ABSA CAPE EPIC

The Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas takes place every year around the last week of March and the first week of April. It starts in the beautiful Garden Route town of Knysna and finishes nine days later in style at the grand Lourensford Wine Estate, just outside Cape Town. The route changes every year, and leads aspiring amateur and professional mountain bikers from around the world through approximately 900 kilometres of the unspoilt nature of the Western Cape and up approximately 16 000m of climbing over some of the most magnificent passes in South Africa. For the first time the 2008 race will start with a time trial prologue on Friday in Knysna.

Ride in Teams of Two
All riders must enter as a two-rider team. Teams register in one of four different categories that include Men, Ladies, Mixed and Masters (both riders must be 40 years or older). The minimum age of participation is 18. Each of the eight stages begins at 07h00. The riders in a team must remain together at all times during the race and are expected to reach the finish line by 17h00 daily. At each stage, the winners of the day receive prizes and the leaders in the overall classification their leader jerseys.

Focus on Rider Satisfaction
The Absa Cape Epic is organised and presented with the participating athletes at the focal point. Their satisfaction, well-being and enjoyment of the race are the organisers' primary goals. We aim to deliver an unsurpassed and unforgettable mountain bike and African travel-experience. Therefore, we offer a 24-hour full service around the race, including tented accommodation in race villages, carbo-loaded breakfasts and dinners, race nutrition, bike servicing, masseurs, and stage location specific entertainment every evening.

Full Service Race
The Absa Cape Epic is the largest full-service mountain bike stage race in the world. Race nutrition, water, and isotonic carbohydrate drinks are available at the feed zones to revive tired riders during the race. At night, all riders and race crew sleep in the tented race villages that are set up prior to arrival and taken down immediately after the start each morning by the race crew.

Every Year a New Route
There are many ways to ride through the stunning Western Cape from Knysna to the Cape Winelands, and the route of the Absa Cape Epic changes every year. Riders will see wide open African plains, majestic mountains, deep ravines, arid semi-deserts, indigenous forests, spectacular coastlines and flourishing vineyards.
The route is characterised by dusty and demanding gravel paths, strenuous rocky uphills, thrilling technical downhills, magnificent river crossings and stunning forested single tracks.