Epic 2009 - Stage 1

Date: 22 March 2009
Start/Finish: Gordon’s Bay to Villiersdorp
Distance: 112km
Climbing: 2729m
Cut-off time: 17:00

Ugggh!

The big change of this year's Epic was the break from the traditional start in Knysna, as well as spending two nights at each town along the way. Up until now, the Epic didn't really feel like the Epic. We were still in my back yard, I was sleeping at home at night. It was only as we made the 15 minute journey from Somerset West to Gordon's Bay that it started to all sink in. We had 7 days of tough mountain biking ahead of us, and the finish line in Lourensford seemed a lifetime away.

Orbrey turned out in support too, and had a very busy time peeing on 1200 bikes

Stage one had been billed as a tough one, and a look at the profile confirmed it. The long, flat dirt roads of previous years were a thing of the past. We were either going up, or down, for 112kms.

Our steeds - ready to go.

After last year's implosion on day one, Craig and I had discussed a strategy that we thought would work. Take it easy and ride at tempo till the 3rd water point, and then evaluate how things were going. If we felt strong we could push the pace, if not, we could continue looking after ourselves. We really didn't want ruin another Epic on the first day. With this approach in mind, our somewhat disappointing Prologue time was a blessing - we were seeded in C, far away from the racing snakes in A and B, and so wouldn't be tempted into anything silly so early on.

Jayne and Bonte

With my nerves on edge - 4 months of training about to be put to the test - we lined up in our start chute. As the music started, we both slipped into "Epic mode" - ready to tackle the challenge that lay before us. The advantage of starting in Gordon's Bay was that it felt like a local funride - I recognised many familiar faces who had braved the early morning chill to come out and support this fantastic event. A big thank you to everyone.

At 7am sharp we were off - our Epic adventure number 3 under way. From the beginning, the tone for the next 7 days was set as we started climbing almost immediately. And just like previous years, some teams got caught up in the first hour madness. Although the temptation was there to match them, our knowledge and experience prevailed as we settled into a comfortable tempo on the tar climb up to Steenbras Dam. A sharp left turn at the top, and we waved goodbye to the tar as the mountain biking began.

We adopted our familiar riding formation - Craig on the front, with me right behind him and made good progress as the sun rose over the mountains, sunlight streaming straight into our eyes. Already we were taking note of the teams around us - people we knew, people we wanted to beat, riders we wanted to avoid. Craig had secured last minute sponsorship from MMA Consolidators - a transport company, and with that in mind, my first marked team was a pair of riders in DHL kit who came from Somerset West. We had to do our sponsor proud and beat them. The next team that got added to my list was a pair of foreigners who displayed some very bad etiquette and jumped the queue as we waited to portage a short unridable section.

We passed Etienne and Cillie as they attended to a mechanical, but any hope staying away from them was short lived as 5 minutes later they caught us from behind. With the Steenbras Dam behind us, and the burnt moonscape of the Grabouw forests with steep climbs ahead of us, we settled into a good pace, accompanied by several other teams. All along the route the spectators turned out in force, and it was quite reassuring to see our seconders as we crossed the N2. At this point I was still quite capable of smiling!

Water point 2 and still looking good.

As the day progressed, we climbed the forest roads up Nuweberg, enjoyed the fast downhill on the other side and before long had arrived at the second water point of the day. It was here that we made a rather interesting discovery - Etienne and Cillie's Achilles heel: they faff at water points. They had ridden away from us up the slopes of Nuweberg, yet we were quite surprised to catch them at the water point. Our seconders, doubling as spies, filled us in later that a water stop for Team Lefty and Fox is a occurrence that must be observed to be believed: helmets off, bikes down, fill the bottles, have a chat, drink some juice, wash faces, get some snacks, chat some more, have another drink, stretch, have a bit of a moan, do some mechanical repairs and so on. The whole process can take up to 10 minutes. Ten minutes that we would use to catch and pass them on a regular basis.

Off to tackle Groenlandberg

As we left the water point, with the faffers behind us, we once again started climbing - up the infamous Groenlandberg - a 5km climb at 8%, in hot, airless conditions with temperatures up to 43C. Almost right away Craig started struggling, but he was not alone. The mood of all the riders around us changed - the carnival atmosphere of a couple hours earlier was gone, the reality of the Epic sinking in. I was having stomach issues and didn't feel like eating or drinking, but in these conditions that is tantamount to suicide. Forcing a Mule bar down, and a GU or two with lots of fluid didn't help my belly, but I think it saved my legs later in the day.

