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Cape Epic, RSA |
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| Date: |
22.04.2006 - 29.04.2006 |
| Description: |
Mountain Bike Stage Race |
| More information: |
http://www.cape-epic.com |
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| Diary:
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| 25.04.2006 |
Saturday, Knysna-Saasveld
125kms, 4.41hrs
First Place, 9min ahead of today's Team Stevens
Rain almost all race long, and I almost thought we would have to put on lights, since it did not want to get bright for the 7.15am start.
For more than half of the time we raced in a beautiful "rain forest" and I almost thought we were in the Amazon.
After an hour, we managed to break away a little bit, but my team mate Silvio punctured. We lost about 4min., and five places. It took us more then an hour to chase everybody back on all these steep forest climbs with lots of splashing water everywere, not easy to do.
Lots of competitors suffered from brake failures because the sand rubbed their brake pads off. We even took some spares with us, but luckily we did not have to use them!
We made up our breakaway of 9min to Team Stevens in the last 2hrs over the fast rolling hills, but we really had do pedal hard for it. No wonder with this time gain!
Sunday, Saasvelt-Mossel Bay
118kms, 4.33hrs
First Place, 4min ahead of today's second placed Team Stevens
I am glad you do not have to do any warm up before the start here at the Epic. This would be too much so early! You take off quite easy, and by the time some attacks happen, you're warm.
We made our breakaway with one hour to go. Over the last hills we set up a high pace, and moved fast towards the coast against the very heavy wind.
By the way, we also rode through a game reserve and passed by elephants very closely. Ok, they brought the two big daddys close to the exit gate of the park. Very good pictures got taken of it, and also for us a very nice change. When do you ride just a few metres from elephants?
The camp site where we stay here in Knysan is spectacular. We parked our camper so close to the sea, and the waves will help for a relaxed sleep!
Monday, Mossel Bay-Riversdale
122kms, 4hrs
4th place in a big sprint finish
It was because it was either too flat or the small hills not demanding enough that everything got split up again. I actually do not like to ride slowly and quite fast on and off the whole time. My "turbo" breaks down and my legs start to hurt.
The last two kms to the finish we started to race, and it is pretty chaotic with the two men team sprints.
It was a very familiar style, how we managed to check who finished 3rd.
We riders sorted it out with the help of the camera man and his camera. It took a while until we could figure it out, because Manie Heimans was crossing the finish line so hidden and ahead of my team mate Silvio Bundi.
Tuesday, Riversdale-Swellendam
130kms, 4.30hrs
1st Place in a big sprint finish
It was still very cold but blue clear sky at our early start this morning.
I knew the first half of the race from last year. It is super nice riding with fantastic views and endless farmland.
After that the race brought us through a technical off road track in a nature reserve. That is where we started the real race, and we broke straight away, but got caught on a long flat tar road again.
Ok, it was not as flat as it sounds, because I rode over a crazy chicken which was totally out of control. I hope it survived...
Coming to the end we were around 6 teams. With one km to go, Bundi and Karl Platt made up a small gap, and I just sprinted after them in the very last climb without taking any of the bunch with me. After I caught them I took over the lead, and we rode fast and safe, first over the line.
All the school kids went crazy, and I love to see them taking time off the classes for the race!
Wednesday, Swellendam-Greyton
114km, 4hrs
3rd Place overall in a bunch Sprint for second, 12min after today's winner Team Adidas South Africa
After a few minutes into the race the Adidas Team left us behind and we never saw them again. We rode pretty easy, except over a few rolling hills. It looks like everybody is getting tired and not wanting to waste too much energy for the last hard days.
Today we sprinted at the very end only, and there were no more attacks a few kms before the finish. Even though the sprint was for second "only" we all (around 7 teams) went for it, and the two corners before the finish line suited me, since I am not a big sprinting rocket. I like more technical scary sprints.
Thursday, Greyton-Hermanus
116km, 4.15hrs
Second behind Team Stevens (same finish time)
It was so foggy for the beginning, and it was such a releif when the sun started to shine through. You could not wear my Oakley's, because they would get as wet as if it was raining, and with the dust, very dirty.
But the camera man in the helicopter loves it! The footage will look great with us riding in half sun and fog.
Now it only needs a medium hill to break up the bunch into groups. This spread out happened about half an hour into the race. It is good to ride in a group with about 8 teams. But this freedom broke up for us pretty quick!
I heard a very serious sounding: "Susi, Susi, Susi" after almost two hours in the race. And when I looked back I saw Bundi off the course and his rear derailleur was hanging down....
A branch came into his derailleur and ripped the whole hanger (the changeable piece at the rear end where the derailleur is mounted on) off his bike! The race would have been over, unless you try to convince any other Specialized rider -off the back- to give us his hanger (that would have been a huge challenge) or you are as smart as we are, and carrying a spare hanger in the pocket!
It took us about 8min. to change. Too long a time, but first we had to break down the half broken hanger piece off the derailleur with two stones, what was a real serious looking business!
We had to chase for 1.15hr to get back up front again. Thanks to the Rocky Mountain Team, who slowed down the Stevens boys -who wanted to attack- we caught the whole group again after 1.15hrs. Then 1hr. of easy riding with the bunch, before the attacks started. We even had to ride over a 2km. very steep lose stone climb, towards the super nice coast town of Hermanus.
It was Bundi and I who managed to climb over it first, -even we had such a hard time at the beginning of it- but the Stevens caught us on the flat windy mountain ridge again. They led the whole way to the finish, and since we had the leading jersey already, we did not sprint for the win any more.
We would have acted differently if the Rocky's told us earlier how they tried to take advantage of your mechanical!
Friday, Hermanus-Boschendal
140km, 5.30hrs
First, 15min. ahead of Team GT South Africa
The King Stage! Not only distance wise, we also had to climb up a steep climb with loose monster rocks for about an hour.
Bundi and I broke away straight after going into the climb, and on the top we not only had a 5min lead, we also could enjoy a fantastic view over huge farmland and mountains. The descent was super fast and rocky too.
We decided to keep on going with a good steady pace, over a long flat part, before a longer asphalt pass, which we both knew from our winter training time in Stellenbosch. It was all like riding home! This gave us wings, and finally we crossed the line with 15min to spare.
You probably think 5.30hrs is a long time on the bike, but imagine of all those guys who were out there more then 11hrs and so... and not getting massage or having the bike cleaned again!
Boschendal-Stellenbosch
67km, 2.35hrs
First Place, 5mins ahead of Team Stevens
34h40min overall time, and 0.5h ahead of Team Stevens
After riding so many hours in unknown land it was so great to ride my "home" trails here around Stellenbosch, and also to know a lot of people at the finish!
As always it was Stevens, the Rocky's and us who were the strongest when the real climbing started, and there has been plenty of it, but also lots of single trial action.
After middle distance, the Rocky's could not follow the Stevens pace any more. Bundi and I would like to ride with and help them, but the Stevens were too strong for our help to benefit. Like this we tried to use our advantage of knowing the terrain and broke away on one of our home downhills and kept on going until the finish.
We had a great celebration with a few bottles of local champagne at the finish line with our team supporters. This kept on going during the final party at the final Cape-Epic banquette.
There I actually had almost no time to eat, because so many people came up to us to talk, going on stage or signing all kind of things. Signing was one big part, but I even got asked from an older lady if she can get a baby of myself... should I still finish dinner?
It has been such a super week and I could fill up a whole book of exciting stories about it. I would definitely like to come back again next year!
(Check out pictures of the Cape Epic on: http://capeepic.igroup.co.za/live/gallery.php )
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