Think Le Tour de France meets the Baja 1000. In South Africa. With big, wild animals. And a caravan of helicopters, motorcycles and RVs full of team mechanics, soigneurs and managers. And prior to this massive motorcade is a pack of over one thousand mountain bikers, all vying for stage wins over a 9-day period.

Now you get the idea of what the Cape Epic is. There’s more though: 1,200 riders. Teams of two. 8 stages.

This year, Trek/VW has upped the ante by sending over 2 teams:

Pan-Am Champion and 2008 Olympic hopeful Jeremiah Bishop is paired up with 6-time 24 Hour World Solo Champion and 2007 NUE Champion Chris Eatough.

In the year after victory at La Ruta de los Conquistadores (also her retirement year), Sue Haywood teams up with Rocky Mountain Regional rider and XTERRA athlete Jenny Smith from New Zealand.

I sat down with each rider at team camp in Moab, UT to talk about their expectations for the event. Here’s what they had to say:

JEREMIAH BISHOP

Tell me about the race…
Wow. What an incredible opportunity. I’m trying to think of it as “just another race” but it really is exceptional. It’s so well-run, going from one edge of the country to another—there are baboons on the trail!
Awhile back, I got to meet the promoter, and after talking with him, realized that the event had such a high production value. It really is like the Tour de France.
It’s so fascinating to see this combination of a tough mountain bike stage race with stage wins, new leaders and road racing tactics. The speed, the adversity.

So I take it you’re excited…
A little.

What about riding with a partner?
Well, Chris and I rode together back in 2002, and we did well together. I really think this race will play off of our strengths and keep us both in top form throughout the race. I’m not sure we’ll do much damage to the pack from the beginning, but after a few  days, we’ll really start to shine.

CHRIS EATOUGH

It’s 15 days til Cape Epic [as of this posting, the race starts in 2], what do you expect?
Fast riders from different backgrounds. The fastest guys will be the strongest on day 1 and 2. But the real question in my mind is, do they have the recovery? Do they know how to burn the right calories, and when to replenish? Trek/VW will be consistent. Jeremiah and I have experience racing in stage races [in 2002, they raced the TransRockies, which proved to be a breakout year for Bishop], and our experience will show as the days go on.

Any idea of your team dynamics?
We’ve known each other for almost ten years now. Jeremiah lives only three hours away, so we’ve ridden a few times together. But I really think we’ll be able to help each other quite a bit. I bring pure endurance to the team. I can race 4-5 hours per day, 65-70 miles without a problem. I know how to pace and feed myself for those distances.
Jeremiah brings pure speed and climbing prowess.
We’ll provide strong morale and encouragement to each other, and we can both make extremely smart product choices.

SUE HAYWOOD

This is the first race of your last pro year. What do you have to say?
Wow. That’s a loaded question. Let’s talk about Cape Epic.

Ok…
I love this stage racing thing. It reminds me of what really got me into mountain biking. A scene, you know, a place where people come together and interact and have shared experiences. This really needs to grow in the United States.

Why?
1. The challenge. 2. The adventure. 3. The camaraderie. 4. The cool places. And.. why not? I mean, rather than rush rush rush around the world to ride in circles for an hour and a half, why not spend some real time there?

What about riding with Jenny Smith?
We’ve known each other for years. And we sort of have this strategy. I mean, obviously our biggest competition is Sydor and Sundstet. They are one powerful duo. Alison Sydor is an old teammate of mine, and one of few women older than me still racing [Haywood is 36 this year].  So I know how she rolls. Our goal is to go out there and win some stages, and then see where it takes us.

Are you excited?
Yeah! This is the first year women have seriously competed at Cape Epic. I’m really looking forward to the road racing antics—there aren’t rules against working with teams you’re not competing against. So, we can work with the guys if we want. It’s gonna be great!

JENNY SMITH

What do you think about racing with Sue?
I’m very keen to do it. I’m certainly getting nervous as the day gets closer, but I do very well with endurance. I haven’t done any stage racing, so this will be a first for me. I’m really interested to see how my body responds.

And the race itself?
I really just see this as a privilege. It’s such an incredible opportunity to travel around the world and race bikes… I just can’t believe the support we have. From the other riders supporting us, to having a full time mechanic Steve Borkowsi… it’s just incredible.

I know Sue and I will do well. Obviously, the best case is that we’ll win, but those two women [Sydor and Sundstet] are very strong.