Bonte taking pity on the dog in the heat!

The joy of mountain biking is that for every uphill there is a downhill, and I was really looking forward to the downhill once we reached the summit of Groenlandberg. We were in for a bit of a shock as they took us down a rutted, eroded track that required total concentration - one slip and the Epic could be over. At the bottom I asked Craig if he enjoyed the downhill, and to my surprise he said no - things clearly weren't all going to plan. With water point 3 in the distance, and my legs still feeling quite good, we slowly made our way forward. Just when I thought we were having it tough, I looked back to see Etienne and Cillie, and through the heat haze I could just make them out - walking. I had to double check, and they had indeed dismounted. It was reassuring to know that others around us were suffering too.

Starting to hurt a little - water point 3

The support crew were all gathered around the water point as we took our time restocking for the last 30kms. With shouts of encouragement and plenty of photos we set off - the final push to the line in Villiersdorp. In true Epic fashion, there was quite a nasty sting in the tail of today's stage, and we didn't want to be caught without fluid. By now my legs were starting to hurt, and I could feel a cramp coming on in my right quadricep. The best solution is to ride through it, although it hurts like hell. Craig wasn't doing much better - also suffering from cramps, and feeling the heat. As we messed around in the foothills around Villiersdorp, many riders started to suffer from sense of humour failure. The thick sand, the steep orchard roads, the heat were all conspiring to make this a rather tough finish.

The finish - cold coke and water.

With 5kms to go, the tented village almost in sight, I lost Craig. Upon looking back, I saw him playing in a sprinkler - chasing the thing round and round in a bid to cool his legs and feet off. If only I had a camera. By now our spirit was broken, and we really didn't care about position. I think deep down we were both quite worried that this year was going to be a repeat of last year, and so far, all the indications were there that this was the case. This was by far one of the toughest stages I had ridden, and I really felt sorry for the back markers - it was going to be a long hot day in the saddle for them. Just making the cutoff would be reason enough to celebrate.

Another tough opening stage in the Epic

We finally crossed the line, and like a Formula 1 pit crew, our seconders got to work. Bikes were whisked away, recovery drinks were dished out, post stage photos were taken, and we were gently herded to our tents for a shower. Once clean, and feeling half human again, the real seconding began - we were expertly fed, professionally massaged, egos were pampered and sympathetic ears were lent to listen to the many war stories.

Jayne the phsyio, and expert tyre replacer

To make us feel better, the organisers convinced Christoph Sauser to stand up at dinner and tell us that today's stage was the toughest he had ever done. Very sweet. Didn't really help the people who missed the cutoff and had their Epic come to an end before it really even got started. But it is good to know that the pros hurt too.

Highlights of the day: Riding the Epic, the Sprinkler incident, our friendly backup crew
Lowlights of the day: Stomach issues, cramping, a 2008 repeat?

Stage
GC 120 Cat 83 7:08.54,6
Total Time
8:07.58,7

One of the Epic songs played each night:

	Herbert Gronemeyer - Celebrate The Day
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Stage 1 highlights:


The route:

Epic 2009 - Prologue

Date: 21 March 2009
Start/Finish: Cape Town
Distance: 17km
Climbing: 650m

Nervously waiting to start our 2009 campaign with our supporters

Craig and I had ridden the route a couple of times before, and we knew what awaited us. LOTS of climbing. The steep kind of climbing. To make matters worse, we had been given a 12:07 start time - right in the mid-day heat. Craig later found out that the organisers had selected 50 teams they knew who could ride bikes to go before the pros, so there wouldn't be any congestion on the course. A bit of a compliment, but this also added to the pressure.

All smiles and ready to go.

The route

A perfect Cape day

The prologue started and finished at Herzlia sports ground at the foot of Table Mountain. A more picturesque and scenic venue would be hard to find. Below us lay the City Bowl,the harbour, and in the distance Robben Island. Lurking above us was Table Mountain, and that was the direction we would be heading.

The easy bit

The start of the ride took us on steep tar roads through the residential area, before we popped out into the Nature Reserve and started climbing. We had agreed not to go too hard, but the heat (42C) and the excitement of the moment made it difficult. The 15% climbs that we were climbing didn't help either. Before long the sweat was pouring off me - not a breath of wind. It was a pleasant suprise to see Mike on the side of the mountain, and he got some good shots of us before the suffering had really begun.

