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Cape Epic gets dramatic revamp
11/07/2008 12:56 - (SA)
Cape Town - The Absa Cape Epic is set for a dramatic revamp for the 2009 event, with the start being moved from Knysna to Gordon's Bay in Cape Town.
Since its inception five years ago, organisers have introduced innovations annually in order to build the race into what it is today, and next year's race will be no exception.
Most of the greatest cycling stage races in the world use a different route and a different start venue every year. In the early days of the Epic it was important to give context to the event by saying it was an '8-day mountain bike race from Knysna to Cape Town'.
Since 2004, the race has offered a completely different route from Knysna each year, and most riders would say that it evolved for the better, albeit tougher each year. But there are only so many different routes that exist between Knysna and Lourensford.
A new and flexible start location provides an opportunity to ride in new diverse areas and on previously unridden routes for many years to come.
Says Kevin Vermaak, director and founder of the Epic and Cape Odyssey: "During this year's race, we were challenged about how to continue down the road of innovation for 2009. However, within 3 weeks of the race we'd hatched a plan for next year that has led to the most frenetic post-event period of researching, planning and permission seeking in order to be ready to announce our exciting changes in time for the lottery results in July.
Exciting stages
"It's been about as challenging as it was before the first race to develop this new concept for what will be the sixth edition race."
By starting the race in a different location to Knysna, the organisers could introduce even more exciting stages and routes to the race. Says Vermaak: "We could ride in areas that had never been possible before due to the constraint of starting in Knysna and getting to Lourensford in 8 days of riding.
"The Epic has grown in popularity amongst cyclists around the world. Every year we typically have more than 40 countries represented and 35% of the riders travel from outside Africa. In South Africa, the race is increasingly becoming an iconic endurance event well known beyond just the cycling community," says Vermaak.
The prologue time trial, which was introduced for the first time this year, represents a unique opportunity to 'bring the race to the people'. Vermaak continues: "The 2009 Epic will therefore have a prologue on the mountains in the greater Cape Town area and the first stage will start on Sunday morning from Gordon's Bay, just outside Cape Town."
Riders will then ride 7 stages from Gordon's Bay through the Western Cape to the traditional finish venue at Lourensford. Race registration, race briefing, and the prologue will take place in Cape Town. This means easier and simpler pre-event planning for most riders.
Vermaak adds: "The total race distance in kilometres may be less than in previous years, but the total time in the saddle for backmarkers and winners alike will be similar. The more technical nature of the entire route will mean that average speeds are likely to be less than in previous years. One thing is for certain, finishing the Epic will always be a massive physical and mental challenge, and riders will need as much dedicated training and preparation to earn the title 'Absa Cape Epic Finisher'.
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