Photo Gallery: Absa Cape Epic, Stage Three

A photo diary, courtesy of Sven Martin

Reality and heat set in ... Cape Epic gets down to business

Yesterday's stage one was the first big stages of the Cape Epic, and it held up to its promise to be one beast-of-a-stage. The route covered three thousand-plus meters of climbing through dense, subtropical rainforest. The front of the race started out wicked fast, and even Bulls rider Karl Platt said the pace was like the blistering start of a cross-country World Cup. At Cape Epic, the difference is we still had 100 kilometers left to race!

Now though, reality is setting in. Some riders are facing the fact that in a rugged mountain bike race with 120-kilometer stages, they cannot race at all-out speeds day after day. I had some idea of what we would face; I have competed in La Ruta de los Conquistadores, Trans Alp and several other stage races.

Today we awoke before dark and headed to the breakfast tent, where riders from South Africa and from around the world were fueling up for the toughest stage ever in the Cape Epic's history. Some racers were already in riding gear, some wearing pajama pants, t-shirts and Crocs; some spoke German, some Italian, some Russian and even others many different styles of English. Common to all were bleary eyes and weary faces. Perhaps they were dreading the hardest day of the Cape Epic, or maybe the realization of seven more days of racing on noodle-legs, sore butts and raw feet was beginning to sink in.

As promised, today's stage was hot and tough. The route featured 3,000 meters of climbing in 137 kilometers to the hot Karu Desert of the South African interior. The start was frenzied and fast. The dusty dirt road and chaos reminded me of Paris Roubaix.

After the start, many of the teams who were overly ambitious in yesterday's stage hit the bottom of their reserves and began to slip backwards in the standings. In time, Chris and I moved up into a solid top-10 position.

We settled into a good grove after jumping on with former Telekom stars Udo Bolts and Carsten Bresser. However, soon they flatted, leaving us to continue our own for mile after mile of marble-strewn jeep track that made its way through the sagebrush.

We too hit some trouble as the temperatures soared into the 90s [degrees Fahrenheit - ed.] with the hot sun beating down on us. On one mountaintop, I looked around to take in the 360-degree view. Jagged brown peaks rimed the distant skyline. Vast expanses of rolling desert hills were with scattered with rocks and little life.

The last feed zone was located at the 100-kilometer mark. This was not too far from the finish. We grabbed two bottles and continued on the hour-long jeep road climb. The loose terrain required us, and all racers, to do some serious hiking with our bikes. We were out of water by the summit, but with only a 10-kilometer false flat to the finish we knew we'd make it without much trouble.

Eventually, our bike computers rolled over 130 kilometers and all I could see ahead was desert dotted with a few small outbuildings. At this realization, we quickly went from happily zipping down what we thought was the home stretch to worried and thinking "Oh my god, we're thirsty." Dry mouthed and getting dizzy, I mumbled with discontent, "You said the stage was 130 kilometers." Then we saw a sign that read seven kilometers to go. Our hearts sank. It seemed those last kilometers to the finish ticked by so slowly.

Now that we are re-hydrated and rested up, it's almost a funny story to look back on. But, at the time, we were really worried.

You never know what challenges you'll face in an adventure such as the Cape Epic, and that is something that holds true for each and every rider and team; from front runners to those whose goal is simply to cross the finish line in Lourensford.

Enjoying the adventure!
Jeremiah Bishop
Trek-VW Racing Team

Photo Gallery: Absa Cape Epic, Stage Two

Sven Martin reports with his daily photo gallery.

Photo Gallery: Absa Cape Epic, Stage One

Sven Martin reports with his daily photo gallery.

Chris reports from the CAPE!

The first full day of the Cape Epic was everything I expected it to be - and more!

The race started early, as it will everyday. First, a 4:45 am wake up call, then straight to breakfast, and then into our race gear. The usual prerace preparations and scrambling, and then to the start line 20 minutes before the 7:00 am send off. 1,200 racers sprinted out of Knysna towards the first climb. This is where the suffering began.