Let the suffering begin!

The fire that broke out 3 days before the Prologue

We climbed up to Dead Man's Tree and Tafelberg Road, where the roadie in me took over and hopped on the front to set the pace. Craig was playing the policeman today, and did a good job of keeping me in check. We were already going quite hard, and didn't want to overdo it on the first day. Our reward for the torturous climbing was a lovely descent through the freshly burnt mountain side.


Before long we were climbing again on loose gravel roads with ridiculously steep inclines. I lost my line and had to hop off, pushing my bike up the hills. My heart rate hit 190 bpm as I struggled to keep up with Craig (who was still riding). With the climbing behind us, we had some tricky single track to negotiate before Herzlia's fields awaited us.

We were going so fast that all Mike caught of us was a blur!

This was the first inkling we would get of the more technical nature of this year's Epic. Several riders came short on this last bit of single track, including eventual overall winners The Bulls. We, on the other hand had no such problems and crossed the line in 59:04, a whopping 18:08 behind the leaders. We were also a little surprised to have been beaten by Etienne and Cillie by 2:30 (another team from Hermanus). At least we had a team to compete with, and they had just fired the first warning shots.

Tongues hanging out, almost there as we pass another team.

The day's work done - the finish in sight.

Highlight of the day: The long fast downhills and the good crowd turnout.
Lowlight of the day: Being so far off the pace.

Stage:
GC 135 Cat 97 59:04
GC:
GC 135 Cat 97 59:04

Epic Promo

To get into the mood of the Epic, here is a quick promo.



And some Epic facts:



My race report will follow shortly ;)

Epic View

The Epic now just 3 days and 21 hours away, and my packing still far from complete. Time to get into action (I also have 2 assignments to do before Friday, but that is another story).

We rode the Prologue Route on Saturday - it is going to be a toughie. It is 20kms long with 600m of climbing, and should take us about an hour. The uphills are tough, but it is the downhills that have me worried. They could end the Epic before the race has even really started. Our strategy is to survive - the Epic doesn't really begin on the first day, but it certainly can end!

I think the idea of hosting the Prologue in the City Bowl is a great idea - the views are superb, both of the Mountain, and of the City. I hope the foreigners take some time to appreciate the view.

Argus 2009

For years to come, this will be known as the "Bad One", the "Windy One", or the "Worst One". I have lived in the Cape for 15 years, and in Somerset West for about 7 years, and I thought I knew wind. Sunday morning was an education to me.

Despite the conditions, thousands turned out.

As it is, I am not a big fan of the Argus, particularly up front in the racing section. Far too much testosterone flying about, and far too many people who should not be riding at this level. Add some gale force wind into the mix, and I was petrified! The last thing I wanted was a crash, and the Epic would be over before we have even started.

The wind ripping everything to pieces.

Standing in the start chute alone was enough to give me second thoughts - I was being blown off my feet. I should have taken the hint when a porta loo got blown over and then blown through our start chute, spewing blue porta loo juices all over the place. The SubVet bunch parted like the Red Sea as we tried to avoid being taken out by the rampant killer loo, or splashed by the obnoxious smelling deep blue liquid that was freely flowing from it.

Chaos and mayhem, when porta loos attack!

The bad porta loos, resting before the next attack

When the gun finally went and we were underway, another surprise lurked just up ahead. The wind funneled under the Civic Center, and at a specific point was strong enough to blow you off your bike. From my usual vantage point at the back of the bunch I saw several riders swerving and dismounting. Shaking my head and muttering at their amateurishness, I proceeded until I too was almost blown clean off my bike. This was going to be a long day!!

Blown clean over by the wind!

Thankfully, the hard racing that I was expecting was neutralised by the wind as no one really wanted to set a pace on the front. Same applied for break aways, although several riders tried, I think they quickly realised the error of their ways and retreated to the safety of the peloton.

All fall down!

Edinburgh Drive was a gentle, sedate climb compared to previous years where I am sure I lost a lung or kidney. Down onto the Blue Route, and the bunch was still pretty much together, when we had our first big crash. It was hard to see exactly what happened from way at the back, but the smell of burning brakes and grazed flesh filled the air as we picked our way through the debris and bodies. Always a bit of a dilemma - do you stop to help, or do you hope there are medics nearby and ride for your life to get back into the bunch. I tend to opt for the latter.

