Stage 4 of the Absa Cape Epic took place in Paarl again. The weather was cooler and the trails a bit more Jimbo-friendly. But only a bit. Mark experienced a fall and catastrophic pedal damage that ended his 2025 Cape Epic. But only for a few minutes…
Day 5: Stage 4, Fairview-Fairview
Distance: 80km | Climbing: 1950m
Time: 5hr 30min 40sec | Position: 187 overall; 33 Master Men
General Classification: 199 overall; 38 Master Men
Moved up 3 places overall and up 2 positions in Master Men.
MARK
It was significantly cooler than yesterday, but still quite hot. The first 20-odd kays were fairly flat and fast, but really sandy. Like beach sand. We had a pretty good start and our legs felt good.
I had a crash on some elevated irrigation pipes. I went over my bars and landed pretty badly on my wrist. So that was exciting. And then about five minutes later we were going through some forest singletrack and I hit a rock. Upon trying to clip back in I realised I couldn’t. I tried a few times and then got off the bike and as I tried to put my cleat back into the pedal, the pedal literally disintegrated. Horror scenes. I went into panic mode.
When I caught up to Jimbo, who was waiting at a water point for me, I said: ‘Bud, my Epic is over’. Anyway, we had a good look and I eventually was able to clip back in. I don’t know how, but it held up until the end of the stage.
We both had pretty good legs today and rode well together. At last!
It’s Jimbo’s birthday tomorrow, so tonight we will go to the Hassar Grill and smash massive steaks and drink a glass of red wine to celebrate. Tomorrow is the big stage, the Queen Stage. There’s been some rain and we don’t know how much it will rain tomorrow. But we know and like the trails once we come over to Stellenbosch. We’re pretty pumped!
JIMBO
Firstly, Mark got very little sympathy from me after his crash. I sat on the side of the trail and actually some poor rider, who had lost his teammate and was riding by himself, is the one who picked Mark’s bike up and helped him. Alas, we continued. Then he arrived at the water point saying his Epic was over: ‘It’s over! It’s over! I’ve got to pull out!’ But then we realised he could just use the other side of the pedal and suddenly his Epic wasn’t over. Thankfully.
Unfortunately, we did have to ride Paarl again today. But my takeout from today is that I most definitely won’t be coming back here to ride. Secondly, the man who invented switchbacks and dust must live in Paarl.
Other than that, we had a good day. You realise how fit everyone is. It’s so different. In the past, in D Batch, there’d be quite a few okes riding 26ers who looked out of shape. The kind that might have ciggy before the start. Whereas now, everyone in D Batch is a finely chiselled machine! Everyone has amazing bikes and they look like they prepared properly for Epic.
Stage 5 on Friday is a transition stage from Paarl to Lourensford. It’s a beast of a route that includes many of the Stellenbosch Trail Fund trails over a distance of 98km with 2850 metres of climbing. It’s a Public Holiday and Jimbo’s birthday, so there should be some additional trailside cheers for the blokes.
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.
