World’s premier MTB race changes route
Cape Epic will embark on a new route in 2018.
THE Cape Epic will embark on a new route in 2018 which starts on the slopes of Table Mountain and takes the riders through the mountains en route to the final stage which ends at Val de Vie estate.
The Absa Cape Epic changes its route every year but in 2018 the organisers have designed a route which will most probably suit the marathon riders better than the cross country riders.
The total distance of 658km with 13 530m of climbing will include four consecutive days of 100km, a final stage that is far from an easy roll to the line and a race of truth with a Stage 5 time trial that could shake up the race amongst the elites.
“The last Absa Cape Epic to feature a time trial was in 2010,” said race director Kati Csak of the 39km (1 430m of climbing) time trial in Wellington, the majority of which will be on the Welvanpas trails.
“We’ve reintroduced it this year to change things up and also to give the leading racers an opportunity to attack their rivals. If a team had managed to secure a decent lead by this stage they would normally simply mark their rivals’ attacks, but you can’t do that on a time trial.”
From the Prologue on the iconic Table Mountain, where the Prologue was last held in 2015, the 2018 Absa Cape Epic will visit Robertson, Worcester and Wellington, and finish at the Val de Vie Estate in the Paarl-Franschoek Valley.
Riders will spend three nights in Robertson for the first three stages, with a transition stage to Worcester, where they will stay for one night before settling down in Wellington until heading to Val de Vie, which will be the home for the Grand Finale for the next five years.
Photo: Annette van Schalkwyk
In a break with tradition, the final stage of the Epic will not be the easy day it has been in the past, taking riders from Wellington to Val de Vie over a testing 70km with 2 000m of climbing that will make riders earn that precious medal.
“The route also amounts to a real test for amateurs … they’ll need to be fit and accomplished riders to make it through the eight days, including four 100km-plus days in a row,” said Csak.
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