The big change for 2009 was the use of Boyes Drive as there are roadworks along Main Road. I've raced a couple times over Boyes Drive, and knew what to expect. However, I hadn't really had that many good experiences going up Boyes Drive - famously getting dropped on the first climb 5kms into the race about 3 or 4 years ago. As we started to climb Boyes Drive, I spotted Morag, Briony and Gareth - now that is true dedication - coming out to support the race in weather like that! After another brief "all fall down" the racing started in earnest, with the front riders sticking us in the gutter. The danger here was getting stuck behind a weaker rider who couldn't close a gap if it formed, but luckily I had good enough legs to ride around any such riders without too many hassles. Tim had given me some advice on what line to follow along Boyes Drive, and it was great advice. After a slightly hair-raising descent into Kalk Bay (and to the spectator who called out my name - thanks, and sorry I didn't wave back, but both my hands were needed to stop me from crashing into the riders around me!) we were back on Main road, screaming off towards FishHoek one long single file line.

Matt Damon having a mechanical

After another couple of dead wheels and gaps, Craig and I managed to hop onto the back of the bunch, and it was a good thing that we did - the bunch had split, and we were the last ones in the front bunch. Things slowed down as we went through SimonsTown (a full 30 minutes slower than usual) as everyone started to consider Smitswinkel clmib up ahead. As we started to climb, the wind started to shift, and before long we had a tail wind going up the climb. Everything seemed to be in order at the top, and a long fast gradual descent with the wind behind us awaited. I wasn't expecting any trouble, but a quick glance up ahead showed that the bunch had split, and if we didn't close the gap now, we would miss out. For the first time that day we had to put in a hard effort, but it worked out, and we closed the gap, and suddenly the bunch was down to about 50. Several riders rode back on as we went through Misty Cliffs after a loooong chase, and it was at this time that Craig sat up. He had broken a spoke, and was struggling to keep up. Only afterwards did he realise how badly his back wheel was rubbing - the wheel would barely turn!

Going through SunValley, straight into the wind caused some more havoc with the bunch. Gaps were forming, and once again I was on the wrong side of them. Thankfully, a big strong rider took up the chase and pulled myself and 2 others across the gap. With Chappies looming in the distance, the jostling for position was starting. Not wanting to get caught up in anything, I decided to lurk at the back, and make my move forward as we started climbing. But that was not to be. A rider went down hard on the left, and another rider on the right overreacted, going down as well. The crash effectively blocked the road, and quite a few of us were caught on the wrong side of the crash. I came to a stop on the fallen rider's wheel, and watched with despair as the bunch rode off up Chappies. I tried to get going as quickly as possible, but with no one to help with the workload, closing this gap was going to be tough. All the way up Chappies I was in touching distance of the bunch, passing riders as they dropped off, but was unable to make any progress in closing the gap.


At the top I met up with the Maverick Tandem of Lyle and Malan, and hoped that they might be my ticket onto the back of the bunch. We made good progress, and almost got back on until mother nature intervened and decided to blow a poor unsuspecting rider over the edge of Chapman's Peak. The crash looked spectacular, but I saw him at the end and apart from several scrapes and grazes, he was ok. Any hope of catching the bunch was now gone. To make matters worse, my new tandem buddies were struggling and I found myself all alone, staring up at Suikerbossie. Thankfully there were plenty of targets to aim at going up the last climb of the day, and I made good progress, passing struggling tandems and dropped riders. Going over the top, I could still see the bunch, but all hope of catching them was now gone.

Together with one other rider, we started what is supposed to be the easy part of the Argus - the long descent into Camps Bay. But this year it was different, and probably the most difficult part of the whole race - the wind was howling round the corners, and often we would come to a virtual standstill. Little relief was offered from my buddy, or by the riders we were catching and passing. I came the closest to crashing as we went through Camps Bay - the wind was gusting, and almost blew the two of us into the Atlantic Ocean.

Andrew McLean

As the finish line approached, we had finally hooked up with another bunch of riders, and while taking a turn on the front, saw Andrew Maclean had joined us - he had ridden away from his group at Smitswinkel and soloed for 55kms. I gave him a nice lead out up to the line.


We were going to do another lap, but there is only so much abuse one can tolerate, and the Dulux tent seemed like a much better option. 10:30 might be a little early for a beer, but after the ordeal we had been through, we thought it would be a well deserved beer.

Bonte played the patient role of chaperone and guide for Yolanda, and given the circumstances (and lack of training on Yolanda's part) they had quite a good ride. Bonte has threatened to retire from extreme cycling, and so I would like to make a request to the weather gods that next year the weather be a little more mild and pleasant.

