Taming the beast that is the ABSA Cape Epic.
For almost every South African mountain biker, riding this race is a lifelong dream, a privilege Fritz and I were blessed with in 2014 and one will hopefully be realizing in March 2016.
Anybody who says the Epic is an easy race, is either Chuck Norris or slightly delusional ,it’s hard. Physically, mentally, emotionally and mechanically hard.
As with any big dream, the Epic requires thoughtful planning, the right partner, incredibly understanding support from our friends and family, good eating and a little bit of lady luck.
During the building of the foundations we lay for the Epic, Fritz and I will spend on average 20-24hours a week on the bike, doing what is termed ‘Base work’ . This period usually falls over December and is probably one of the hardest sections of the training program due to the hours. It does however ensure we don’t need to drag any Christmas pudding up the mountains with us in March 😉
Once December is done, we take a full recovery week, where if we ride, it will only be for one hour, at a snail’s pace, literally. During the rest weeks, it is essential to still eat well and make sure your body has the best chance to recover, and keep your immune system fighting fit.
On that note, if you see an Epic rider eating about 500 plates of food at your next braai, don’t be concerned, just smile and pass the salad his or her way. On average we’ll burn around 850-1000Kcal of energy an hour during training, 24 hours a week, you do the maths… whilst passing that salad J
Once January arrives and the working world starts again, our focus shifts to much shorter, but far more intense efforts during the weekdays, and longer ‘endurance’ rides over the weekends. These efforts are used to simulate the efforts that we’ll need to put out in the mountains of the Western Cape to get around each day’s challenge. During the week, as difficult as it is, we try to get some gym work done, to strengthen our core, which in turn helps keep any injuries at bay. This is done on our own though, as it’s tough, especially for a husband and dad of 3 (Fritz) to spend so much time away from his loving family.
Thankfully for us, the South African mountain biking calendar offers plenty tough yet magical races around the country that we can use to prepare for the terrain we’ll encounter at the Epic. So pack your bags, load up the family and let’s roadtrip! Sabie, Dullstroom and Barberton are the three main races used to whip us into shape and build confidence as we near the dawning of the day that spills light onto the realization of our dream.
As you can imagine, all this riding means a tired set of legs, sometimes tired hardly justifies the feeling. We therefore develop a good old “love hate relationship” with the physio and her mighty hands of doom. A good massage at least once a month will prove instrumental in being able to sort an issue out before it becomes a crises nearer the race day.
So there you have it, a snip bit of the puzzle pieces needed to build the fitness and form to take on the world’s toughest stage race, the ABSA Cape Epic.
Once again, massive thanks to Vista Clinic for making this dream a reality for us both.
Vista Clinic will be the proud sponsor of Fritz Vermaak and James Ross-Marsh to participate in the 2016 ABSA Cape Epic. James shares some of his thoughts with us.
