Entering a “Cape Epic” is no mean feat, especially in your later years as an athlete.
As the saying goes “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.
Training started seriously in May’25 under the structured guidance of Erica Groenewald founder of Daisyway Coaching Systems. Together with my Epic partner, Viv Schulze, we spent 10 months training in every weather condition mother nature threw at us. We had been warned that the Epic is “not normal”. I even had a few 3 – 4 hour indoor sessions on Zwift when I just couldn’t get outside due to the harsh NW winds Cape Town experienced during the winter season. Commitment to sticking to the training schedule was everything, as another valuable bit of advice from Epic riders is, “no one arrives at the start line unprepared”.
Getting a proper bike set up was key to being able to spend 8 days on your bike including owning the lightest, newest model bike I could afford. I soon found out that the entry fee was the cheapest part of taking on the Cape Epic as the hidden cost started adding up throughout the year. The extras included monthly coaching fees, regular massages, supplements and keeping your bike well serviced.
Fast forward to March’26, my Epic partner and I arrived at the Prologue in Meerendal Wine Estate ready and pumped to go! After all, it was only 8 days of riding 707 kms with 15,900 m of climbing…..from stage 1 in Montague, to Greyton and finishing in Stellenbosch, the mecca of mountain biking.
Prologue- Meerendal / 20 kms-650 m climbing
This was a day to remember as loads of fans came out in numbers to support us. The energy and noise were electrifying along with the ever-increasing heat that day, which rose to highs well above the 30oC range. We had a fantastic start to our journey and rode within ourselves to get over the line safely.
Stage 1- Montagu /90 kms -2150 m climbing
What a highlight start! We were interviewed on the start line by Ariane Luthi, five times winner of the Cape Epic and Swiss champion, which got us some TV time too. We didn’t even have time to feel nervous as the gun went off for stage 1. There was some initial congestion on the technical sections in the beginning as the riders were still quite bunched up, but as the day progressed, teams found their rhythm and flow. A successful day out for us and our spirits were high coming over the line.
Stage 2 – Montagu / 102 kms-2150 m climbing
Stunning trails, long climbs were the order of the day. We took in the view, vibes and cheers from all the supporters along the route. Montagu was host to the Cape Epic about 10 years ago, so the locals went all out in support of the riders, as they enjoyed the beautiful network of trails that were built for the Epic this year.
Stage 3 – Montagu to Greyton / 140 kms – 1750 m climbing
This was a transition stage to the next race village. It was a long day in the saddle as we rode all the undulating hills on the way to Greyton. We had good weather and came in with a comfortable time to avoid any threats of a time cut elimination.
Stage 4 – Greyton / 87 kms – 1750 m climbing
A day with all the single tracks you could have imagined. The only problem was that all the tracks were off camber, so focus was required the entire day with little time to look at the surrounding mountains of Greyton and no time for conversations. The TV cameras were again waiting at the end, and we had a quick interview about our day on the bike. Members of our mountain biking club were overnighting in Greyton in support of us over the 2 days of riding there. The energy they all had was inspiring and heartfelt.
Stage 5 – Greyton to Stellenbosch (The infamous Queen Stage)134 kms/2750 m climbing
The last of the transition stages where the race village moved again. This turned out to be the toughest stage, even for the last Lioness “Hanele Steyn” (who has completed every single Cape Epic, all 23 of them!) That night she spoke to the riders at the evening race presentation admitting how hard this stage had been and that it would not be forgotten in a hurry. It had rained heavily the previous night and during the day, along with strong winds. These conditions made 30 kms of single track a mud-fest of note. We were unable to ride through the mud and ending up hiking our bikes until we were able to get back on and ride. This was the turning point in not making cut-off at 100 km water point. To make the day just a bit harder, it also included a compulsory portage down the Gantouw pass. We missed the cut off by 5 minutes and our medal hopes were gone. We would be able to continue the next day as “Blue Board Riders”, but if we missed any other cut offs during the next 2 days, we were going home.
Stage 6 – Stellenbosch – 76 kms/2450 m climbing
After a disappointing day yesterday, we dusted ourselves off, held our heads high and rode/raced like 20- year- olds. We came in with over an hour to spare before cut-off. Proud of our efforts we were now officially allowed to line up and tackle the last day knowing our family and friends were on route and lining up to see us over that finish line.
Stage 7 – Grand Finale – Stellenbosch – 58 kms/2150 m climbing
This turned out to be a day of teamwork and mental strength to get to that finish line.
My shifters were replaced after the Queen stage as the gears were giving problems on stage 6 already. It turned out that the mechanics didn’t thread the cables correctly to all the shifters that work my gears, so this left me with a “single-speed bike” for the last day. Needless to say, after three stops at various mechanics on route, we realized we had to just keep moving forward to get to the finish. With the help of my partner, who rode up hill “fast” so she could put her bike down and walk back to help me push my bike up the steep sections. We rode proudly and emotionally across that finish line with 30 minutes to spare.
What an amazing privilege and journey it was to be able to ride all 8 days with my partner – fighting back against the difficulties and weather conditions that came our way. I’m learning to embrace the effort it took to ride over that finish line alongside my partner, something that no medal can detract from….
It was truly “Epic and Untamed”.