Cape Epic

The greatest show in the world

It is already a month since the Cape Epic has finished, but the memories are still fresh.

 The Prologue was the first day of racing, but by no means the first test: The Cape Epic starts months in advance, with planning and preparations a long, logistical juggling game. But as the riders rolled off the start ramp at the University of Cape Town on 18th March, that game became worth it.

Scooping up the riders after their successful start and heading towards Robertson for Stages one to three, we felt the familiarity of the Cape Epic routine kick in. From the 05:00 alarm clock through the random meal times to the meetings and washing and cooking and shopping and travelling. You become increasingly distanced from the outside World whilst in the Cape Epic bubble; the time of day, and even the day of the week, become disjointed from reality. A new normality set in and we quickly fell in time with the beat of the Epic drum.

We started with Raph getting a major sidewall puncture five minutes into Stage 1, but thankfully we quickly moved onto some superb racing at the very front of the race on Stage 2 and by the end of Stage 3 the guys were up to 13th position overall. Mariske and Annie also kept the emotion gauge swinging with two brilliant third place finishes and then a day of serious suffering. With some strong results already under our belt, we transitioned from Robertson to Worcester for one night only. Our motorhomes were locked and loaded by 06:30 to allow a speedy escape and a swift drive to venue number three: Wellington. The riders followed. 

Just like everyday, the air conditioning was pumping inside the motorhomes ready to receive the riders, the camp was set up, food and drinking water was stocked and ready. As the riders wind down, the staff change up a gear. Kit and bottles are washed; bikes are cleaned and fully checked over; photos are edited and race reports written. The work load is high but the noise is always low during the afternoon so the riders can sleep and recover.

From Worcester it was straight onto Wellington. It was here that the sickness virus that was sweeping through the Cape Epic village hit the OMX team. We can overcome mechanicals, suffer through fatigue and maintain morale, but despite everyone’s best efforts we could not hide from the illness. Martin was struck down so severely that he had to withdraw from the race; it was a huge blow to the team and a massive disappointment to Martin who had been riding incredibly strongly. A day later Mariske was also suffering with sickness and diarrhoea, but incredibly she managed to continue racing. 

Despite a change in the dynamic of our race following the sickness, we all managed to find the energy and positivity to get us through the final days. Eight days, fives venues, 658 kilometres, four podium finishes, one third place overall. That is, regardless of the circumstances, a pretty successful mission. The team’s fifth Cape Epic is already a memory, but the sixth one is not quite yet a new dream! Give us some more time, and I’m sure we will be ready to take on the World’s biggest mountain bike race one again.