Heat, Dust, and Pain: Epic Brutality| Cape Epic - Stage 1

After the Prologue in Meerendal the riders, crew and supporters transferred to Hermanus, a little coastal town on the southern tip of the African continent, which is well known for whale watching and hiking alongside the beautiful coastal mountain ridge. Cape Epic participants will probably dream of sitting on a boat, waiting for whales and enjoying a cold sea breeze. The area has been turned into something of a mountain biking mecca, with a network of trails snaking across the nearby hills and valleys. But unless there is a wind blowing down from the mountains, the heat is just relentless- and riding mountain bikes rather turns into a battle with the elements than enjoying nature. The 1350 riders faced 101 km and 2300m of climbing in brutal heat and severe conditions on stage 1.

“The heat today was just unbelievable- we literally got roasted out there”, Nino Schurter says after the race. “The tough thing is that the conditions here can change so quickly- from windy, cold air in the mountains to extremely hot and dry air on the other side. Combined with sandy trails which are not really rolling, riders are suffering almost nonstop.”