Every second of every stage.
Every attack. Every turn. Every celebration and every achievement.
Tune in the 2022 Absa Cape Epic Live Broadcast from 20-27 March 2022 on www.cape-epic.com, on Facebook, YouTube, or download the Epic Series App for access to the Live Broadcast and Live Tracking throughout the stages.
2022 ABSA CAPE EPIC BROADCAST TIMES
After eight years the Absa Cape Epic returns to Lourensford Wine Estate. In 2022, Lourensford Wine Estate serves as the starting point for another edition of The Race That Measures All. What a race it will be, especially if it lives up to the highlight filled billing of Prologues passed. Packed with singletracks, but optimised for overtaking, it sets the tone for the seven stages that follow. Stunning mountain and ocean views await those who can lift their eyes from their stems. The first half drags steadily uphill, driving heart rates ever-upwards, before the second phase of the day is packed with roller-coaster downhills on manicured singletrack. Dual track links provide ample overtaking opportunities and allow the fastest teams to set the best possible times and secure start batches for the week of white-hot racing.
The first marathon stage of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic leaves nowhere to hide. Scaling King’s Climb is the first order of the day. A brutally long and steep ascent from Lourensford Wine Estate to the heights of the Helderberg Mountains, it will stretch the field for the long Red Route descent of the Helderberg Trails. Following soon after are the virgin trails through Ernie Els and Alto wines which traverse the foothills of the Helderberg towards Dornier. Once inside Dornier’s boundaries playful singletracks provide an adrenaline boost ahead of the day’s most challenging climb, Die Nek. Crossing Die Nek takes the teams back into Lourensford, where a final brutal climb and scintillating singletrack challenge and reward await on the way to the stage’s finish line.
Stage 2 of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic heads due east, taking the teams on an African Odyssey from the luxury of Lourensford Wine Estate into the heart of the hinterland. The route crosses the Helderberg basin, sweeping through Vergelegen, and ascends the Gantouw Link and the Gantouw Pass portage. Once on the Elgin plateau, the forge east continues, but takes in the Waterfall, Witklippies and Pofadder trails. Kat Pas and the new JK’s Switchbacks singletrack leads into the Overberg and onto Van der Stel Pas. From here the route rolls onwards towards a climb that will carve its way into Absa Cape Epic lore in one single encounter. But from the summit, spectacular views await before undulating dual tracks sap the final reserves from the legs on the way to Elandskloof.
In 2022, the Absa Cape Epic explores the trails of Greyton like never before. It begins with a day backloaded with singletrack; thus, the opening kilometres of Stage 3 are characterised by the other Absa Cape Epic essentials: heat and dust. Sapping climbs and rolling descents soften the legs for the rocky mountain singletracks in the second half of the stage. Long kilometres of farm dual track will ensure a blistering pace early in the stage, before the rocky Greyton singletracks enforce a change of tempo. In the second half of the stage, the trails flow into each other as they rise and fall along the Riviersonderend Mountains. A final twist sees the teams climbing from within sight of the finish line to reach the trail head of the day’s final singletrack. Concentration is the name of the game and those who roll the dice with high speed and high risk jeopardise their Absa Cape Epic finisher medals.
The second day on the trails of Greyton wastes no time in introducing the teams to the region’s spectacular trails. A district road start provides a quick warm-up before the dual tracks into the mountains above Genadendal spread the field for the trails to come. The mission station’s singletracks are raw and rugged, requiring absolute focus at all times. Luislang, before Greyton, and Mad Dog, after, are free flowing. Bakenskop, meanwhile, is not. A mountain biker’s mountain bike trail, worthy of entering Absa Cape Epic folklore, Bakenskop is a 9-kilometre-long ascent, ridgeline traverse and descent; all on shale singletrack. After the thrills of Bakenskop, the trail heads uphill once more, ascending the UFO climb before a last singletrack descent returns the teams to the Riviersonderend Valley floor and the grind back to the Elandskloof race village for the final time.
Rusty Gate is, unquestionably, among The Race That Measures All’s most revered climbs. Usually, the assault on it features a pre-amble, a warm-up; but not so in 2022. Leaving Elandskloof, it’s Rusty Gate from the starting blocks, followed by undulating kilometres along the banks of the Theewaterskloof Dam. The eastern ascent of Franschhoek Pass provides the race’s longest section of asphalt, before a trail new to mountain bikers leads the race into the picturesque Huguenot village. More singletracks await on the banks of the Berg River Dam before the route crosses the river; from there it is uphill once more, first gradually and then steeply, over Botmaskop. The day’s final descent to Stellenbosch hints at the rewarding riding still to come in the Absa Cape Epic.
Boasting more singletrack per kilometre of racing than in any other 2022 Absa Cape Epic stage, Stage 6 is one for the mountain biking purists, as it explores the famed Banhoek, Idas Valley, Stellenbosch Trail Fund and Jonkershoek valleys. The route departs Stellenbosch by climbing Botmaskop, mixing dual- and singletrack, before dropping into the Banhoek Valley along a series of tightly twisting switchbacks. In the valley itself rocky trails await before the climb back out, via Tokara and the lower slopes of Botmaskop. The route to Jonkershoek traverses high, above a castle in the sky, then snakes up and down, climbing Irish, descending Armageddon and Red Phoenix, then up Bosluis and Firehut before a last descent. Racing home to Stellenbosch, the trail follows the Eerste River and includes a trying final ascent before the finish line on the Coetzenburg fields beckons.
After 8 days of limit-testing racing, there is a return to the good life, for those who can complete Stage 7. The Grand Finale takes teams to Val de Vie, the Valley of Life, and does so in style. On the way to Val de Vie via Idas Valley towards Stellenbosch’s most famous farms, including Rustenberg, Morgenhof, Muratie and Babylonstoren are traversed on the way to the final finish line. It is not all downhill, however, as altitude has to be gained first before the fun can start. This is achieved by climbing through Rustenberg and onto the Simonsberg Trails. Muratie’s Never Say Neverending thrills, before the route heads north. Crossing fabled farms on a mix of dual and singletrack the race steadily winds down. A last chance to empty the tank is provided by Val de Vie’s estate singletracks, then it’s onto the polo fields and under the Absa Cape Epic’s arches. The finish line appears, too soon for some but just at the right time for many others. 8 days of Untamed racing completed.