Stage 5 of the Absa Cape Epic was a transition stage from Paarl to Lourensford, via Stellenbosch on trails that Mark and Jimbo know and love. It was also the Queen Stage and, appropriately, our guys rode like royalty for their best result so far!
Day 6: Stage 5, Fairview-Lourensford
Distance: 98km | Climbing: 2850m
Time: 6hr 12min 45sec | Position: 174 overall; 28 Master Men
General Classification: 189 overall; 31 Master Men
Moved up 10 places overall and up 7 positions in Master Men.
MARK
I’m speaking from the massage bed. Our masseuse is actually a woman I was at school with, Louise Connel. I can highly recommend her!
It was a really good stage for us. We were really pumped for today. We seemed to be riding into form as the race goes on. Well, at least I am. Jimbo has been pretty consistent since the beginning.
Luckily there wasn’t much rain. In fact there was none, but there had been rain overnight, so the trails were beautifully settled. There was lots of climbing from the outset. We set a pretty good tempo and were just super consistent. We crossed over the trails I ride just about every day of my life, just above my house. That was really special, riding up Bothmaskop.
If there’s a theme for today, it’s an ode to friends and family for coming out to support us. As we got into Stellenbosch they were around with all their kids and families. It made such a difference and it gave us such a lift. I’m taking huge abuse because I didn’t smile at any of them. But we were going down some pump track features and I was focused on the trail. To be honest, I didn’t see any of them, but I heard my name being shouted. I want to give a big shout out to all of them!
We rode the stage super consistently. It was the Queen Stage and I believe our best result. We seem to be getting stronger and stronger, which is good. It’s Jimbo’s birthday today and his family were out on the trails and we are now staying at this house. It’s great for him to be with his family today.
Tomorrow’s stage on paper looks every bit as hard as today, if not harder. But at least it’s at Lourensford – it’s Jimbo’s backyard and he knows the trails backwards. We’ll see how we go, but we definitely seem to riding into form.
JIMBO
Today’s Queen Stage happened to be on my birthday. It’s funny, I have ridden four Epic stages on my birthday. And it was great! We headed to Stellenbosch and Somerset West, which is our home trails. It definitely makes a difference knowing where you are going.
The Neck climb, the massive climb on the stage, I have done a couple of times in the last few months, so we knew how savage it was going to be. Although the rain at times was a little uncomfortable, it was actually nice to have cooler weather.
So we rode well and it was very lekker to get to Lourensford and family. That’s my backyard trails so really looking forward to tomorrow. Although it’s also going to be brutal. I think tomorrow might be one of the hardest stages – an unofficial Queen Stage.
Stage 6 on Saturday starts and finishes at Lourensford, heading into some neighbouring farms, including Helderberg. It covers 87km with 2550 metres of climbing and promises to be another proper challenge!
You can follow Mark and Jimbo’s progress live by downloading the Epic Series app and selecting them under ‘Riders’. Their team name is Barneys Army/Ride 4 Child and the team number is 397.
Mark and Jimbo are riding for two charities: The Player’s Fund and Ride for a Child. The Player’s Fund is an official charity of the Absa Cape Epic and primarily raises funds to assist rugby players that have suffered catastrophic injuries. Find out more on the official website here. You can find out more about the Ride for a Child charity via Mark and Jimbo’s fundraising link here.
Introduction image: Sam Clark/Cape Epic
