Has the 2010 Absa Cape Epic got it all?
It is back, looking tougher than ever, and with a new twist to the format. It, of course, is the Absa Cape Epic, and the 2010 edition promises to be as challenging as ever before.
Once again the route is a demanding eight-day ride, covering 722km and climbing 14,600m in the process over regions previously untouched by the race.
There will be no prologue for riders to ease into the race, but instead, after booking in at Cape Town’s Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, riders will set off from Diemersfontein on March 21 on a 117km trek over Bainskloof Pass to Ceres.
The race will spend three nights in Ceres, two in Worcester and two in Oak Valley, before heading back to Lourensford, scene of the finish this year. The last three days will look familiar to riders of the 2009 event but for me, two of those three days were the most gruelling and demoralising I have ever undertaken on two wheels, and I am still trying to erase them from my memory.
The twist in 2010 is that there is no prologue, but a time-trial on day five, through the foothills of the Brandwacht to the west of Worcester. At only 27km some riders might consider it a rest day, but with 860m of climbing they will be well advised to treat it seriously. Full details of the ride can be seen on the Cape Epic site.
The Lance question
There have been frenzied rumours that Lance Armstrong will be taking part in the 2010 Cape Epic, and even Kevin Vermaak, the Epic founder and organiser, has hinted to this blog that he is hopeful of such a coup. Well, that speculation will not be stifled by the news that Lance will be in South Africa at the beginning of March to give his backing to the Jag Foundation, the charity supported by the Cape Epic and many of its leading riders.
My take, personally, is that the Epic is too soon before the Tour de France, where Lance will be riding with his new team Caddyshack - sorry, I mean RadioShack. I reckon he will be recce’ing the Epic in the expectation of riding it in 2011 or 2012. But then, what do I know? Lance, any clues?