Cape Epic New Release

photo_ridersdust
Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.

There are only 47 days to the start of Cape Epic 2006 and once again it will be a record breaking event. There will be more than 1000 riders from 37 nations lined up at the start in Knysna on Saturday 22 April. Mountain bikers will travel from as far as Brazil, Canada, Norway, Japan, and Australia to participate in the Magical and Untamed African Mountain Bike Race. This year’s race is the longest in the history of the Epic - 921km and 16,605m of altitude gain in 8 days! (16,605m climbing? Yes, that is like climbing Mount Everest twice from sea level!)



Because of our early date in the international mountain bike racing calendar, the Cape Epic is increasingly becoming the stage race of choice for the world’s best mountain bikers. Overall World Cup Champion of 2004 and 2005, Christoph Sauser (SUI), and partner Liam Killeen (GBR), placed 5th at Athens 2004, will race together in Team Specialized. The Rocky Mountain team of Karl Platt (GER) and Carsten Bresser (GER), both multiple winners of the TransAlp and TransRockies races are back to improve on their unlucky seventh position last year (Karl is also the only person to have won the Triple Crown of mountain biking; in 2004 Karl won all of the Cape Epic, TransAlp and TransRockies). South Africa’s hope for podium honours is the exciting pairing of Kevin Evans and Mannie Heymans in Team adidas Raleigh. Kevin has achieved the best results amongst South African riders at every Cape Epic and Mannie (riding for Namibia – but he was born in South Africa!) has previously won the TransAlp and the Cape Epic. Team adidas Fiat-Rotwild, with TransRockies winners Andy Strobel (GER) and Silvio Wieltschnig (AUT), will also have their say in the battle of the top three. Andy and Silvio placed second at the inaugural Cape Epic and Silvio came third last year.