Working Dads Mark and Jimbo got their 2025 Absa Cape Epic off to a fairly smooth start on the relatively tough 26km stage that started and finished at Meerendal Wine Estate. Their early start time for the time-trial format stage should have counted in their favour, but didn’t. Here’s what happened.
Day1: Prologue, Meerendal
Distance: 26km | Climbing: 750m
Time: 1hr 24min 06 sec | Position: 217 overall; 47 Master Men
MARK
The Epic is officially underway!
We were allocated an early start. We figured that this would count in our favour. We’d ride as hard as we could and have most of the day to recover for Stage 1. We established a good rhythm early on but once we reached the singletrack, that was disrupted by the traffic!
We found ourselves being held up quite a bit, both on the climbs and descents, which was frustrating. We did expect some traffic, but not that much! Anyway, it was very dusty and dry, but we stayed upright and it feels good to have the Prologue done.
What I did notice is how strong the field is this year compared to my previous four Cape Epics. Jimbo, who has done five, said the same. So many more foreign racers it seems!
We are staying at a place about 20 minutes from Meerendal so that’s really nice from a logistics perspective. And our wives and all our kids were there today to cheer us on, which is always special.
Tomorrow is really when it gets going though. Experience has taught me to just take it in my stride.
JIMBO
Regardless of how many Cape Epics you have done, the Prologue is always an interesting day. There’s nerves and anxiety to contend with but it’s also quite exciting.
I was struck by the volume of foreign racers we encountered. Lots of Europeans! I heard a hell of a lot of Spanish and Portuguese being spoken.
The route was dusty and dry. And I would say the fast descent off Dorstberg was probably the gnarliest descent I have ever done in an Epic. It was stoney and loose – quite savage! Overall, the stage was pretty technical, but we know it’s not ideal to get too caught up in the Prologue.
It’s still a long week ahead. The real Cape Epic challenge only really starts in four or five days…
Stage 1 on Monday is a distance of 92km with 2750 metres of climbing. This is usually the day that shows those who prepared well and those who didn’t. The stage starts and finishes at Meerendal Wine Estate and follows most of the trails of the Tygerberg Mountain Bike Club through the Durbanville hills.
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.
In case you missed, it, here’s the preview and some information about Mark and Jimbo.
