While most of the 2020 Absa Cape Epic route is out of bounds to the general public outside of the event, there are sections open for riders to pre-ride and hone skills and trail knowledge.
If you are riding the 2020 Absa Cape Epic, you no doubt want to prepare as best you can. That means getting physically fit, honing your technical skills, maybe shedding a few kilograms and doing all you can to stay healthy. You could (and should) also make the effort to pre-ride the sections of the route which are open to the public year-round. Knowing the trails and terrain you will face in March helps the mind as much as it helps the body.
The Prologue
Table Mountain National Park and the University of Cape Town host the Absa Cape Epic Prologue for the fourth time during the 2020 race. Since the first visit to the front of the table, in 2015 (bearing in mind Tokai hosted two Prologues in 2009 and 2011), the Prologue route has undergone few changes. Apart from the UCT sections, including the cross-country track, the majority of the route can be ridden year-round. For out of town visitors, or Absa Cape Epic debutants who are unfamiliar with the route, the Prologue GPX file is available for download.
Remember though, when cycling in Table Mountain National Park, all riders are required to carry either a day pass (available at the Tokai Plantation Office) or a Level 3 My Activity Permit, which can be purchased at tourism outlets across the Western Cape. SANParks encourages those planning to ride on the mountain to do so in groups with a minimum of three riders
Stage 1
With the Absa Cape Epic returning to Eselfontein for the first time since 2010, there will no doubt be a clamour to pre-ride the farm's vast trail network. Fortunately, it is possible to do so, by purchasing a day permit or by booking a weekend in one of the farm's cottages. Eselfontein's singletracks are uniquely technical, with rocky stretches interspersed with smooth and fast straights. It is also likely to be very hot and sandy in places in March, so, visiting over the December/January months will not only prepare riders for the technicality of the trails but also serve as heat training.
You can find out more about the routes, which are open to ride throughout the year by visiting www.eselfontein.co.za and for booking or day permits please contact Janene Malherbe via email at janene@eselfontein.co.za.
Stage 2
The Witzenberg Valley's mountain bike trails are out of bounds, aside from the Absa Cape Epic and one other event on the MTB calendar. There is, however, somewhere nearby where you can ride to get a feel for the trails. Kaleo Guest Farm has been steadily building trails over the last few years and provides a close approximation to the challenges of the Witzenberg Valley. Located in the Koue Bokkeveld basin, Kaleo lacks the steep changes in gradient which makes the valley to the west renowned as a real mountain biker's playground. It does, however, boast the same sandstone soil, trails littered with loose pebbles and ferociously hot temperatures.
To explore the trails in your own time you have to be staying in one of Kaleo's self-catering cottages or camping at the venue. To find out more visit www.kaleomanor.co.za.
Stage 3
The Tulbagh Valley is an adventure sportsman/woman's playground. Along with hiking, birding, horse riding and rock climbing in the Klein Winterhoek Mountains, the valley is ideal for mountain biking. With the Absa Cape Epic having visited the area on three previous occasions, the trail network in Tulbagh has grown organically since the inaugural visit in 2011. The flagship trail, since that first year, has been the Bone Trail. It forms part of a 39-kilometre loop, named after it, which is open to ride year-round. The second loop from Tulbagh is the 24-kilometre long Farm Loop.
Permits to ride both trails can be bought at the Tulbagh Shell Garage, the Cape Dutch Quarters, from the Tulbagh Tourism Office or Saronsberg Wine Cellars; which will also host the Absa Cape Epic race village for two nights in 2020. The permit fee is R50 and is valid for two days and both trails. To find out more visit www.tulbaghmtbclub.co.za.
Stage 4
Stage 4 is the longest stage of the 2020 Absa Cape Epic and, as such, takes in a couple of regions during its 101-kilometre long transition from Saronsberg Wine Estate to the new Race Village at CPUT Wellington. The best advice for riders wishing to explore some of the trails the stage will encompass is to tag it onto a stay in Tulbagh. From there it is possible to explore the Kluitjieskraal MTB Route, by adding in some road riding kilometres to Wolseley. The towns are just 17 kilometres apart so it should provide no challenge for your Absa Cape Epic attuned legs.
Permits can be purchased from the 7 Eleven in Wolseley and more information is available online at www.wolseleytourism.co.za and on www.mtbroutes.co.za.
Stages 5 & 6
While it is highly recommended that you pre-ride Bainskloof Pass, because it is harder than the average gradient suggests, the bulk of your Wellington training should be spent on the Wild Boar Trails. Before getting into more detail on the trails, Bainskloof is due a few words too. The pass, from the Tulbagh/Wolseley side towards Wellington, is relatively benign. After 60 tough kilometres of riding it is easy to overcook it on the pass. Pre-riding it will allow you to familiarise yourself with the road, where it pitches up and where it eases off. Do not get tricked into smashing every last ounce of energy out on it during the race though, there is a sting in the tail of the stage.
In Wellington itself, or at least on the Wellington side of Bainskloof Pass, the trails to pre-ride are the Wild Boar Trails. Day permits for the trails are R70 per person and cover six trails; which all start and finish at Val du Charron, just outside Wellington. The Doolhof Cross Country Course is also covered by the Wild Boar Trails' fee, but the 20-kilometre-long Hawequa Scout Adventure Centre Loop requires a separate permit. The Scout Trail pass can be purchased online, also for R70, using SnapScan on the www.wildboartrails.co.za website. The standard permit for the other trails can also be purchased there, or at the Val du Charron trailhead, at the estate's The Grillroom and Pizza Vista restaurants.
For those wishing to explore the area in race conditions, the Imbuko Big Five Challenge provides that opportunity three weeks before the Absa Cape Epic. The race date is set for the 22nd of February 2020 and the typically tough, for Wellington, the route takes in a massive 3 020 metres of climbing in just 75 kilometres. It should thus provide the ultimate test for any rider's system ahead of the 2020 Absa Cape Epic.
Stage 7
Aside from the gravel road climb out of Wellington into the Hawequa Mountains there is little of the final stage which can be ridden outside of the Absa Cape Epic. The race's exclusive access to private land makes the trail to Val de Vie all the more rewarding. So, you will have to wait for March 22nd, 2020 to experience it.
Things to remember when pre-riding the Absa Cape Epic route:
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