Dutchman Bart Brentjens, 1996 Olympic gold medallist in mountain biking and a former Absa Cape Epic winner, described the event as the “Tour de France of mountain biking.” For 2021 the event is moving entirely indoors, on Zwift!
This event lasts 4 stages, totaling 73.5km/45.7 miles with an elevation again of 789.4m/2,590’ and will be raced solely on mountain bikes. The race will also include a competition for the GC, with a leaderboard being created using ZwiftPower, keeping in the spirit of racing for the Cape Epic.
The four stages will include a TT on the second stage and span from March 7-14. There will be 3 events per day to serve worldwide timezones.
Stage Details
Race categories for the “Open” race events follow the standard ZwiftPower categorization scheme (A, B, C, and D). There are also women’s only events with their own women’s categories (A, B, C, and D).
Stage 1 p/b Oakley
- Dates: March 7/8
- Course: Whole Lotta Lava, 1 lap
- Total Distance: 17.2km / 10.7 miles
- Total Elevation: 160m / 525’
Stage 2 TT p/b Dimension Data
- Dates: March 9/10
- Course Bologna TT, 1 lap
- Total Distance: 8km / 5 miles
- Total Elevation: 230m / 755’
Stage 3 p/b ABUS
- Dates: March 11/12
- Course: Jungle Circuit Reverse, 2 laps
- Total Distance: 22km / 13.7 miles
- Total Elevation: 164m / 538’
Stage 4 – Race p/b ASSOS
- Dates: March 13/14
- Course: Serpentine 8, 1 lap
- Total Distance: 26.5km / 16.5 miles
- Total Elevation: 204.7m / 675’
Signup and event schedule at zwift.com/events/series/2021-absa-cape-epic-stage-race
Event Unlocks and Prizes
Given the scale of this event, there are of course unlocks and prizes!
- Finish Stage 1 or 2 to unlock the Absa Cape Epic kit (this looks to be the same kit awarded in 2020)
- Finish Stage 3 or 4 to unlock the Scott Spark Cape Epic custom paint job (this looks to be the same paint job awarded in 2020)
- Complete all 4 stages and get an invite into the Absa Cape Epic Pro/Am Race on March 17 (details below)
- Complete all 4 stages to be entered to win an IRL custom painted Scott Spark RC 900 team issue AXS!
Be sure to read the official rules for details.
Absa Cape Epic Exhibition Pro/Am Race
The Cape Epic is the most televised mountain bike race in the world, and in keeping with the tradition, Cape Epic is going to be televising the Absa Cape Epic Exhibition Pro/Am Race hosted on Zwift’s Serpentine 8 course on March 17th
Want to race the pros? Make sure you complete all 4 stages above so you can take part in the Pro/Am race! This will be a handicapped race, so the amateurs will start before the pro men and women, then try to stay away.
Podcast Rides
In addition, there will be Absa Cape Epic Podcast Rides presented by Payson McElveen on his Adventure Stache Podcast from March 1-6.
The podcast will be focused around the Cape Epic and the athlete’s experiences of their time at the races, including discussing the race, the racing, team dynamics, kit, preparation, and the competition in general.
Questions or Comments?
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