THE LONGEST DAY

The transition day will be the longest stage of the 2018 Absa Cape Epic, but will not be the most challenging in terms of terrain. Well, except for the Porcupine Trap, a flat-out section through sandy fynbos trails toward the Saggy Stone Brewery that has porcupine dens that could swallow a man whole. The first 20km includes three climbs, but it is Penn Hill that is the main challenge of the day, a 3.5km brute of a climb that comes after 12km of uphill graft. This is thorn country. Look after your tyres on the run in to Worcester.

Land Rover Technical Terrain: Penn Hill – an isolated, seemingly endless 3.5-kilometre climb consisting of loose rocks that arrives towards the end of 16-kilometre ascent.