Mark Nel accepted an invitation out of the blue four days before the race from Patrick von Schoor to do the Absa Cape Epic as his teammate. Knowing just how formidable the Cape Epic is to finish when prepared, we think he’s mad! So, we asked him to write a daily diary so we can follow his suffering, er, um progress.
Stage 3 in the bag! I do feel we have broken the back of this race. We have had three very tough stages in succession. Personally I felt today’s stage was the toughest so far. We rode a very consistent stage. I felt good throughout and so did Pat, but in terms of difficulty I thought it was worse than yesterday. It was also warmer – the temperate was over 35 degrees Celsius for most of the stage. Really sapping but we managed our hydration well.
It was a stage of two halves – during the first 45 kays we climbed a thousand metres, but it was mostly singletrack climbing. Then some really cool singletrack descending in and around the farmlands of Tulbagh, which was quite a lot of fun!
During the second half we basically climbed from about 55km to 72km. The climb was so steep though! At one point that my Garmin stopped measuring the gradient. It was a really nasty climb but Pat and I made it up in reasonably good spirits. Then there was a 4km section of Landrover Terrain through a forest, most of which was completely unrideable – at least for us anyway.
We managed to keep our sense of humour though. After that there was more climbing before a quick descent to the finish. We clocked about 5:45. It was a really, really tough day. But our spirits are good. I felt reasonably good throughout the day and am starting to feel a bit of condition again.
It’s been nine years since my last Epic and I don’t recall it being as rough as we have had over the last three days. The pounding these bikes take is extreme. The surfaces have been relentless and fortunately our bikes have held up really well. I am on a Cannondale Scalpel with the HiMod frame, with carbon rims and Shimano drivetrain. I have been fortunate the Cannondale SA head mechanic, Mark Florence, and his team have been looking after my bike.
It really was on my mind today while we were out there. These bikes handle this terrain so damn well. Respect to all the manufacturers! But also a huge thanks to all the mechanics here. The work through the night to ensure the rider’s bikes are clean and working efficiently. The worst person to answer to is a grumpy, exhausted cyclist and I can’t speak highly enough of those guys.
Tomorrow is a relatively easy stage by Cape Epic standards. It’s 1650 metres of climbing over 73km. It won’t be easy, but it should be a bit of a reprieve. It’s nice to be half way through if you count the days. I’m looking forward to popping home tomorrow as I live about 20 minutes from Wellington – seeing my family is extra motivation to get the finish!
