Wellington wins at the Absa Cape Epic

2015-04-20

There are many winners at the Absa Cape Epic, and not all of them on bicycles. 

Each year the race presents a Best Town Spirit award and the riders vote for the Best Stage Location. This year Wellington, home for the last two nights of the Absa Cape Epic, has won both these prestigious awards.

Stage Location Manager Marc Erasmus said the Town Spirit award had been based on footage from the event and discussions with riders, crew and media representatives.

“I want to congratulate the Drakenstein Municipality as well as Wellington Tourism, the Wine Route, Wellington Chamber of Commerce and CPUT for doing such an amazing job of promoting the race and getting the entire town involved and excited about it,” said Erasmus.

The town was festooned in white and green to welcome the Absa Cape Epic and posters greeting the race and its riders were prominently displayed throughout Wellington. Farmers on tractors welcomed visitors to the town at its entrances and the local minstrels held special marches through the streets.

The race village was hosted on the CPUT rugby fields in Wellington: “This was the riders’ favourite venue and this is due to the hard work and planning that took place in the months preceding the race,” added Erasmus. “The amazing riding also no doubt helped to cement the town in riders’ minds and I’m sure many will be back.”

Wellington wins R5 000 for the Town Spirit Award, while HTS Drostdy High School in Worcester took away another R5 000 for winning the flyover competition. The school’s pupils assembled on its rugby field in various coloured outfits to form the shape of a bicycle, with marching learners representing moving “wheels” and “pedals”. Their activities were filmed from a helicopter.

The event also works with a local school or organisation in the host towns to erect the nearly 2 000 tents in each race village. For this they earn R20 000, with a R5 000 bonus for the best tent pitching team. This year’s bonus was also awarded to HTS Drostdy High School. 

The event legacy includes the mountain bike trails it helps develop along the routes, the injection of money into local economies, and more. Each day, for example, food that is not eaten in the dining halls and at the watering points is distributed to local charities, church soup kitchens or communities. Several thousands of Rands worth of food was distributed during the event this year.