My team-mate, Jeremiah Bishop is a world-class climber, and could surely have hung with the leaders, but my strengths are in other areas, and I knew I needed to avoid the early race heroics and settle into my rhythm. This put us back in about 25th place, riding by ourselves, but at a strong steady pace that could last for the whole 123km. The climbing was tough all day long, but the scenery was spectacular. Greener and more lush than I envisioned, with steep river valleys that reminded me of British Columbia.

By the middle of the race, we were moving up nicely, and increasing our fluid intake to deal with the increasing heat. Our bikes were working great, and we seemed to be adapting to the terrain and conditions well. Unfortunately, I was too slow to spot the monkeys in the trees that Jeremiah saw, and I only saw the trees rustling from their movement. I hope to be quicker and more alert to spot the wildlife in future stages.

Jeremiah was helping me out where he could by letting my ride in his draft on the flatter sections and grabbing an extra bottle for me at the feed station. The system was working, and we up into the top 15.

One of my favorite things about this race is the impromptu friendships and partnerships that are made along the way. Today we made friends with a South African/Swiss duo for the last 50km, and it made the time fly by. It also helped that the Swiss rider was as a big as a chalet and offered a great draft.

As always in a long race, we were very happy to see the finish, and our position of 13th is not too bad. It was a long hard day, but we handled it without too much damage, and we will be ready to again at 7:00 am tomorrow.

Tonight will be the first night in the RVs. I think it's going to be great - the best way to stay close to the race, but still have some comfort and privacy. We found a shady spot with a pleasant breeze, and are enjoying some quality time together as a team: lounging, eating, working on bikes, and preparing for tomorrow all in one place. A few more hours 'til bed time, then same again tomorrow. That's life at the Cape Epic…

Photo Gallery: Absa Cape Epic, Prologue

Sven Martin reports with his daily photo gallery.

Straight from Sue: the story behind the CAPE!

The Trek/VW mountainbike team is very, very far away from home.  We are not in Kansas anymore!(or should I say Waterloo!)  We are close to 20,000 miles away from home.  And it sure felt like that to get here.  We travelled for four days to get to the start of this race.  I have never gone so far for a race before. Its crazy, but so thrilling at the same time. It really shows the globalization of the sport of mountainbiking.  I think its the good kind of globalization, though.

But even being a world away, there are always comforts of home.  For us, that would be in the form of Gary Lee and Ricky Treager.  They are the distributors of Trek South Africa and the owners of Just For Fun.  They have looked after us since our arrival.  They have driven us, fed us, kept us from getting lost and basically have extended the Trek family hospitality to us.  Gary has been filling us in on a lot of cultural facts and of course making sure we have everything we need for the race.  He also has been telling us about how huge cycling is here in SA.  Ricky was our bag man.  Ricky miraculously located my missing bike when no one would answer the phone at South African Airways and when they couldn't located my bike in their system.  I was so happy to see my carbon rocket because I did not want to start a nine day race on a borrowed bike.  He also located Jenny's bag which came just last night which prevented her from throwing the phone into the bay.

The race started in Knysna which is a five hour drive from Cape Town where the race eventually ends.  To me, it looks a lot like Monterey.  Think of Pebble Drive without the crashing waves on the rocks and baboons hiding in the trees.  It is a very wealthy area.  We can sit on our hotel beds and watch sailboats go by.  The restaurants serve Carpaccio and Ostrich and Springbok. We haven't had to use a PortaPotty yet(or Dixie like they call them here) So we are not slumming yet by any means.

And a leader's jersey is not any hardship for us!  We won the prologue today. Twenty three women's team started the race today.  A number that represents the strongest women's field to date at the Cape Epic.  This is only 4% of the total entrants, but Jenny and I are doing our best to represent our gender with an iron smile, which means tough on the inside and soft on the outside.

We were second seated behind the clear favorites of the race, Alison Sydor and Pia Sundstedt(Rocky Mountain)  Our plan was to open up our airplane legs.  We hadn't ridden much this last week and have done a lot of sitting around.  So no matter what, the legs were going to hurt.  We wanted to push ourselves because we were so hungry to ride, but without killing the legs.  Plus, we were a bit conservative because we hadn't been allowed to pre-ride the course.  Jenny said, "It was a great way to get the race started.  It was fun also having the women's teams  only out on the course because tomorrow its racing with the masses."

