By Liam Moses
A dramatic new route has been plotted for the seventh edition of the Cape Epic mountain bike race set to take place in the Boland mountains in March 2010.
The burgeoning reputation of the eight-day race also seems to have caught the attention of a host of well-known sports personalities - including cycling legend Lance Armstrong - and race organisers are holding thumbs that the seven-times Tour De France winner could participate in the 2011 event.
Armstrong, after a successful Leadville-100 (a 160km mountain bike race) said recently that he was keen to compete in more mountain bike races, and the Cape Epic seems to be on his radar for 2011.
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Changes to the course were announced yesterday and the 2010 instalment will see the 600 two-person teams trek through 722km of rocky terrain, steep climbs and fast descents.
Riders will climb moroe than 14 635m during the race which will criss-cross the mountainous landscapes of Diemersfontein, Ceres and Worcester.
The revised first stage of the race will begin on March 21 when riders depart from the Diemersfontein Wine Estate near Wellington up a steep forest path over the Bainskloof pass towards Ceres and the race will come to an end when cyclists return to the orchards and vineyards of Oak Valley and the Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West where the final stage is traditionally held.
The Epic usually attracts a fair amount of celebrities and the 2010 race will see former World Cup-winning Springboks Joel Stransky and Chester Williams, well known adventurer Riaan Manser and South African Football Association chief executive Raymond Hack take part in order to raise funds for the Jag Sports and Education Foundation.
Entries for the 2010 Epic opened in January 2009 and closed in June after which the 1200 participants where selected through a lottery draw system and then informed of their successful applications in the first week of July.
Final preparations for the event will take place at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront on March 20 when riders will have to confirm their participation and collect their accreditation and equipment for the event.
- This article was originally published on page 24 of Cape Argus on October 28, 2009
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