracted a world-class field, including defending champion and two-time World Cup overall winner and Olympic medallist Christoph Sauser, and Olympic gold medallist, world champion and World Cup overall winner Bart Brentjens.
Also in the field is South Africa's record-breaking downhill rider Greg Minnaar, South Africa's first world champion in cycling, who has clinched five Downhill
World Cup wins and twice been crowned the World Cup overall winner.
The Absa Cape Epic, presented by Adidas, is an annual eight-day mountain bike race that catapults riders through some of Africa's most exquisite scenery, offering local and international riders a breathtaking cross-country marathon experience.
Places highly coveted
Every year the route changes and, as the largest full-service mountain bike stage race in the world, spots in the Absa Cape Epic are highly coveted.
Being a full-service race, riders are accommodated in a tented village and provided with carbo-loading meals, water, masseurs, access to medical assistance and other necessities for the full duration of the race.
This year's route will see 1 086 riders, representing 42 countries, including riders from as far away as Brazil, Canada, Norway, Hong Kong and Australia, climbing 15 045 metres, with the first stage between Knysna and Uniondale in the Western
Cape testing riders with a gruelling 2 660 metre climb.
Kevin Vermaak, director and founder of the Absa Cape Epic, explains: "In planning the route, we aimed to include as many new trails as possible. Off-road vehicles provided by Toyota allowed us to develop one of the wildest routes to date, including some areas that, because of their remoteness, have not even been visited by the owners of the land in many years."
Timing of the race
The timing of the race is crucial in attracting some of the world's best cyclists. It is always scheduled to end at least three weeks before the beginning of the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) World Cup Cross Country season, which allows the top riders the opportunity to participate in South Africa.
First raced in 2004, the Absa Cape Epic was the first mountain bike two-person team stage race placed on the UCI calendar. Since that time, it has captured the imagination of mountain biking fans the
world over, and is the most widely broadcast mountain bike race in the world.
It has been viewed in 52 countries, spoken about in 22 languages, and afforded over 3 500 hours of air time.
The event has been so successfully organised that it has picked up both a Sunday Times Business Times Marketing Excellence Award as well as a Logistics Achiever Award.
2007 additions
For the 2007 edition of the event, there are a few additions to what was presented in 2006.
Title sponsors Absa are awarding a new red leader jersey for the leading South African team each day, while Toyota have come on board with a sponsorship of 21 off-road vehicles for planning and implementing the route.
The final stage has also been moved to the Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West near Cape Town, which will offer a dramatically increased capacity for more finish-line supporters and competitors in the Cape Times Vigne à Vigne, the one-day race that
takes place on the last day of the eight-day race.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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