We were maybe being a little too cautious because Alison and Pia passed us pretty quickly.  They were really pushing themselves on the climbs.  Jenny could keep up and I was lagging.  They got a healthy gap and we went our own pace.  My legs came around and the sensations of racing made a welcome return.  And by racing smart and clean, we passed the Rocky girls by the side changing a flat tire.  There was a bit of sympathy, but I know we will have our own share of mishaps this week.  And we are more than psyched and honored to wear the jersey tomorrow.

I want to say how impressive the organization of the race and the wonderful hospitality that we are experiencing.  I am in awe of all the people that work so hard to put on a moving race of this scale.  I am also in awe of our support staff.  Steve Borkowski has been working day and night to make sure our bikes our epic ready.  Its no easy task, I can tell you.  Our soigneur, Laura Downey, is an energizer bunny taking care of our legs, tummies and the master time keeper.  Its more than  2- two person teams out here.
Jeremiah and Chris are big superstars down here.  They don't mention Chris's name without saying that he is the 6 time 24 Hour Solo World Champion.  And all eyes look at Jeremiah when he passes by on his bike.  They had a great start today with a 14th place in the mind blowing stacked men's field.  You'll hear their stories later on, but I'll just say that it involves an elephant.

Tomorrow the real racing starts...1200 riders, 7am start, 123Km, 3000meter of climbing and of course a leader's jersey to defend.

Sue and Jenny WIN Cape Epic Prologue!!!

The Trek-VW women's team of Susan Haywood and Jenny Smith has just won the prologue at Cape Epic!  What an amazing achievement after several days of travel and media obligations!  No word yet as to Jeremiah and Chris's result, but I'm sure we'll hear presently.

Initial reports from South Africa have been by text message and short phone calls.  We were hoping to have reliable internet access for the sake of daily reports and contact, but all indications are that the internet situation is spotty at best.  Apparently several stories have already been lost to lack of bandwidth.  A small tragedy, but what we have been hearing has been quite positive.

Travel for most commenced with a 30+ hour plane ride from the USA to Capetown, with a refuel in Senegal and a plane change in Johannesburg.  I had a quick phone chat with our soigneur, Laura Downey, upon arrival to Capetown.  She said the group was in good spirits despite the fatigue and 2 lost bags.  Evidently, the 2 lost bags included SUE'S BIKE !!  However, by next morning our fantastic Trek contacts in Cape Town, Ricky Treger and Gary Lee at Just Fun Cycling, were able to help locate lost bags.

They also offered assistance with pick up of the RV campers.  In order to make travel on the race caravan and overnighting at each stage more palatable, we rented 2 RVs for the team.  After securing these vehicles and loading baggage, Laura reported that the drive to the start town of Knysna took more than 8 hours, lasting well into the night.  To add to the stress, remember that all vehicles and roads in S.A. are left-hand drive (drive on the left side of the road, just like in Britain).  Another long travel day and everyone was tired ...

Which of course led into the busiest day of the pre-race build up.  Thursday before the race included a UCI meeting, registration, a press conference, a media appearance by Jeremiah and Chris (on elephants!), and a team dinner hosted by Ricky and Gary.  Phew!  Again communication with Laura was short-- a mix of phone and text-- but she got the story across that everyone was doing fine, just quickly and quietly pushing through the stress and challenges.  Mechanic Steve Borkoski was reported to be at work from 6am to 8pm, prepping bikes and spares.

All of which lead to a 2 am (Pacific time) phone call with the news that Sue and Jenny had won the prologue.  I didn't actually take the call, but Sue reports that they "opened up their legs today, and we're psyched to get the leaders jersey tonight!"  Jenny said in the message that Gary Lee has been awesome, just incredibly helpful.    Judging by the whoops and shouts in the background, I would say the whole team is thrilled to kick off the race with a 15 second lead, and the leaders jersey.

No news yet as to the men's race, but we'll be back with updates as fast as they can come in!!

