Start Venue:	Meerendal in Durbanville
Finish Venue:	Meerendal in Durbanville
Date:	Sunday 17 March 2013
Distance:	22km
Climbing:	700m
Start Time:	06:45
Max Stage Time:	3 hours

Following the resounding success of the 2012 Prologue, the Absa Cape Epic returns to Meerendal Wine Estate in Durbanville with a brand new prologue route in 2013.

Set off with a bang, riders will leave the start chute riding through - yes, through! - the historic Meerendal Manor House and almost immediately thereafter face a challenging climb up "Stairway to Heaven" ? to the top of Dorstberg, a mountain top boasting magnificent 360 degree views of world famous landmarks such as Table Mountain, Robben Island and Cape Point.

Pressed for time, teams will have to forego sight-seeing as they dive straight into a rugged, Renosterveld lined trail that descends into the quarry and adjacent Hoogekraal farm, where sweeping singletrack forming part of the Tygerberg Mountain Bike Club trail system lies in wait. Well bermed turns make for a fun roller coaster descent as the route ultimately heads back through steep vineyards and a steady climb past dairy fields onto the picturesque Meerendal Wine Estate, finishing off with some more singletrack and ensuring riders finish the first day with big smiles on their faces.

 

Start Venue:	Citrusdal
Finish Venue:	Citrusdal
Date:	Monday 18 March 2013
Distance:	96km
Climbing:	2350m
Start Time:	07:00-07:30
Max Stage Time:	10 hours

Stage 1 is a 96km loop on virgin Absa Cape Epic territory, starting and finishing in Citrusdal, a small farming town at the foot of the majestic Cederberg Mountain Range. The stage starts with a bang, climbing from the word go ? up Piekenierskloof on relatively smooth roads. As the gradient flattens out, it will be the sandy surface slowing riders down as they scale the first major obstacle of the day.
 
From the top, riders are awarded with breathtaking vistas onto the Olifants River Valley some 600m below, and a fast, in places loose and rocky, 7km descent. Crossing the Olifants River will be a wet affair, before the climb out the valley on the other side ? a steady 8km effort with 500m of elevation. The next few kilometres will become a blur until riders hit the 4km section of rugged dualtrack and a short, but thrilling, singletrack descent. This will be followed by a gradual descent to water point 2, the farm roads being just uneven enough to keep participants focused, but at pleasant cruising speed past the citrus orchards. Riders need to fill up properly at this water point as the most challenging section of the day awaits. Over the next 7km, riders will have the illusion of having climbed out of the narrow hot valley, only to see another steep trail forcing portage up ahead of them. To reach it, riders need to put their downhill skills to the test on the narrow, rutted quad bike trail. This short and technical section is bound to take the back half of the field over an hour to complete.

After water point 3 riders will enjoy a slight reprieve, with no significant climbs worth mentioning, though by no means flat, riders will be cruising homebound through the farmlands in the Olifants River Valley. 

Start Venue:	Citrusdal
Finish Venue:	Saronsberg in Tulbagh
Date:	Tuesday 19 March 2013
Distance:	146km
Climbing:	2350m
Start Time:	07:00
Max Stage Time:	11 hours

Stage two will take riders deep into the Koue Bokkeveld, known for its spectacular sandstone formations. The area often gets snow in winter, but riders will only fantasise about that, with summer temperatures regularly in the upper 30s Celcius. Most of the work is done early in the day with riders putting mileage into their piggy banks when scaling Middelberg Pass, a relentless climb with 900m altitude gain over the first 18km, starting off on tar before turning into smooth gravel road. The descent onto the plateau is fast and exhilarating with no technical obstacles, but a few sharp bends to slow riders down. The route will traverse beautiful buckfields on rolling dual tracks and farm roads. Riders can make up some time until just before the half way mark, where a 4km climb takes them to the highest point of the entire race (approximately 1 150m above sea level). Shortly afterwards they will be rewarded with a 5km singletrack section, winding its way through red sandstone formations. Overall this stage feels fast and relatively flat, until riders hit the rugged and challenging wagon trail that takes them into the Witzenberg Valley. Cleared for the race by local farmers, who are keen mountain bikers themselves and happy to share their home playground, this part of the race will showcase some of the finest terrain the Western Cape has to offer.

The best is saved for last when riders finally get to cash in that piggy bank - a technical 5km singletrack, an old wagon trail opened up for the 2010 Absa Cape Epic, plummeting into the Tulbagh Valley. Stage two could almost be considered a ?roady? stage, although true roadies will be in for a wake up call when they hit the wagon trails. The stage offers a fantastic transition onto a new playground, from the rugged and remote Cederberg, to the fertile Tulbagh Valley with its quaint village and wine farms.

