Pieter Lategan (49, Vanderbijlpark), one of only a few riders to have participated in each Absa Cape Epic since 2005, will return for his 10th event from 23 to 30 March this year. As a GP and hospital manager, Lategan saw his first Absa Cape Epic as a challenge. “It was my first mountain biking event ever.”
He reckons he has participated each year due to the challenge. Says Lategan: “I don’t cycle much and play squash three times a week. I had done just more than 100km of training for the last Epic. I do it to enjoy it, not to race it and my work just doesn’t allow for much more than this.”
Lategan hopes to do eleven Absa Cape Epics. “I have to do one more for my partner to do his 10th and our 10th together.” His fondest memories of the race include when his daughter finished her first Absa Cape Epic in 2012 after her partner fell out on day 3. “She did the rest with us. Another highlight was when she and her brother finished the event in 2013 after only just making it the first day with eight minutes to spare. Oh yes, and when we did Stage 7 with her when she turned 21.”
Lategan enjoys riding with his partner. “He has a wonderful sense of humor and we swim in just about every dam we pass.” With regards to his training, Lategan adds: “I definitely train less but play squash more intensely as a way to get ready. I know now how far my endurance goes and I stay within those limits. As for nutrition, I just use a bit more Gu during the event, other than that nothing special.”
Lategan’s bike in his first event was “a very heavy Trek with cheap components. I really battled a lot that year with the bike. This year I’ll ride my Santa Cruze Bigboy. I bought it in 2012 and like it a lot.”
Source: Purple Pine PR