Photo Gallery: Absa Cape Epic, Preview

Sven Martin reports with his daily photo gallery.

Cape Epic Preview

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.

T-MINUS 6 DAYS to CAPE EPIC!!!

After a successful training camp and photography session in Moab, Utah last weekend, the Trek-VW team is now headed across the globe to Cape Town, South Africa. The red sand of Moab will hopefully bring good luck to the 2 teams and 2 staff we are sending to the Cape Epic stage race. It’s going to be an abrupt start to a long season, especially for our new staffers, but we’re hoping the effort is rewarded with some good results, great fitness, and amazing stories.

Cape Epic is the flagship event of a new generation of epic, multi-day mountain bike races. It traverses the South African countryside from Knysna to Cape Town, over the course of 8 days. Stages cover 100km or so per day, and the terrain is about as rugged and beautiful as any on earth. 

Why have we decided to send our athletes thousands of miles away to race in distant lands? No, it’s not because we simply want to banish them from the team trailer for a few weeks. Rather, we decided that the opportunity was ripe for our team to make a big splash in this category of racing. We have riders that do exceptionally well in many other categories of off-road racing: Chris Eatough dominates the 100 mile and 24-hour endurance scene; Brian and Jenny Smith are regulars on the podium in Xterra Off-Road Triathlon; Jeremiah Bishop is contending for the US Olympic selection in World Cup cross-country; Susan Haywood has taken wins in stage races including El Reto Guatemala, TransRockies, and La Ruta de los Conquistadores.

However, the chance to plunge headfirst into the biggest international stage race on earth, with the most media coverage of all, was too great to pass up. The decision to participate in this race was not taken lightly. It took something like 2 months to agree that it would be effort well-made. The cost for our program is frankly exorbitant. But the chance to take our athletes onto the international stage and directly into the limelight is worth the stretch. Simply by showing up as the only American team committing heavily to the event is drawing attention. Exactly what we were looking for!

In the men’s race, Jeremiah Bishop and Chris Eatough are partnering for the first time since Trans Alpe 2002. In the women’s race, stage race vet Susan Haywood joins Xterra breakout Jenny Smith. Mechanic Steve Borkoski and new-to-Trek-VW soigneur Laura Downey will be assisting. We’ve rented 2 RVs, a satellite phone, and shipped 4 boxes of supplies. It’s no small feat to take on 8 days of racing with 6 people to care for!

So, at this point, the logistical arrangements have been made, bikes boxed up, and travelers drilled with information. All that’s left is boarding the planes for up to 30 hours of travel. On the other end, we have local Trek distributors Just Fun Cycling ready to offer hospitality and welcome friendly faces to the arriving team.

Check back for daily reports from riders and staff! And wish us luck in the biggest adventure Trek-VW has ever attempted!

Trek-VW team camp 2008 in progress!

Well we couldn't put it off any longer ... the 2008 season is just around the corner, and time to get the band back together.  The Trek-VW team for 2008 looks much the same as in '07, but a few new faces on the staff side of things.  So, to get everyone broken in and to get bikes sorted out, we have gathered in Moab, UT for a few days of riding, meetings, and photos. 

It's always a minor shock to the system, interacting with everyone in close quarters once again.  However everyone is positive, motivated, and happy to be here.  So my work has been fast paced but supported by the great people around me.

We've spent a LOT of time with photography.  In 5 years working with the team, never have I seen the photography take such a high level of importance and preparation.  But after seeing the finished work, I understand what we're after.  Keep an eye on our website for a striking new look!

I don't have any photos right now, but we'll get them up shortly.  We've got more to do here before we're kicked off for the season, but we'll see you in a few weeks at the races!

Brian Smith: WINTER XTERRA WORLD CHAMP!

