Cape Epic: Stage 4 - Time Trial

Fantastic scenery during stage 4 time trial

Photo: © Cape Epic (cyclingnews)

Looks like Dave and Brett might have opted to 'consolidate' today, i.e., recover on the bike and prepare to hit stage 5 hard tomorrow. Plenty of racing left to do! Good coverage found at cyclingnews.

Here's the spiel from the organizers:

It's a first for the Absa Cape Epic - two time trials in the 2011 race! This was a 32km route through the foothills of Brandwacht. As in 2010, riders traversed the western side of Worcester in this semi-desert environment. Added to last year's route was an extra 5km loop along dual track past the local golf course. The route data read 860m of climbing which may not seem like a lot, but over such a short distance, it still required a hard effort. As usual, the top teams left at 1 minute intervals, racing only against the clock; some looking for a stage win while others wanted to consolidate.

David Stachon achieved the following results:

Stage Time	:	1:36.59,0
Stage Position	:	21. in Masters category and 98. in general classification
Overall Time	:	21:13.03,5
Overall Position	:	16. in Masters category and in 85. general classificatio

Stage Time

:

1:36.59,0

Stage Position

:

21. in Masters category and 98. in general classification

Overall Time

:

21:13.03,5

Overall Position

:

16. in Masters category and in 85. general classificatio

Cape Epic: Stage 3

Stage winner Christoph Sauser leads Stefan Sahm during stage three of the 2010 Absa Cape Epic

© Gary Perkin/SPORTZPICS (bikeradar)

I received word from Dave today. Internet access is spotty around the race camps. Today the team bumped up to 15th overall in the Masters 40-49 category, further lending credence to my prediction that they'd continue to gain ground over the course of the race. And the pair is advancing in the ranks despite adversity of the painful variety. Here's what Dave had to say:


Brett and I are riding steady and smart.  He is riddled with saddle sores, so riding is excruciating for him. He's as tough as nails. I'm feeling like a million bucks and just lapping up what I'm calling "bicycle fantasy camp."

We still have quite a ways to go, but making to the half way point today is a great milestone.

It's interesting to hear what the riders think of the technical sections of the course. I'm biased....but man, they need to check out Fortune, Tremblant, or Mont Saint Anne.


I'm thinking the +35 degree highs are not helping in the saddle sore department; ouch! I hope Brett has access to DZ Nuts; as Pascal says, "that stuff is healing ointment!" Dave's perspective on the race epitomizes optimism. Rather than approach the race with a results oriented frame of mind, Dave's enjoying the experience, taking it as a cycling holiday that happens to involve a lot of really hard riding. Sure beats desk jockeying. When I have opportunity to take on my first stage race down the road, I'll take a page out of Dave's book and aim to enjoy the experience and take it all as it comes. 


Dave's last comment about reactions to technical sections of the course supports the impression many of us have had when riding away from out home range: there is not much out there more technical than what we ride around home. Camp Fortune is the most technical cross country course I've ridden or raced anywhere in Eastern Canada (I've not raced out West), and all the courses in Quebec are plenty technical. All of us who've ridden out West in the Whistler area were pleased to find that we had all the skills we needed (except for skinnies!) from our riding back home. Yep, there is a whole lotta excellent riding to do within striking distance from Ottawa. Being at ease on technical sections conserves a lot of energy.


Ok, so here's the spiel from today's stage, a long one:


Stage 3: Saronsberg / Tulbagh to Worcester (125km; 1200m of climbing)
With the fast roads out of town, riders covered 13km before the first climb. It was steep at times and very loose, requiring hard bursts of effort to gain momentum over the rockiest parts. If there was ever a theme for race week, it's "from effort comes reward." After the 4km climb, riders arrived at a plateau with a beautiful valley nestled between spectacular mountains that resembled the pictures found on the covers of fantasy novels. There were little time to look around during the race though - the deeply rutted descent tested the rider and equipment alike. After smooth farm roads and more rocky tracks, the tyres were put to the test, with devil thorns lying in wait. A long drag upwards on a rough path led to a remote hut at the foot of the cliff face of the bare rock of the mountainside - a geologist's paradise. After the final waterpoint, Absa Cape Epic veterans had some déjà vu, with a similar run into the race village through some winding singletrack.



