Introduction to 'The ABSA Cape Epic experience'

The Absa Cape Epic is the most televised mountain bike stage race in the world and the only eight-day mountain bike stage race classed as hors catégorie by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). This official UCI status makes it a highlight on the professional racer's calendar. The Absa Cape Epic also attracts aspiring amateur riders wanting to test themselves against the best. It is a full-service race, meaning that everything is taken care of from the start - all riders need to think about is riding.

Mountain biking can generally be broken down into multiple categories: cross country, trail riding, all mountain, downhill, free-ride, dirt jumping, and trials. The vast majority of mountain biking falls into the recreational cross country and trail riding categories. This individual sport requires endurance, core strength and balance, bike handling skills, and self-reliance. Advanced riders pursue steep technical descents and, in the case of free-riding, downhilling, and dirt jumping, aerial maneuvers off both natural features and specially constructed jumps and ramps.

This year's Cape Epic event saw the L.A Dosage go through to go and capture the greatest moments for the first time. Prior to that, a lot of reading had to be done on cycling and inclusively, mountain biking in order to understand the various jargon that would be thrown around during the course of the week. A week consisting of 8 days was the duration of the Cape Epic. The starting point or therefore prologue, was held at the University of Cape Town and the finish set to finish at the Meerendal Wine Estate in Cape Town.

In these 8 days, the exhilarating mountain biking event included 7 stages that included different kilometers and climbs within those stages for and had to be completed at a certain time frame. Well of course the elite teams and the amateur teams had different cut-off times and this is where we would see the top 3 male and female teams making the podium stage after every finish line.  It was very much exciting and adventurous chasing after the elite teams and seeing them at various spectator points and capturing their movements and moving about to the finish line; and aiming to push through various media crew, managers, security and more alliances to get that finish line interview.

In the following segment you will be able to see a breakdown of the each day and its stages and how the various teams were tallied and who made the podium each day and who eventually conquered the finish line and took the 2015 Absa Cape Epic title in the end.

Stay tuned. . . 

Till next time. . .