Cape Epic 2012 & 4 Day Stage Race By Sally Bigham

In March I will start my third Cape Epic. All photos: Bob Foy

March is an early start to the season and with the cold weather back in the UK throughout January and February it can be difficult to get the necessary training miles in for such a long and demanding race. Last year I was a guide on the week long Cape Epic training camp at Club La Santa (CLS) in Lanzarote, which also incorporates a 4 day stage race. The terrain and the weather make it a perfect place for both MTB and road riding, so when I was invited to return this year I didn't hesitate to accept. 

The Training Camp started with a welcome meeting and then an easy pre-ride of the first stage of the race (35km). It was a chance for everyone to get to know each other and to familiarise themselves with the unusual terrain, which is actually very similar to some of the conditions found in South Africa: sand, loose rocks and gravel, and sharp rocky trails. Strong tyres are important and I took this as an opportunity to test some different tyres in preparation for the Epic. We had a nice group of people on the camp, including some who aren't racing the Epic but who wanted to train, race, and learn about training, racing and nutrition etc. This year Bulls rider and multiple Cape Epic winner Karl Platt joined in on the camp and it was both fun and interesting to get his perspective and advice on things too.

The CLS 4 day race started the following day and in the evenings after each stage everyone from the Training Camp met for seminars, videos and lectures on the Cape Epic during which all the details, including general information as well as technical things such as bikes, tyres and nutrition, were discussed. During the two days following the CLS race the group got together for some training rides, complete with coffee and lunch stops :) On the final evening we all had a meal in La Casa (included in the price of the camp) and Karl demonstrated how much red wine a Bulls rider could consume ;)   

Here's my account of the CLS race:

Stage 1 was a fast 35km route on open tracks. This is pretty short for me and I wasn't sure how my legs would respond, especially following some high mileage in Gran Canaria the weeks before. I hadn't seen a start list but once I was standing on the start line I knew it was going to be fast with Annika Langvad (World Marathon Champ), Blaza Klemencic, Gunn-Rita Dahle, and Adelheid Morath to name a few. From the gun the pace was high and I had to fight to stay with Annika and Adelheid. At times I lost contact with them, but I was able to close the gaps. The three of us were together in a group during the last few kms to the finish and Adelheid led as we exited a short piece of single track, followed by Annika and then me. It was a close sprint finish!

Adelheid Morath 1:19:24

Annika Langvad 1:19:25

Sally Bigham 1:19:25

Blaza Klemencic 1:23:26

Gunn Rita Dahle Flesja 1:31:47

This stage was more technical than the previous day and incorporated some rocky technical singletrails in Timanfaya National Park and another really nice singletrail around Mancha Blanca. Annika had a great start and manage to get an early lead, leaving Adelheid and me to battle out 2nd and 3rd. We stayed very close to each other throughout the stage and once again we had a sprint to the finish line. I really like racing so closely with the women :)

The time trial was a new addition to the race this year. Starting from the beach at Famara the course climbs 750 metres on open tracks and singletrials, with a couple of loose rocky descents thrown in. I've never ridden a solo time trial before and I was curious about how I'd get on. I like time trials because they're the one time (with the exception of women only races) that the men do not influence the results. Adelheid (who was only 1 second behind me in the General Classification!) set off 1 minute ahead of me and I set off 2 minutes ahead of Annika (who was 3 minutes ahead of me in the GC). 

I worked really hard to try to close the gap to Adelheid and when I could see that I was making ground I was motivated to dig even deeper. Once I caught and passed her I didn't look back!  

Sally Bigham 1:06:05

Adelheid Morath 1:07:39

Annika Langvad 1:07:53

The final stage was also new for the 2012 edition and it was a really pleasant surprise with lots of technical trails in the north of the island that I never knew existed. Going into the stage I was about 90 seconds behind Annika and 90 seconds ahead of Adelheid. Annika got a great start and found a fast group of guys, leaving Adelheid and me to ride together. I managed to build a lead of 1 minute over Adelheid before the first feedzone. Like the previous days it was fairly windy and I knew that it was important to be in group, but at times I found myself alone. A small group including Adelheid joined me not long after the second feedzone. In the last few kms I stalled in the sand allowing Adelheid to attack and finish in second place for the stage, but I retained second in the GC. 

Langvad 3:33:36

Morath 3:37:08

Bigham 3:37:40

1. Langvad 8:31:39
2. Bigham 8:37:04
3. Morath 8:38:06

It was really good fun to have a close race and it was great training. This faster work together with the long miles in Gran Canaria have given me a good training block and I'm really happy with my form for this time of year. 

Next stop: Andalucia 6 day stage Race where I will race with Swiss Marathon Champ Milena Landtwing. 

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