The
spectacular new route of the tenth edition of the Absa Cape Epic, which takes
place from 17 to 24 March next year (2013), promises to be as exciting and
challenging as previous years. Both local and international riders will take on
the demanding eight day mountain bike adventure of 698km with 15 650m of
climbing from Citrusdal to Lourensford Wine Estate.
The route,
which changes significantly each year, will lead 1 200 participating cyclists,
world champions and dedicated amateurs, through vast distances of challenging
terrain. With its unexplored landscapes, the stage locations of Citrusdal,
Tulbagh, Wellington and Stellenbosch await the most prestigious mountain bike
stage race in the world, before riders again finish at the Lourensford Wine
Estate, as has been tradition since 2007.
One of the
most visited tourist attractions in the southern hemisphere, the Victoria &
Alfred (V&A) Waterfront, will again play host to the opening celebrations
and registration for this pioneering, tough and breathtaking mountain bike race
on 15 and 16 March 2013.
For the sixth
time in the Absa Cape Epic’s history, riders will compete in a prologue. A
common feature in grand road cycling tours, the prologue at Meerendal Wine
Estate will allow spectators to see teams race against the clock. This showcase
event will decide which teams will wear the coveted leaders’ jerseys at the
start of stage 1 on Monday, 18 March 2013, from Citrusdal.
Says Kevin
Vermaak, Director and Founder of the Absa Cape Epic: “The Absa Cape Epic has
again selected some of the finest terrain that the Western Cape has to offer.
Our route designers have managed the perfect balance between challenging
terrain, exciting single-track and scenic beauty in their quest for the
ultimate mountain biking experience.”
Prologue – Meerendal Wine Estate (23km, 700m climbing)
Following the resounding success of the 2012 Prologue, the Absa Cape
Epic returns to Meerendal Wine Estate in Durbanville with a brand new prologue
route in 2013. Set off with a bang, riders will leave the start chute riding
through - yes, through! - the historic Meerendal Manor House and almost
immediately thereafter face a challenging climb up "Stairway to
Heaven" to the top of Dorstberg, a mountain top boasting magnificent 360
degree views of world famous landmarks such as Table Mountain, Robben Island and
Cape Point.
Pressed for time, teams will have to forego sight-seeing as they dive
straight into a rugged, Renosterveld lined trail that descends into the quarry
and adjacent Hoogekraal farm, where sweeping singletrack forming part of the
Tygerberg Mountain Bike Club trail system lies in wait. Well bermed turns make
for a fun roller coaster descent as the route ultimately heads back through
steep vineyards and a steady climb past dairy fields onto the picturesque
Meerendal Wine Estate, finishing off with some more singletrack and ensuring
riders finish the first day with big smiles on their faces.
Stage 1 – Citrusdal to Citrusdal (103km, 2 500m climbing)
Stage 1 is a 103km loop on
virgin Absa Cape Epic territory, starting and finishing in Citrusdal, a small
farming town at the foot of the majestic Cederberg Mountain Range. The stage
starts with a bang, climbing from the word go – up Piekenierskloof on
relatively smooth roads. As the gradient flattens out, it will be the sandy
surface slowing riders down as they scale the first major obstacle of
the day.
From the top, riders are
awarded with breathtaking vistas onto the Olifants River Valley some 600m
below, and a fast, in places loose and rocky, 7km descent. Crossing the
Olifants River will be a wet affair, before the climb out the valley on the
other side – a steady 8km effort with 500m of elevation. The next few
kilometres will become a blur until riders hit the 4km section of rugged dual
track and a short, but thrilling single-track descent. This will be followed by
a gradual descent to water point 2, the farm roads being just uneven enough to
keep participants focused, but at pleasant cruising speed past the citrus
orchards. Riders need to fill up properly at this water point as the most
challenging section of the day awaits. Over the next 7km, riders will have the
illusion of having climbed out of the narrow hot valley, only to see another
steep trail forcing portage up ahead of them. To reach it, riders need to put
their downhill skills to the test on the narrow, rutted quad bike trail. This
short and technical section is bound to take the back half of the field over an
hour to complete.
The long descend to water
point 3 is followed by approximately 20km through the farmlands in the Olifants
River Valley. With no significant climbs worth mentioning,
though by no means flat, riders will enjoy a slight reprieve before reaching
the final obstacle of the day – a tough, sandy slog up the mountain side and
just reward of a fast, fun descent into the race village in Citrusdal.
