If you've ever wanted to know what a big day on the Cape Epic is like, come and test yourself on the Attakwas. Covering approximately 130km and climbing over 2600m, this is a very large day out on the bike. The Attakwas starts at the Chandelier Game Farm in Oudtshoorn and crosses from the Klein Karoo over the Outeniqua mountains, through the Attakloof Nature Reserve and finishes at the funny little town of Grootbrak, a few minutes away from Mossel Bay. I did this race last year for the first time and loved every minute of it - except for the heat, mud and the fact that Adam (my 2008 Epic partner) beat me by 4 minutes. It was the first time we were riding together, but ended up having a vicious race against each other. Good times :) This year, however, Adam was going to make sure I could not beat him, by starting the race on a tandem with a good mate of his. This left me to focus on racing the ladies. The organisers had announced that the top 10 Men and Women would receive Gold medals, so I was out on the hunt for one of those. In 2008 I came 11th, so I had a good chance. I started the day right up at the front with the CSA licensed riders, gaining just that little edge over the general competition, as well as being able to see who I was seriously riding against. We didn't start off as fast as I'd feared, so got a great start to the day. Not to forget the fact that the first 30km followed a new route, which was fantastic riding. Within half an hour I had turned on my iPod and was pumping up and down the hills, being inspired by Epic theme songs and the likes of "Chariots of Fire" and Queen's "Barcelona". I tuned out the rest of the world and focused on the rocks in front of me, my legs and lungs, and the gold medal. I made note of which ladies I passed and decided that there were at least 5 ahead that I knew of. So at best I was coming in 6th position. The big climbs of the day are in the middle 30km or so, just at the point when I hit my "mid-ride slump". My music also seemed to slow down a bit, and I told myself to just push on at as steady a pace as possible. Literally push, as I was off my bike and walking at the tops of the steeper ascents. At the first waterpoint I passed one lady I knew to be big competition for me, and at the half way mark passed another. Later, once I'd gone through the Spur sponsored water point, I passed yet another - she was out with a broken derailleur. So now I was thinking I could be anywhere from 4th to 6th position, possibly, maybe, hopefully... As the day wore on and I headed into the final 40kms, with big drops into gorges and steep climbs out, I started to get into my groove and began passing guys. Most of whom looked at me with a mixture of horror and surprise. I tried joining one group for a while to get out of the wind for a bit, but decided they were slightly too slow, so left them on a climb. In the last 8km, 3 of them eventually caught me again and I tried to hang onto their wheels, but dropped off with 2km to go. As it was, I crossed the line within a minute of them. The night before the race, we were all speculating what times we would do, and I said I was hoping for 7:30, taking 30mins off my previous time. Adam's tandem partner reckoned it would be very hard to knock off so much time, especially since last year I was training for Epic, and this year I'm not. The route had been slightly altered this year, and the weather was much more pleasant, so the top times were 20mins faster. I managed to take of a whole 45mins off my time!! From 8:04 to 7:19! I was amazed. Elmien, one of my competition, had come 3mins ahead of me in 2008, and once again this year she was 3mins ahead. So we were both super chuffed with our performance. And even better, Elmien and I had gone from 10th and 11th positions, to 4th and 5th!! Gold medals here we come!! Excellent stuff :) The race itself is a very well organised event, with the most helpful and friendly people at the water stations I've ever come across. I was a bit disappointed that there weren't any orange quarters, but the one point did have some really tasty watermelon. Spur sponsor a station after the half way mark, but I'd be interested to know how many people actually stop for that burger. I'm sure the top 25% of the field don't. I'd personally prefer to get a burger as I cross the finish line, thanks. I found the goody bags to be rather disappointing this year. It may sound childish, but when you're paying so much for an event, it's nice to get a few freebies of sorts. Also in 2008, Leopards Leap sponsored bottles of wine to all finishers. This year, however, they weren't on board and I heard many disgruntled sounds as riders finished and were presented with a little medal and no wine. But I guess it's all about the ride itself, and the route really makes for one of the best and toughest single day events in the area. If you're preparing for the Epic, this is the one to do in order to see how your training has been going. As for Adam and the tandem experience... They unfortunately hit a rock in the first 20kms, badly damaging the front cog and they had to pull out. I found them at the finish line with a few beers under their belts and very sad looks on their faces. Watch out for them next year, though, I think they have a score to settle!