David Stachon achieved the following results:

Stage Time	:	6:47.04,9
Stage Position	:	16. in Masters category and 88. in general classification
Overall Time	:	19:36.04,5
Overall Position	:	15. in Masters category and in 83. general classification

Cape Epic: Stage 2

Leading mixed category Esther Süss crests the climb of the historic Witsenbergpass

Photo: © Gary Perkin / SPORTZPICS (cyclingnews)

I managed to get out to ride this afternoon, and today's update on Dave's progress in Untamed, Magical Africa came through just as I send off a photo of a crazy ice flow covering a slope on Maxwell Road, near Wakefield. Thankfully, it was softish, so I managed to scramble down without incident. I was putting my fresh wheels to the test on the Truffle Pig. They combine a bit of the familiar and a bit of the novel: Chris King R45 hubs (I've used a King Classic rear hub for over a decade), Stan's Alpha road rims (first foray into Stan's for road), and Sapim CX-Ray bladed spokes (never used Sapims on any of my wheels, let alone CX-Rays). I've shod this 1350g wheelset (without skewers, acording to my kitchen scale) with a set of Hutchinson Intensive tubeless tires in 25c, the largest size anyone makes at present in a slick tread. Today was a beat-down session, and the wheels held up perfectly; 'dead nuts on' in fact. Stiff and responsive too. Excellent. I'll do a post on these wheels specifically soon, after about 500k or so. Speaking of wheels, its nice to see Mavic is getting onto the wider rim program with their new M40 wheelset, a 40mm deep carbon rim laced with 24 bladed spokes to lowish flange hubs. These will be their go-to wheels for Paris-Roubaix, so one can expect them to garner some interest from the cyclocross crowd. And speaking of Classics, it looks like the whole dirt road race thang is slowly catching on in the US. The Tour of the Battenkill folks are putting on another race in May in Michigan...I wonder if its close enough to be worth the drive....

Ok, back to Dave's exploits in the desert. It appears as though my prediction that Dave and his partner would climb in position over the course of the race might hold water. Today the guys improved on Stage 1's result and bumped themselves up in both the Masters category and Overall general classification. I'm guessing they'll aim for top 15 from here on in. Who knows, perhaps they'll creep toward the top 10. Time will tell. If we're lucky, maybe Dave will have a few minutes to provide some insight into what they are going through. I won't blame him if he maintains his focus on eating and recovering, that's for sure!


Check out cyclingnews.com for more great photos from the Epic. Here's the rundown from the organizers:


Stage 2 - Saronsberg/Tulbagh to Saronsberg/Tulbagh (104km; 2300m of climbing)
A 12km steady upward drag took riders to a 6km climb on an ancient Voortrekker wagon trail, specially opened for the race. At the top, the 18km mark, riders already ascended almost 1000m. With the stage's major obstacle out of the way, the valley opened up ahead, with the route looping clockwise, following the buffer zone between orchards and mountainside. A look at the profile showed that the tracks were far from flat and a short section of singletrack compensated the labour of the first 50km. As it was a hot day, some riders were tempted to take a dip in one of the several dams dotted along the route as they begun to head home. After a 1.5km rise to the highpoint of the day's outing came the rewards of the hard work invested in the first climb, the unmistakable silhouette of Table Mountain was visible from the crest. Riders then descended the wagon trail towards town for a good night's rest.