Stage 2 – Citrusdal to Saronsberg Wine Estate, Tulbagh (145km, 2
350m climbing)
Stage two will take riders deep into the
Koue Bokkeveld, known for its spectacular sandstone formations. The area often
gets snow in winter, but riders will only fantasise about that, with summer
temperatures regularly in the upper 30’s. Most of the work is done early in the
day with riders putting mileage into their piggy banks when scaling Middelberg
Pass, a relentless climb with 900m altitude gain over the first 18km, starting
off on tar before turning into smooth gravel road. The descent onto the plateau
is fast and exhilarating with no technical obstacles, but a few sharp bends to
slow riders down. The route will traverse beautiful buckfields on rolling dual
tracks and farm roads. Riders can make up some time until just before the half
way mark, where a 4km climb takes them to the highest point of the entire race
(approximately 1 150m above sea level). Shortly afterwards they will be
rewarded with a 5km singletrack section, winding its way through red sandstone
formations. Overall this stage feels fast and relatively flat, until riders hit
the rugged and challenging wagon trail that takes them into the Witzenberg
Valley. Cleared for the race by local farmers, who are keen mountain bikers
themselves and happy to share their home playground, this part of the race will
showcase some of the finest terrain the Western Cape has to offer.
The best is saved for last when riders finally get to cash in on that
piggy bank - a technical 5km singletrack, an old wagon trail opened up for the
2010 Absa Cape Epic, plummeting into the Tulbagh Valley. Stage two could almost
be considered a ‘roady’ stage, although true roadies will be in for a wake up
call when they hit the wagon trails. The stage offers a fantastic transition
onto a new playground, from the rugged and remote Cederberg, to the fertile
Tulbagh Valley with its quaint village and wine farms.
Stage 3 –
Saronsberg Wine Estate to Saronsberg Wine Estate, Tulbagh (92km, 1 950m
climbing)
Imposing mountain ranges,
the Obiqua Mountains to the West, the Winterhoek Mountains to the North and the
Witzenberg range to the East, surround the town of Tulbagh. The mountain basin
enjoys equally attractive conditions for wine making and mountain biking, and
both have seen advancements in recent years, with not only new vineyards, but
also new trails springing up. What better combination than having the race
village at the Saronsberg Wine Estate? Stage 3 offers a ‘tour of the basin’,
with a figure of 8 traversing the vineyards and farmlands, skirting the
surrounding mountains. By now riders should be used to starting with a climb –
400m over 15km, with a short warm up, being rather gentle on the legs though.
This is followed by 3km of sweeping single-track, finishing off with a section
through poplar forest. This moderate start is characteristic for what follows,
a pleasant day, with lots of ups and downs interspersed with flowing
single-track sections. However, it all becomes one big blur after the previous
two days. What stands out is that the day is more gentle, the soil is softer,
the vegetation more lush and the hills shorter. If through that blur riders
happen to hear the finish line, smell the race village, but their speedometer
only reads 55km, they need to keep peddling. So close and yet so far from home,
they are about to embark on the second part of the figure of 8. This loop is
shorter, but includes the same amount of climbing as the first one, and just
when everyone thinks ‘this wasn’t too bad’, Dr Evil and the route design team
show their true face. After water point three comes the blow to the legs – a
1.5km climb on a steep farm road, followed by a short descent and 3 more short
but sharp climbs on rough surface, before it is finally (almost) all downhill
and back to the manicured fields of Saronsberg Wine Estate.
Stage 4 –
Saronsberg Wine Estate, Tulbagh to Wellington (106km, 1 900m climbing)
Stage 4 is
another transition day moving on to a new destination, characterised by three
major climbs and extremely varied terrain. It is a stage of contrasts with
smooth gravel, then very rugged, followed by the National Monument of Bains
Kloof Pass on tar, then beautifully manicured purpose built single-tracks.
The first 15km are ‘free
mileage’, spinning out the legs on flat gravel and also some tar road. The
route then turns onto forestry roads gaining some elevation skirting the side
of the mountain. Before riders know they will reach water point 1, but the next
stretch will be slow going. A 5km steady climb up on gravel road with an
average of 7% gradient awaits at Kluitjieskraal. On the other side, riders
descend into a desolate bowl. Soon the trail roughens until it becomes an 8km
bike swallowing descent. The gradient is not steep but the track is washed out,
rocky (and sandy) with many ruts and big holes lying in wait for the unwary
rider. After water point 2 a flat minor gravel road leads to the foot of Bain’s
Kloof Pass. The climb on tar is 16km and not having to focus on any rugged
surface, riders will be able take in the spectacular scenery of this National
Monument Site. On the other side the Cape Winelands open up, with views onto
Wellington, Paarl Rock and as far as Table Mountain, some 70km away as the crow
flies. Only the first bit of the descent is on tar, before riders plunge into
the beautifully kept Bain's mountain bike trails at Welvanpas, smooth flowing ups and
downs, perfectly carved into the mountain side. However, there is one more big
climb, most of it on forestry roads, and it is the best value for climbing a
mountain biker could ask for, earning themselves 4km downhill of handcrafted
single-track through fynbos vegetation. There is one more tiny bump, and then
the last couple of kilometers are all plain sailing into the new race village
in Wellington.
