Today was the last day of the Cape Epic. Not my last day of racing - that was two days ago, at kilometer 111 of the Queen Stage. Today I was on the other side of the fence, and it turns out that's a much harder place to
Below is the story of Jeroen's day out on the Stellenbosch trails. No longer a teammate on the bike, I just assumed the role of ghostwriter. I slept really well, thanks to the wonderful bed at Darrel and Christa's. After starting Cape Epic with a few
I am out of the race. The Queen Stage proved too much for me. After the crash in Stage 4 — landing hard on my thigh and hip — I was struggling with the pain going into yesterday. But the bigger problem was what it did to my sleep. Another night lying
I slept. Actually slept. After three nights of tossing and turning in Montagu - between the heat, probably suffering from sugar overload as we felt we had overdone our nutrition somewhat, and whatever else was conspiring against us - I finally cracked the code. Half of one of Jeroen'
If you read yesterday's post, you know how Stage 2 ended. A destroyed rim at kilometre 61, a 16-kilometre walk to the water point, an hour waiting for a replacement that didn't quite work, creative shifting on three functional gears, and a finish in 186th place
We started Stage 2 in good spirits. Jeroen had slept properly and we both felt ok, realizing we would fine out if the legs would agree with that position later. We were in start batch H, and as we arrived quite early, we were the right at the front at
It started exactly as Stage 1 of Cape Epic probably shouldn't start: Jeroen hadn't slept a single minute. On the way to the start — which was already hectic and slightly chaotic, the timing having been pushed 30 minutes earlier due to expected heat — he told me
Well, that was not how I imagined the first day of Cape Epic would go. Let me rewind to last night. About an hour afterdinner, I'm blaming a dish that was loaded with raw garlic, my stomach decided it wanted no part of this adventure. What followed was
The Day Before This morning we did one last proper ride. About 40 kilometers, with a solid chunk of trails around the Berg River dam. It was a good one, technical enough to feel purposeful, but not the kind of effort that leaves you wondering whether you've overdone
After a twelve-hour flight from Amsterdam, we landed at Cape Town International just after 10PM on Wednesday. My friend Darrel was waiting at arrivals, and it was great seeing him in person again. We worked out it had been 2,5 years almost... He and his wife have been extraordinary
Last Wednesday coming off the bike, I felt like I was hit by a train. After an easy endurance ride, it felt like I just completed the Cape Epic. I skipped 2 days to recover and tried again on Saturday. Same result.. Turns out I have a virus that attacks
Cape Epic — it's time! Yes, the time has finally come. All those months of preparing are over. I did my last ride yesterday, on a beautiful spring day in the forest. Jeroen skipped his last one — he finally caught a virus too 😉 — but he'll be fine.