David Stachon achieved the following results:

Stage Time	:	6:07.22,7
Stage Position	:	17. in Masters category and 85. in general classification
Overall Time	:	12:48.59,6
Overall Position	:	16. in Masters category and in 87. general classification

And how about a wonderful video to cap things off. See if you can spot the Steelwool(s)! Mystery prize goes to whomever calls it first.

Cape Epic: Stage 1

Click here for the video link

Looks like David and his partner, Brett Burton, had another great day today during stage 1 of the Epic. Dave and Brett are racing under the Olympic Cycles banner, the shop Brett works at in New Zealand. I'm having a hard time finding photos, but it looks like the organizers sent the one above of Dave, albeit tiny. Tomorrow's stage looks tough, and HOT. I'll be really curious to hear how the racers are staying hydrated out there. Seems to be a couple feed zones at least per stage. Also wondering what sort of chain lube is working in all that dust! From the looks of it the 29ers are the hot ticket out there. Dave must be loving his pimped Niner double bouncer, seems ideal. Here's the spiel from the organizers today:

Stage 1's distance was a shade under 90km (with 2050m of climbing), which may sound short but it was not to be underestimated! The flat roads out of town left few clues as to what was to come. Very soon the short(ish) but incredibly steep, rough and loose climbs appeared, and on the treacherous descents, volley-balled sized rocks and sand patches pocked the little-used dual tracks. While the pros made short work of it, the first 50km took some backmarkers over five hours. The stage's last climb on some rough roads brought riders to the top of one of the most precariously difficult downhills they've seen at the Absa Cape Epic. With large rocks, deep ruts and a sheer drop on the left, riders were wise to take it slow.

David Stachon achieved the following results:

Stage Time	:	5:18.35,1
Stage Position	:	19. in Masters category and 90. in general classification
Overall Time	:	6:41.36, 1
Overall Position	:	19. in Masters category and in 90. general classification

Dave is presently the top placing Canadian in the race! Way to represent buddy!

Goooo Dave and Brett!!!

Cape Epic Begins!

Sorry, even the smallest viewer is too wide. Go here for the full width. 


Well, I'd hoped to post some stuff about last Sunday's terrific ride, but I wound up just a bit busy welcoming our baby boy into the family on Tuesday night. My lovely wife, Danielle, set a personal best (PB) for delivery; just 2.5 hours after dinner, Seneca Otis came out into the world. It was kinda like a cyclocross race: short and, uh, intense. He's a beautiful, mellow fellow, and yes, he does have rather strong legs! My priority is taking care of the family, but I think I should manage to get some posts in over the next few weeks while I'm on leave. Its a busy time indeed!


Ok, so now to the topic at hand. As I mentioned in a previous post, Tall Tree's David Stachon is in South Africa to race the Cape Epic mountain bike stage race. I'll receive an update on Dave's progress each day for the week, and post them here. 


Today the race launched with what sounds like a really interesting prologue. Read on for the copy I received. I'd say 15th in the Masters category (of 199!) is an awfully good start, and I expect Dave to handle the cumulative stress of the following stages really well. Go Dave!


For the second time in the Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas' history, riders participated in a prologue. A common feature in grand road cycling tours, the prologue in the Tokai Forest, part of Table Mountain National Park, allowed spectators to see teams race against the clock. The event saw 1 200 excited mountain bikers from 54 countries enjoy comfortable sunny weather with the first team starting their 8 day journey at 07h00. Regarded as the Eden of mountain biking in Cape Town, this revered network of trails in Tokai Forest represents all of what makes this sport so great, with tough climbs, fast descents and flowing single-track forming the 27km route. This showcase event was a race against the clock to decide the seeding in the field and which teams will wear the coveted zebra-striped leaders' jerseys at the start of Stage 1 in Saronsberg/Tulbagh.


David Stachon achieved the following results:

Stage Time	:	1:23.01,8
Stage Position	:	15. in Masters category (of 199) and 89. in general classification (of 600)
Overall Time	:	1:23.01,8
Overall Position	:	15. in Masters category and in 89. general classification