Day 2, Stage 1 of the Absa Cape Epic is renowned for its ability to deliver a firm wake-up call. Fortunately, Mark and Jimbo did some solid training over the Festive Season and it paid off today. Here’s how they coped with the impossibly steep climbs, wind and dust.
Day 2: Stage 1, Meerendal-Meerendal
Distance: 92km | Climbing: 2750m
Time: 5hr 28min 05 sec | Position: 171 overall ; 29 Master Men.
General Classification: 175 overall; 31 Master Men
Moved up 42 places overall and 16 positions in Master Men.
MARK
It was a stage of two halves really. The first half was fast and flowing and a lot of singletrack and a lot of fun. From about 45km onwards it felt like we did all the climbing. There were four very steep climbs in the second half. It was brutal, but the first full stage of the Cape Epic always is.
It was quite funny watching all the European guys, especially first-timers, flying off the start line like it was a World Cup Cross-country race. But as soon as the climbs hit, they started to falter… It was very dry, dusty and windy. It was also quite rocky. Or more loose stoney than rocky, which requires full attention.
Jimbo and I were riding really well until about 70 kays when I began to struggle with pretty hectic cramp! It definitely cost us a bit of time, which was frustrating. Jimbo was really strong and solid throughout. Not a bad stage for us as we made up quite a lot of places.
Once again, we rode among plenty of Spanish-speaking riders. At this rate, by the end of the week we might be able to speak back to them in their language…
Tomorrow’s time trial should be interesting. There was a seriously strong wind that blew most of today and we’re really hoping that dies down for tomorrow!
JIMBO
It was a very tough day as Cape Epic Stage Ones normally are. We rode through a lot of Renosterveld today, which delivered some beautiful Fynbos smells. I haven’t ridden through much Renosterveld before and it really did make me appreciate this rare flora.
It was very dry and dusty again and we must have crossed about 70 A-frame bridges today too. The oke who builds A-frame bridges must live in Durbanville! It was a relatively easy first half and then a savage second half. It felt like we climbed for a solid 30 kays! It was really powdery dust.
In fact, today’s route reminded me of the Epics of old where they literally made the route as rugged as possible. I feel like the last Epic I did there was a lot of manicured trails. It wasn’t as intense, but today it looked like they just sent a grader across the slope of the last climb. And block wind basically the whole day. In all though, we rode well and it was good to be out there.
Stage 2 on Tuesday is an usual stage. A first-ever point-to-point time trial stage from Meerendal to Paarl. It covers 66km with 950 metres of climbing. It will be a relatively short duration stage, but could result in some big time gains or losses as teams cannot ride in bunches where they can shelter from the wind.
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.
