At Moyo at Zoo Lake yesterday, it was announced that Banking group, ABSA, have put big money where thier mouth is and have become the title sponsors of the Cape Epic. Exact figures wern't mentioned but there will be investement in, not only the race, but also into the communities through which the race moves.
At the function, ABSA went on and on about what they are doing to make SA a better place and I didn't really care. What I care for is that SA has another world class bicycle race, especially seeing as the Tour de Eden had to be cancelled. Also announced yesterday was the the Cape Epic has been awarded official UCI status, making it the only mountain bike race in Africa in 2006 to have this honour.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the Olympic governing body for cycling. They award UCI points at official UCI events to competing athletes, which are then used for seeding in the Olympics, World Cup series and World Championship events. The Cape Epic is the first ever team mountain bike stage race in the world to be given official UCI status.
“This is a huge honour for us and one which we are extremely proud of. It is also indicative of the speed at which The Cape Epic is growing in stature and reputation on the international mountain biking calendar,” said Kevin Vermaak, Director of The Cape Epic.
The appointment of The Cape Epic as an official UCI event means that they will secure a favourable date in the world cycling calendar. This in turn guarantees a greater number of the world’s best professional mountain bikers entering the race in future years, and will assist athletes trying to earn pre-season UCI points. It also means that South African riders for the first time will have the opportunity to earn UCI points in South Africa in Mountain Biking events.
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