 The ABSA Cape Epic seemed
to be bigger than ever this year, and in many ways
it was. This magical and untamed African mountain
bike race is always changing and pushing the limits
and that’s what makes it so special. It was an
ultimate challenge for organisers to pull off in the
first place, its always been an ultimate challenge
for amateur riders to finish and this year it proved
to be the ultimate challenge for professionals to
win it.
The who's who of
mountain biking were at the 2010 Cape Epic event.
The only other place that you will possibly find a
more star studded line up would be at the Olympics.
This race drew the best riders from the World Cup
cross country circuit, marathon champions and stage
racing professionals. It made for the most exciting
and dramatic racing so far in the 6 year history of
this event.
The media coverage
and live tracking help to get anyone who cares
involved in the race. The unofficial reporting via
twitter, facebook, blogs and other internet media
added to this and often had more up to date and
interesting information than the official epic
sources.
Everyday of the race
was like a soap opera with positions changing
several times a day, dramatic mechanicals, harsh
conditions and technical challenging riding. It was
only towards the end of the race that the leaders
started to emerge and even then it was never a sure
thing.
 There were many well
deserving winners, Kevin Evans in his never ending
quest to win the epic was partnered with Alban
Lakata a world champion marathon mountain biker.
They were let down by equipment choices and
mechanicals in the beginning and some health and
performance issues towards the end. But they hung
onto 3rd place. Then Burry Stander and Christoph
Sauser, clearly the strongest riders, but they only
managed 3 days when both were in peak form,
otherwise either one had some stomach issues.
So that left the most
professional and consistent team to take the top
podium spot. The Bulls team of Karl Plat and Stephan
Sahm did everything right to win the Epic for the
3rd time.
So what is their
secret, good luck you might say, well that’s partly
true. Last year they had bad luck with Karl Plats
shoulder dislocating on the first prologue and then
several times later in the race, but they still
pulled off a win.
It’s really a
combination of factors, a good partnership and wise
equipment choices and a bit of luck of course. Platt
and Sahm have a solid partnership that is built on a
friendship and focused on the same goal, mtb stage
racing, and more specifically the Epic, its their
sole focus. Robust and simple equipment choice,
nothing fancy just the basics, strong light and
efficient. They are patient and wait for the cracks
to show in their opponents before capitalizing and
then slowly etching out a lead that they protect
vigorously towards the end. They won the race
without winning a single stage, that proves that
this is an endurance event that is not won at the
start or on any single day, it is won at the end
after a consistent performance and a calculated
strategy.
Cape Epic Resources
The Epic Guide
www.cape-epic.com
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