Cape Epic Knysna to Cape Town

Cape Epic 2005

We were 5 cyclists living in Sir David Baird Ave who did the Cape Epic in 2005. Vlooi, Liesel, Elize, Bob Schuiling and myself. We all managed to finish.

At the registration, after I landed fom Johannesburg. The rain surprised us, and we had to buy these white jackets at short notice. Oupa Vlooi did our back up, and Janus and Elizabeth came out to support us. Janus was intended to ride with Ben Swart, but due to a fall, he had to pull out of the race.

The 2005 edition of the Cape Epic started in pouring rain. The first stage took participants on a familiar route out of Knysna towards George, but perhaps the overcast skies and puddle-dodging path through the forests and fynbos did them no harm. After a big first day over 128 kilometres with 2 940 metres of climbing, they faced what would remain the longest stage for years.

Everybody had fun on the forest tracks that ducked and dived along the foothills of the mountains and streams out of George, but there was no getting away from the fact that Herbertsdale was 144 kilometres away. Much of the 2 720 metres of altitude was gained early in the day, but many participants had never ridden this far on a mountain bike before. Towards the end of the stage the curious dark brown gravel roads had quite a few people seeing stars long before the sun went down!

Another 104 kilometres of riding might sound like an odd way to rest, but the route for Stage four allowed some fast bunch riding. Langenhoven High School in Riversdale was voted the best stage location by the riders on more than one occasion, not least because they could enjoy an afternoon snooze after they had washed their bikes and dried some laundry.

With half the stages done, Stage 5 reminded everyone that nothing comes easy at the Epic. The 14 kilometre Tradouw Pass just outside Barrydale (110 kilometres and 2 425 metres of climbing away) was a doddle compared to Grootvadersbosch where the riders were tested by some of the most challenging technical tracks and descents yet. Not much of the juicy sweetness of the fruit for which Herbertsdale is famous was evident as the race then headed into the Little Karoo-proper towards Montagu, just 107 kilometres away on stage six. There was plenty of time to appreciate the craggy ruggedness of the terrain as they pedalled and pushed into the Sanbona nature reserve, and tested their technical riding on some 4x4 tracks.

Stage six into Villiersdorp was shortened, and not a peep of complaint was heard when a 28 kilometre stretch of tar replaced part of a route that would have lifted the day’s climbing to 2 030 metres. The Franschoek Pass now separated the riders from the second last camp at the Boschendal wine estate, which felt as if it was a million farm dams, pigsties and twists and turns away after the day started with an 800 metre climb, followed by some rocky tracks that few could ride.

Although the finish on the last day is traditionally only about a marathon away, the tracks in the Jonkershoek mountains above Stellenbosch made the participants work for their finisher medals one last time with 1 460 metres of climbing before they discovered that the rest of the world had not come to an end as they dived under the car-clogged R44 to start their last climb up to the finish at the Spier Wine Estate.