Stage 5 – Wellington to Wellington (75km, 1 800m climbing)
The
fifth stage is like a bonus day – short, sweet, and most importantly, great
fun! Riders will already have had a taste of the Bain's mountain bike trails at
Welvanpas on the previous day - a fantastic purpose built network of
singletrack, perched between the Wellington vineyards and the slopes of Bain’s
Kloof. The relatively short distance of 75km offers more single-track than any
previous Absa Cape Epic stage, featuring some amazing cross-country terrain,
lots of twisting ups and downs – all in all an extra enjoyable day to
re-energise body and mind. To avoid any congestion on the trails, the start
groups will be staggered out over 1.5 hrs.
Stage 6 –
Wellington to Stellenbosch (100km, 2 950m climbing)
With a maximum stage time of 10 hours, riders should prepare
themselves for a long stage, the last real hurdle of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic.
The first 20km are primarily in the forestry plantation on the slopes of Du
Toitskloof, as riders tackle a steady 10km climb followed by an equally long,
fast descent interrupted occasionally by some soft forest single-track as well
as a short spike. The second major climb is primarily through orchards that
soon give way to mountain fynbos as the trail turns more rugged, including
another single-track descent, but riders need to watch out for the handle bar
grabbing fynbos. By the time riders cross under the National Highway (N1) at
the 35km mark, they will have completed almost half the climbing of the
day. The next section is fast going, and riders clock up some easy mileage
as the route takes them alongside the Drakenstein Mountains on a mix of farm
and gravel roads in the direction of Franschhoek. The highlight being when
riders past "Freedom Hill", the hill that former President Nelson
Mandela looked out at from his prison house at Victor Verster Prison (now
Drakenstein Correctional Facility) where he spent the last three of his 27 year
imprisonment before being released on 11 February 1990. Once the route makes
the turn towards Helshoogte Pass it's slow going, as the trail hugs the steep
slopes of the iconic Simonsberg Mountain. As riders crest the pass, views onto
Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in South Africa, and its surrounding
winelands open up, but it is still quite a way to the race village, passing
through prestigious wine farms and the hidden Idas Valley. True ‘tunnel vision’
will set in as riders go underneath the R310. From here it is one last steep
climb, before a sweeping descent sweetened by some more forestry single-track
which takes riders into race village for a one night stand, before the final
stage looms.
Final stage
Stage 7 –
Stellenbosch to Lourensford Wine Estate (54km, 1 500m climbing)
The final stage of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic is short, with only one
major climb at the halfway mark. Riders will leave Stellenbosch along the
mountainside through Coetzenberg and Eden Forest, then work their way into the
Stellenbosch Winelands. The trail climbs up through the vineyards, opening up
spectacular views of False Bay, as far as Cape Point, and back to Table
Mountain and Durbanville, where the journey started 7 long days ago. Having
mastered the 9km climb up the side of the Helderberg Mountain into the
Lourensford Neck, the finish line is almost within sight as the view into the
striking Lourensford bowl opens up. This is the first time in Absa Cape Epic
history that riders approach Lourensford Wine Estate from a totally different
direction and not via Gamtouw Pass. The final 25km are predominantly downhill,
on forestry roads on the higher elevations, interspersed with some
single-track, and into the orchards and vineyards on the lower slopes. The final run onto the lush green polo field packed with grandstands,
marquees and supporters promises to be unforgettable.
Says Vermaak: “We’d like to honour the effort that so many of the world’s top riders
make to ride the race, travelling from around the world to be here, with our
increased prize purse of R1 million. Celebrating the
iconic 10th edition of the race is testimony to how this event
continues to grow from strength to strength. I’d
like to thank our sponsors for their on-going support in working with us to
grow this event.
“We aim to offer all our
participants from around the world a spectacular route which showcases the best
the Western Cape has to offer. Every year we introduce new routes, with
suitable technical and challenging riding, that take the riders to new towns
and at the same time offer them magnificent scenery, with some of Africa’s wild
animals to boot. Without the incredible support of Cape Nature Conservation and
the farmers, this would not be possible as they give us access to their
reserves and farms. The Absa Cape Epic is progressively becoming an iconic
endurance event on the world calendar, and finishing this event is and will
always be an enormous achievement. It is an immense physical and mental
challenge, with riders spending many hours preparing and training for the title
of ‘Absa Cape Epic Finisher’,” says Vermaak.
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