Cape Epic (128 days to go))

Another year, another 9 day, 900k off road race to get through. Im not a beginner anymore though! This will be my 5th mountain bike race - sounds like a tough one though!

I've entered the Cape Epic which is part of the trio of ultimate mountain bike races. Trans Alps and Trans Rockies make up the mountain bikers axis of evil single track.

I have done the other two so now to compete the trilogy with Cape Epic. 900ks off road through the amazing garden route of South Africa. From Georgetown to Cape Town at Easter 2008. Up the mountains and down to the beach every day - every single baking hot, dry day - therefore its perfect that all my training will take place in the baking, dry heat of a mid winter Bracknell forest in sunny Berkshire!

I am 44 and started riding on a road bike 4 years a go. I managed to finish a few races and have enjoyed the miles on the road. Last year someone in my club asked if anyone wanted to partner him on the hardest mountain bike race in the world (the Trans Alps). I agreed and since then have spent most of my miles either off road - or laying on it, after trying to self-teach an old dog new tricks and see if I can push my body further than my four kids already push it...

my partner in all this is the slightly more novice Bill Gilbert, who i did the Rockies with and for which the Cape will be his 4th mountain bike race.

So we're not really mountain bikers (could you tell). This blog is more about two 40 something blokes, taking on a challenge too far (perhaps) and seeing if we can train through a winter, stay friends and get to the end of the 900k with our bodies and bikes intact...

So I've done the entry - I'd better start training. Just remembered though, that Im running a marathon next weekend so single track training will have to wait for a week or two - back to the coffee then...