Stage 1, what an epic!

117km long, over 2200m of climbing, we knew it was going to be a pretty long day in the saddle. The race started with a party atmosphere and before we knew it we had started our first Absa Cape Epic. The first hour went to plan, we managed to stay near the front and out of trouble, before settling into our rhythm. We managed to hook up with 7 other teams for a long section of tarmac, which made life a little easier and a fair bit quicker.

We went through the first 55km in good time and I thought we might finish in less than 5 hours. I even took the chance to view the awesome mountain ranges as we climbed the 2^nd main climb of the day.  The course designer had other ideas, with a long sandy section and rocky climb but these were quickly forgotten once we hit the train lines at 10km to go. For 7km we rode up a 5% hill, on an old mining cart-way, with sharp tennis-ball sized rocks and sleepers every half metre, it was hell. With the sun beating down, the bikes bouncing like never before, I tried bigger gears and to ride faster to make it smoother. This sort of worked for a while before my legs reminded me they had already done 110km. Our speed sat around 17-18kph, it was taking forever! With what was about 1km of rail tracks to go, it seemed like my body had given up. Jimi came to the front and didn’t stop, so I mustered up the energy to follow. Then we made it and caught sight of the 1km to the finish and smiled.  5 hours 11 for the day.

We didn’t go too deep today, obviously with 7 days to come we wanted to leave some in the tank, it was just the rail track that was brutal. With that now behind us, we look forward to stage 2 tomorrow.

…and it was tough! With heaps of climbing, stunning scenery, plenty of sunshine and riders from all over the world, it was an amazing experience for us, something we’ve never experienced before.

Some of the passes were incredible; carved into the side of mountains with valley views around each corner, the sort of terrain you never see in Australia. It wasn’t all relaxed sight-seeing  though, it was a super-tough day on the bike with a final 7km of rocky railway track, complete with sleepers at about every half metre. Given our heavy legs, it was hard, very hard.

Rolling into the finish line was rewarding (I’m trying not think about tomorrow…!)  We ended up finishing 19th in the eite field with Kevin Evans from South Africa and Alban Lakata from Austria taking the win, covering the 117km in 4hrs 35mins.

So now it’s time to rest up for another big day tomorrow, seven days to go!

Running (and swimming). Photo: Geby Merk

Over 1300 riders ran into a deep river at full speed with their bikes on their shoulders… and they still had to pedal 50km, and they paid money to do it — just one aspect of the Karapoti that makes it a classic.

Another classic thing about the race is the ominous track names: Deadwood Ridge, Devil’s Staircase, Doper’s Hill, Rock Garden; they’re all part of this historical event and they all have to be conquered before competitors can call themselves ‘finishers’.

Men's winner Tim Wilding. Photo: www.cycle-photos.com

Karapoti has been going for 25 years, it’s the Southern Hemisphere’s oldest race (you can read about the event’s history in Issue 14 of Enduro) and this year the race doubled as the New Zealand Marathon Champs. Not that most of the competitors cared about that, they just wanted to finish!

Women's winner Annika Smail. Photo: www.cycle-photos.com

Check out more info at: www.karapoti.co.nz

The Real Bike Insurance MTB Cruise was held on the weekend at Mt Stromlo in Canberra. The event is designed to give recreational riders the chance to mix it up with the fast guys with five distances on offer: 10, 30, 50 and 80km as well as a 100-mile option for those who just can’t get enough of lapping Stromlo’s awesome singletrack.

Men's 80km winner Shaun Lewis

The 80km race pulled the fastest racers. Regular Enduro contributor Shaun Lewis (Rockstar) took out the men’s event while Prita Jobling-Baker was the first home of the women. In the 100-mile event Brett Bellchambers took the win for the men and Bec Parkes was the fastest of the women.

Women's 100-mile winner Bec Parkes

You can’t go wrong when you host a race at Mt Stromlo and there were plenty of smiles out there as the event-hub pumped all day under the slow-to-rise Canberra sunshine.

Photos Courtesy James Rankin / cycle-photos.com

www.rockytrailentertainment.com

Based on the NSW South Coast, with the beach a stone’s throw away and some of the best singletrack of anywhere, it’s easy to see why this is an attractive weekend away. The two-day event started with a short course XC race on Saturday morning, followed by a singletrack time-trial in the arvo, then a four-hour enduro on the Sunday.

According to our on-the-ground reporter Russ Baker: “It is definitely worth a visit. There’s good accommodation trackside, large kitchens, a pool; this place has the ability to easily host a 12hr or 24hr with 1000 riders.  And, of course, it’s a 5 minute drive to the beaches and surf.

“Big name riders Luke Fetch, Dan McConnell and Bec Henderson all had great things to say about the track — they thought it was the best short track XC course they had ridden and the whole thing was heaps of fun.”

www.mannapark.com.au

Thanks to Russ Baker and Mark Tupalski for the photos