Name and Team	Start Group	Race Time	Overall Position	Gender	Gender Position	Age Position	Group Position	Avg Speed	Photo	Free Video
Walsh, Dane	VA	03:06:58	224/25541	M	187/20451	10/2098	29/218	35.30
Walsh, Yolanda	Q	04:23:12	7302/25541	F	519/4266	78/570	365/481	25.08

All photos from the Hub
(except the Action photo one)

Morning Ride

On a short training just before the Argus, I couldn't help but take a picture looking back at Helderberg, and the Hottentots Holland Mountains. At 6:30 in the morning, it was already 26C. The haze you see is the smoke from the fires that have been raging for the last 3 weeks in and around the Boland.



Three days later the sky was clear, as "The Mighty Wind" of the Argus 2009 cleared all the smoke.

Argus MTB 2009

Argus Week is officially here, and the Argus MTB is the first event in the series of bicycle-centric events to happen in Cape Town. The Giro del Capo follows, and then it is the big day - the day 30 000+ cyclists get to take over the streets of the Cape Peninsula - the Argus.

But before the skinny wheeled, lycra clad, speed loving roadies get their chance, their hairy, tar hating, mud loving bretheren got the chance to make Boschendal Winefarm their giant race course. And more than 4000 of these creatures turned up for the occasion.

The weather report all week had been for a hot and windless day, with temperatures peaking in the high 30's. It certainly makes for a change compared to a couple of years ago where we rode this race in the pouring rain.

The hot shots

This was to be our last hard effort before the Epic (the Argus hardly counts as a hard effort - even if we do do two laps). I wasn't sure what sort of state my legs were in after having a tough ride the day before. We arrived at the venue, got our numbers, put our kit on, fiddled with the bikes (this was going to come back and bite me later), and already the temperature was 30C at 7 in the morning. By the time I got into the start chute the sweat was pouring off me.


The race started in its usual frantic high paced, testosterone filled, argy bargy manner, and for the first time in a long time I actually felt quite good, and was able to make good progress early on. I am not known for my fast starts, and tend to get better the longer a race goes. I caught and passed a couple of familiar faces, including my Epic partner which worried me - was I going out too fast? I eventually caught Sara Muhl, and since she usually beats me in these sorts of races, I thought I would slot in behind her, slow down a little and ride a bit more conservatively.

Eventually, Craig caught us and passed us, and I decided that Sara's pace was going to cost me. The only problem now was that we had got into a mildly technical section, and between my semi slicks and absent technical skills (I think I left them at home in the rush to be on time), I could only watch as both Sara and Craig rode away from me. We eventually got onto the wider farm roads and I could put my head down nd try to catch the bunch of riders with white jersey's up ahead. One by one I would catch them as they dropped off of Craig's group, and each time I would be dissappointed that it wasn't Craig. My pre-race fiddling had resulted in me pumping my tires harder, and with all the soft sand about, that was just a recipe for disaster.

The sand claims another victim

On the foot hills of the climb the gap would close right up, but as soon as we levelled out the gap would increase again. I just couldn't get it under 40 seconds. By now it was hot - very hot, and the sweat was pouring off me. Good thing I had filled my 3l CamelBak. Our route had merged with the route of the 36km riders, and they were strewn all over the place like victims on a battle ground. Some stumbling alongside their bikes, some sitting under whatever shade they could find shaking their heads, some lying down mumbling things about being crazy and rather taking up golf. It was hot, and it was tough, and this is certainly not a race like its tar namesake in a week's time that you could just rock up and ride. I think several people learned that the hard way.

After gving up all hope of catching Craig, my attention was focused on not being passed by anyone from behind. Yet again my technical skill let me down, and in the last singletrack of the day I heard a rider approaching. It was a swiss rider - the first lady - and she seemed to be about a million times better than me on the technical stuff, so I let her past, and tried my best to hang on. I did so, and once again on the flats I was able to put my head down and paid her back by giving her a nice tow to the line

The first lady - I was just behind her

All in all, it was a good day - hard, tough and just what the coach wanted. I finished in 26th place in 2h36, 1:35 behind Craig, and with an average heart rate of 175 bpm.

Yolanda also rode, and did the long route, and although she was slower than last year, she did admirably well given her lack of training and mechanical mishaps.

All photos from the HubSA
(except those of Yolanda)