3/8/08- Eighty some comeptitors lined up for the inaugural winter world championship Saturday morning in Snowbasin, UT.  The event consists of snowbiking 10K, snowshoeing 5K, snowrunning 5K and randonee skiing 8K.  A one of a kind event that showcases many talents and tests the skills of all athletes including the pros.  The start line in the men's race included the likes of:

• Nicholas LeBrun of France, a two-time ITU Winter Triathlon World Champion, XTERRA Summer World Champion and two-time World Duathlon Champion
• Josiah Middaugh, now 3-time National Snowshoe Champion, 5 time Winter Quadrathlon Champion, 4th place finisher at 2006 XTERRA Summer World Championships
• 48 year-old Mike Kloser, 2-time USAT Winter Triathlon National Champion and national team member at numerous ITU World Championships not to mention all the world-wide success with team Nike/ACG in adventure
• Greg Krause, 2008 North American Snowshoe Champion and top XTERRA Pro

Talk about some serious talent.  Mike Kloser and I took out the bike but all the heavy hitters maintained contact.  Greg and Josiah used their strong snowshoeing and running skills and put the hurt on everybody.  Even with a strong chase and running fast Nico and I weren't able to reel back the two during the snowrun, prior to the rando ski.  Once on skis Greg was showing signs of his efforts and was only a minute up the first climb lugging his heavier at equipment at half the tempo Nico and I were putting out.  Josiah was well up the first climb already.  Nico and I closed the gap to Josiah to about a minute.  At about the halfway point on the skis I overshot a re-skin flag and was called back to the line before I could begin the ascent.  I lost about 20 seconds and Nico went by.  I closed the gap to about 5 seconds before the top.  Nico left to ski a series of panel gates but crashed right after passing Josiah who had also fallen on the same corner.  Upon seeing Nico with his skis off and skins out I thought we had one more skin-up and stopped to ask the official who just  waved me on.  There was final short climb of about 50 feet to the last series of 10 gates.  We all opted to herring bone up the last climb to save time.  Once I started pushing with my poles I found I was not getting any plant with the right pole.  I had lost my basket on a gate on the last descent.  Josiah was 5 seconds in front of me and Nico was 5 seconds in the rears.  While running the last series of gates Josiah needed to stay upright to take the title.  He unfortunately crashed at the fourth to last gate and while snow plowing around the second to last gate I came on the inside to take the race by 1.2 seconds.  That was undoubtedly the most exciting race of my life.  I netted a cool $1800 for the effort and got some great press coverage.

Snow Biking

Lea here. Here’s the report on my latest winter training adventure, the second annual Vermont winter mountain bike race.

The 2008 Jay Winter Challenge goes down in my top three most formidable competitions thus far. It’s always a mystery what Vermont weather is going to serve up for this thirty-mile mountain bike race on the snowmobile trails. This year, there was 18 inches of fresh snow on the menu which created the most ‘challenging’, yes the race lives up to its name, conditions yet. The new snow made this race like riding in 12 inches of sand for 30 miles. That’s no exaggeration. It wasn’t so much a fitness race as it was a balance/running/walking race moving at about three miles per hour. The only way I could bike was to ride in the 2 inch wide firm tracks the snowmobile skis left on the trail. It was like riding on the ‘painted white line’ for five hours. I’m using the term ride very loosely here. Every competitor was desperately swerving all over the trail like we had just taken our training wheels off or possibly took a pit stop at the local bar to drown our sorrows. Believe me, I’ve never been so happy to see ice on my bike. These two-foot long puddles dotting the course provided much needed relief.

Gettin my swerve on in the soft snow

There were some other redeeming qualities that kept me going. Number one: I’m way too stubborn (and stupid) to quit. Number two: There was fondue at the aid stations. I have a chocolate stain on the front of my jersey to prove it. Never underestimate the power of chocolate and bananas on morale. Number three: The extremely friendly volunteer crew. Number four: There was a hot lasagna dinner waiting at the finish line. Number five: I had my Trek 9.9 hardtail ‘winterized’ with a switchblade carbon fork and wide tires on the Rhythm wheels. Besides having skis, it was the best set-up. The most important redeeming quality: Any competition in the upcoming season is going to seem easy compared to this one. Anyone who wants serious bragging rights, ridiculously good lasagna, or just a back pocket full of epic winter mountain biking tales, I suggest you sign up for the 2009 Jay Winter Challenge. I’ll see you at the fondue pot.