November 15, 2005 – The CAPE EPIC 2006 is the first ever team mountain bike race at which UCI points will be awarded – the points will be shared between the two riders in the team in the same way that a road team would share points awarded in a team time trial. It is also the only MTB race in Africa to feature on the UCI calendar for 2006 and only the second cycling race in South Africa to achieve this status, after the Giro del Capo (a 5-day road stage race).

“This is doubly exciting for the race”, says Cape Epic director, Kevin Vermaak, “as we’ll be getting more top riders from around the world coming to South Africa and it also gives South African riders the chance to earn points on their home turf before embarking upon a season of racing in Europe in the northern hemisphere summer. The World Cup riders that rode Cape Epic 2005 went on to do extremely well in the World Cup season and the Cape Epic is increasingly becoming the race that many riders are using to get their season off to a flying start.” The Cape Epic is working together with the UCI to formulate team mountain bike racing rules, as the Cape Epic is the first race with a 2- person team format to feature in their rule book. A further advantage for the Cape Epic is that the race date will be set 18 months in advance to ensure a favourable position in the global mountain bike racing calendar. “Due to recent adjustments in the UCI calendar there is also no time clash with World Cup races in 2006 as the first Cross Country race takes place three weeks prior to the Cape Epic and the first Marathon World Cup one week after our event”, explains Cape Epic media director Sonja Güldner-Hamel.

CAPE EPIC and Imperial win Logistics Award

Imperial Logistics and the Cape Epic have won Platinum (first
prize) in the annual Logistics Achiever Awards for recognition of
excellence in the South African logistics industry.
It’s no secret that the Cape Epic is a massive logistics project. The
organisers pitch over 1000 rider tents per day, transport 780 tons and
2700 m³ of equipment and supplies during the event. Twenty seven
heavy duty trucks and transporters and over 300 crew are involved in
implementing the largest mountain bike stage race in the world.
Therefore it is no wonder that the Cape Epic’s most important and
largest South African sponsor is Imperial Logistics – the leading logistics
company in Africa with over 5000 vehicles and 60 operating companies.
Each year, South Africa’s largest companies submit entries to the
Logistics Achiever Award and the Cape Epic won ahead of other
companies like Shoprite Checkers, Pepcor, Anglo Platinum, UTI,
Barloworld, Schenker Logistics, etc. The Platinum Award is the first for
Imperial, after having previously won gold, silver and bronze awards
over the past years.

CAPE EPIC lottery oversubscribed four times

Last year, the Cape Epic literally sold out over night in less than five
hours. Therefore, the organisers introduced a new public lottery for
registration into Cape Epic 2006 which gave everyone the same chance
to snatch a start place. At the same time the Cape Epic raised money
for their charity partner, the Bicycling Empowerment Network (B.E.N.)
that works to alleviate poverty in Africa through the promotion of cycling
as a means of transport. Prospective entrants had to “˜apply to ride’ the
Cape Epic 2006 by paying a 20ZAR non-refundable fee to enter the
public lottery. 100 percent of that fee has been donated to B.E.N.. The
420 lottery start places were oversubscribed four times.

Now the only chance left to ride the Cape Epic 2006 is to slip in through
the waiting list or to apply for the limited wildcards which have been
reserved for international celebrity riders and MTB champions.
Epic Trippers – The Fun Alternative
There is another chance to be somehow part of the Cape Epic 2006
without riding the race: one can join Epic Trippers, the Cape Epic
Companion Programme.

Epic Trippers has been designed for those who love the idea of
mountain biking through the Western Cape and riding trails that are
opened to mountain bikers only once a year for the Cape Epic, but who
don’t want to race 900 kilometres; whose partner is riding the Epic and
who would like to share the experience without actually cycling the
whole way; who prefer staying in a hotel and enjoying a few picnic
lunch-stops along the route. The Cape Epic Race Organisation has
partnered with South Africa’s most well-respected mountain biking and
alternate touring company Day-Trippers (www.daytrippers.co.za) realise
the Companion Programme.

Epic Trippers will ride in small groups of not more than 15. Each group
will have its own vehicle support, driver and guide. The daily rides are
tailored to what the group desires, but will typically be about 40 to 60
kilometres. Participants are never forced to ride and can climb aboard
the support vehicle whenever they want. The group will ride some of the
Epic route, but this will either be before or after the Cape Epic riders.
For example, the group might get transported to the top of a mountain
pass on The Cape Epic route, and enjoy a picnic breakfast while waiting
for The Cape Epic riders to pass. Once the last Epic rider has passed,
the group would continue along the Epic route. Cyclists that are not part
of our companion programme may not ride the route as most of it is on
private land. One can either bring his own bike along or can rent a bike
from Day-Trippers.