8 days. 658 kilometers. 15 775 meters in altitude. These are the statistics of the Absa Cape Epic alone of 2023. But as history has shown in the last 18 editions of The Untamed African Mountain Bike Race, the statistics and what happens on the trails of Africa are never the same.
Source: press release
Famous wineries overlook singletracks, offering mountain bikers the opportunity to watch the race in comfort, witnessing the travails of the Pinnacle of Epic Series. For the best cyclists in the world, the course offers the opportunity to attack, test the courage of their rivals, challenge themselves and fight for the honor of being crowned winner of the Absa Cape Epic. For amateurs, age ranges from distant and vast countries, extended categories provide even more motivation to run. Or simply to fight for survival.
HEIGHTS CAPE EPIC 2023
The 19th edition course is defined by adventures in hitherto unspoiled terrain combined with the return of old tracks, including the Groenlandberg, a peak revered by those who have faced it and enveloped by the voices of those who have yet to face it during the Queen Stage .
The ride begins with a prologue on the trails of the Meerendal Wine Estate and the wider network of the Tygerberg Mountain Bike Club. These routes are loved by mountain bikers from all over the world, largely for their fast, smooth nature and breathtaking views of iconic Table Mountain and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years.
Stages 1 and 2 begin and end in the seaside town of Hermanus for whale watching the fabulous valleys of Hemel en Aarde to beyond Stanford and into the Akkadisberg and Paardenberg mountains, where there are limestone trails, steep sections and abundant gale force winds.
Once in Oak Valley Estate, there's a respite in terms of distance thanks to the inclusion of a midweek stopwatch. Although short of miles, it has many meters of elevation gain. Stage 4 could prove to be fundamental in the race for the general classification.
The fifth stage, the Queen Stage, starts from Oak Valley Estate in the direction of Lourensford Wine Estate and sees the teams tackle a climb of Tierkop followed by Groenlandberg, a notorious peak rising 1.181 meters above sea level. Stage 5 will surely be remembered in the years to come thanks, in no small part, to the prominent climbs and dangerous downhill passage of the Gantouw Pass, where the scars of the ox-cart wheels remind us of the old means of transport.
The penultimate stage of the 2023 race marks a historic day for the Absa Cape Epic. The entire 82-kilometer route takes place within a single estate: Lourensford Wine Estate, one of South Africa's largest and richest single track properties. Lourensford Wine Estate will host the race for two nights and will certainly offer a demonstration of mountain biking happiness for both teams and fans before the start of stage 7, The Trail to Val de Vie.
The final stage, from Lourensford to Val de Vie Estate, is suitably tough. Featuring two fierce climbs and some of South Africa's most iconic singletrack, The Trail to Val de Vie is both challenging and fun. For any team wearing a leader's jersey, in stage 7 it will have to suffer. Speed Company Racing has shown that the Grand Finale is not a proforma in 2022 and the end of 2023 offers many more opportunities to make up for time. Or lose it.
