ed’s letter
IN FEBRUARY 2003 I launched
Bicycling magazine in South
Africa. I’d been publishing
Runner’s World since 1995 and,
as a passionate cyclist, I sensed
that cycling was reaching critical
mass. The Argus and 94.7 Cycle
Tours had grown to be the largest
individual-timed races on the
planet. Barloworld was launching
a UCI WorldTour cycling team
featuring rising local stars such
as Robbie Hunter. Robbie’s
famous first-ever African stage
win at the Tour de France,
broadcast live on Africa’s leading
TV platform, SuperSport, really
brought the world’s biggest
annual sports event alive in this
country. Robbie will ride his first
Cape Epic this year.
On my trips to Bicycling’s US
headquarters I was fortunate
to visit Sea Otter Festival,
where Spook Groenewald, our
legendary bush mechanics
expert on p124, started his
career. I met the likes of free
riding legend Hans Rey, who
wrote the feature on riding
in Naples on p60, and the
flamboyant Missy Giove, who
I’d watched win Downhill World
Champs in Vail in 1994, and shred
Meurant Botha’s Jonkershoek
UCI World Cup DH course in
1998. Meurant designed seven
stages of the first Epic course
and this year’s race will include
parts of the original Botmaskop
DH course. On those trips,
the international industry was
surprised to hear that a country
so blessed with open countryside
and all-year sunshine had a
BMX youth culture yet so few
mountain bike races. Our global
publishers had launched an off-
road-specific mag (coincidentally
called Mountain Bike), but it
was still a fringe title dedicated
to the ex-BMX and skate street
community. It wasn’t viable
in mainstream SA where ultra
endurance races like Comrades
were the benchmarks of sport.
16 | MTB | proud as punch
The stars aligned when
Kevin Vermaak, fresh from the
10th La Ruta in Costa Rica (a
monstrous, often muddy stage
race), bounced into our offices
to announce his lofty ambition
to create the world’s ultimate
MTB stage race, right here in
SA. It made absolute sense.
His passionate determination
indicated he’d pull it off, and
16 years later we are indeed host
to mountain biking’s equivalent
are now races everywhere and
our talented trail builders have
never ceased to work alongside
willing farm owners, building
more singletrack than in any
other country. South Africa
has truly become the capital
of mountain biking. We are
to MTBing what Hawaii is to
surfing. I couldn’t bring myself
to say Scotland and golf – does
anyone still chase that little white
ball in long pleated pants and
sa has truly become the capital
of mountain biking ... we are to
t ing what hawaii is to surfing
of the Tour de France. Speak to
any rider on any trail on earth
and they’re almost certain to
know the race. It’s boosted an
industry in SA where nearly eight
out of 10 bikes sold has knobby
tyres, and almost anyone in our
vast country has a trail within
riding distance of home.
A year after the inaugural Epic
race from Knysna to Stellenbosch
in 2004, Farmer Glen launched
sani2c in KZN, which over time
has grown to nearly 5 000
riders. It, in turn, inspired the
popular Wines2Whales. There
uncomfortable shoes?
Those who race the 700+km
Cape Epic course, with over
16 000m of ascent over
unforgiving terrain, are quite
simply exceptional humans,
especially those who balance
their sport with jobs and families.
To complete an ultra marathon
or triathlon is impressive, but to
get up and do it all over again for
eight days running requires a very
rare level of courage, strength
and determination. I have had
the opportunity to speak to many
riders midway through the race
who seem broken yet committed
to their partners, like soldiers at
war, and the finish line has seen
more tears than any sports event
I’ve ever covered. For most of us,
it’s raw inspiration that we have
no limits. To those tackling the
enormous challenge, we can only
hope that you each know why
you’re at the race so you find the
inner voice that tells you why you
shouldn’t quit when you want to.
Nothing will ever convince those
who’ve crossed the Epic finish
line that they can’t do anything
they set their minds to!
For many of us, riding is just
the feeling of the wind in our hair
and the skid of the dirt below,
just like when we first tasted
the freedom of a bike as kids.
For others, it’s a chance to race
your shadow. Whatever it is, just
keep riding – it’s the healthiest,
greenest and most fun way
to see, feel and explore the
wonderful world we live in. Enjoy!
A final note of thanks to my
talented, passionate team,
our amazing contributors, and
especially to the Grandstand
Events crew for allowing us the
privilege of creating this official
mag. We’ve enjoyed incredible
feedback on our Tour de France
Guide and we hope we have
delivered something of equal
or better value to you, the Cape
Epic riders and fans. Please
feel free to share your feedback
with us. Let’s keep riding safely,
respecting other riders and
keeping the trails cleaner than
we found them.
We look forward to your pics,
stories and comments.
[email protected]
@paulingpen
Mountain Bike SA
@mountainbikesa
END
PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN