The day has arrived and my legs still feel like they remained in my kitbag.

85km/1350m separates us from a finisher’s medal. What a contrast to my last Epic where I felt rearing to go on the last day. For all you riders who are planning to take on the Epic, here is some insight from a two-time finisher.

The vast difference of riding at 85-90% of your ability or just tipping over the 90% is worlds apart. Unless you are an athlete that is testing that 5 percent difference on the regular basis, don’t even try and go there. Your enjoyment and functionality goes straight out the window for a mere 5%. Don’t do it!

I can say that the early part of the final stage was a pleasurable experience as it had very little rocky steep climbs and therefore gave my legs time to get into a rhythm where a bunch could pull me along for a while. Hitting Theewaterskloof was the first time I had to put some torque into my pedal stroke and I naturally went backwards. It was a relief reaching the tar, even though it was the 7km Franschoek Pass climb. It was here that I was able to get onto Shaun’s pocket and find a tempo that enabled us to keep moving forward. The teamwork in this event is fundamental and one that should not be taken lightly. It’s how you get over the line. And additional bit of help and a big thanks to one gentleman who drove around in a sponsored Land Rover who was our resident DJ with music rocking out the windows enabling us power up the climb. The music gave us both goosebumps and a tiny bit of extra energy crept out of my muscles.

Like any stage of the Epic, when you crest the final big climb, you are still far from “making it”. We still had 40km to go with a sketchy technical downhill and an aching contour path that took us up a few more little hits just to remind us that you have to earn your finisher’s medal.
Hitting the grass at Val de Vie was unbelievably emotional. I got to see my family on the final corner and the flood gates opened. I even saw my tough powerful partner shed a tear on the final stretch as he now realised that he too is an Epic finisher.

Our goals were shattered on Friday, but our bronze/brown medal will always remind us that we are part of an elite club of dedicated people who have achieved something special.

As our mountain biking idol Burry Stander said “If a guy comes to me and says he’s done and Epic or two or three, he’s immediately part of a club. That guy is a real mountain biker and you know he can suffer. You know there’s so much behind the statement. It’s a race that measures all”. RIP Burry!

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