Start Venue:	Saronsberg in Tulbagh
Finish Venue:	Saronsberg in Tulbagh
Date:	Wednesday 20 March 2013
Distance:	94km
Climbing:	1950m
Start Time:	07:00-08:00
Max Stage Time:	8 hours

Imposing mountain ranges, the Obiqua Mountains to the West, the Winterhoek Mountains to the North and the Witzenberg range to the East, surround the town of Tulbagh. The mountain basin enjoys equally attractive conditions for wine making and mountain biking, and both have seen advancements in recent years, with not only new vineyards, but also new trails springing up. What better combination than having the race village at the Saronsberg Wine Estate? Stage 3 offers a ?tour of the basin?, with a figure of 8 traversing the vineyards and farmlands, skirting the surrounding mountains. By now riders should be used to starting with a climb ? 400m over 15km, with a short warm up, being rather gentle on the legs though. This is followed by 3km of sweeping singletrack, finishing off with a section through poplar forest. This moderate start is characteristic for what follows, a pleasant day, with lots of ups and downs interspersed with flowing singletrack sections. However, it all becomes one big blur after the previous two days. What stands out is that the day is more gentle, the soil is softer, the vegetation more lush and the hills shorter. If through that blur riders happen to hear the finish line, smell the race village, but their speedometer only reads 55km, they need to keep peddling. So close and yet so far from home, they are about to embark on the second part of the figure of 8. This loop is shorter, but includes the same amount of climbing as the first one, and just when everyone thinks ?this wasn?t too bad?, Dr Evil and the route design team show their true face. After water point 3 comes the blow to the legs ? a 1.5km climb on a steep farm road, followed by a short descent and 3 more short but sharp climbs on rough surface, before it is finally (almost) all downhill and back to the manicured fields of Saronsberg Wine Estate.

Start Venue:	Saronsberg in Tulbagh
Finish Venue:	Wellington
Date:	Thursday 21 March 2013
Distance:	120km
Climbing:	2300m
Start Time:	07:00-07:30
Max Stage Time:	10 hours

Stage 4 is another transition day moving on to a new destination, characterised by three major climbs and extremely varied terrain. 

The stag kicks off with smooth gravel road, turning into forestry road. The 1st big obstacle of the day awaits after water point 1 = a rugged dual track climb through Waterval Nature Reserve, leads riders into Zuur Vlakte - an isolated mountain bowl. The climb out is followed by a fat 5km descent on smooth gravel and more fast flowing road past water point 2, leading to the foot of Bain's Kloof pass. The climb on tar is 16km and not having to focus on any rugged surface, riders will be able to take in the spectacular scenery of this National Monument site. On the other side the Cape Winelands open up, with veiws onto Wellington, Paarl Rock and as far as Table Mountain, some 70km away as the crow flies. Only the first bit of the descent is on tar, before riders plunge into the beautifully kept Bain's Mtb Trails at Welvanpas, smooth flowing ups and downs, perfectly carved into the mountain side. However, there is one more big climb, most of it on forestry roads, and it is the best value for climbing a mountain biker could ask for, earning themselves 4km downhill of handcrafted singletrack through fynbos vegetation. There is one more tiny bump, and then the last couple of kilometres are all plain sailing into the new race village in Wellington. 

Start Venue:	Wellington
Finish Venue:	Wellington
Date:	Friday 22 March 2013
Distance:	75km
Climbing:	1800m
Start Time:	07:00-08:30
Max Stage Time:	7.5 hours

The fifth stage is like a bonus day ? short, sweet, and most importantly, great fun! Riders will already have had a taste of the Bain's Mtb Trails at Welvanpas on the previous day - a fantastic purpose built network of singletrack, perched between the Wellington vineyards and the slopes of Bain?s Kloof. The relatively short distance of 75km offers more single-track than any previous Absa Cape Epic stage, featuring some amazing cross-country terrain, lots of twisting ups and downs ? all in all an extra enjoyable day to re-energise body and mind. To avoid any congestion on the trails, the start groups will be staggered out over 1.5 hrs.

Start Venue:	Wellington
Finish Venue:	Stellenbosch
Date:	Saturday 23 March 2013
Distance:	99km
Climbing:	2950m
Start Time:	07:00-07:30
Max Stage Time:	10 hours

Start Venue:	Stellenbosch
Finish Venue:	Lourensford Wine Estate
Date:	Sunday 24 March 2013
Distance:	54km
Climbing:	1550m
Start Time:	08:30-09:00
Max Stage Time:	6 hours

The final stage of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic is short, with only one major climb at the halfway mark. Riders will leave Stellenbosch along the mountainside through Coetzenberg and Eden Forest, then work their way into the Stellenbosch Winelands, through the prestigious wine farms of Vriesenhof, Dornier, Stellenzicht, Bilton, Alto, Ernie Els, Hidden Valley and Uva Mira. The trail climbs up through these vineyards, opening up spectacular views of False Bay, as far as Cape Point, and back to Table Mountain and Durbanville, where the journey started 7 long days ago. Having mastered the 9km climb up the side of the Helderberg Mountain into the Lourensford Neck, the finish line is almost within sight as the view into the striking Lourensford bowl opens up. This is the first time in Absa Cape Epic history that riders approach Lourensford Wine Estate from a totally different direction and not via Gamtouw Pass. The final 25km are predominantly downhill, on forestry roads on the higher elevations, interspersed with some singletrack, and into the orchards and vineyards on the lower slopes. The final run onto the lush green polo field packed with grandstands, marquees and supporters promises to be unforgettable.