Club 100 CT member, Stuart Marais tells us about his preparation and adventure of the Absa Cape EPIC 2010. Predominantly a triathlete, this was a new challenge for Stuart who partnered with his cousin Charles Keey.
Charles and Stuart finished an amazing 20th overall - top amateur team and 4th SA team! A truely remarkable acheivement - well done guys!

" The past 2 months have been the most exciting & challenging 2 months of my life! It all started with the Herald mountain bike race in Addo. Very soon after this little monster of a race, Charles Keey asked me to be his partner in the Cape Epic, which was a mere month & a bit away... surely this wouldn't be possible.
I started a crash course in mountain biking... lots of mileage, just me, my bike, a little light & the big Jonkershoek mountains at 4am on most mornings, rain or shine!! I was determined to try the sport many people have said I should take more seriously ?? So I set my goal- the ABSA Cape Epic 2010 was it!

So, how do you prepare for not only the 4th biggest cycling race in the world, but one of the most challenging & testing endurance sporting events worldwide, in just a month & a bit ???
In this time I still raced the SA Xterra champs (6th) the Teavigo duathlon race #1 (4th) The Giro'del'Capo & the Argus (hanging onto Lance Armstrong wheel) ...& then came the Epic!!

The day had arrived, the start of the 2010 ABSA Cape Epic. I was a bundle of nerves, not knowing if I'd done enough to actually finish this race, let alone race it. My partner came over to me about 10 minutes prior to the start & asked me "so Stu, how does it feel to have gone from being a top Triathlete/Duathlete to a UCI seeded PRO cyclist & seeded in the top 50 teams in the Cape Epic??" I didn't really know how to answer... I had done exactly that, it felt surreal! I wasn't about to let this opportunity to cycle amongst the best in the world, slip through my fingers... I was in this race & was determined to race hard!

You never really know what to expect, as with any new venture. How do I start? am I good enough? what if I come last? what if I don't make it to the finish in Lourensford? This would all be a waste??
Inevitably, these thoughts run through your mind & even though I know better than to fill my mind with negative thoughts... this is what I did, on the start line!!!

The helicopter rose above us, a sign that the day & the Epic was about to begin...
5, 4, 3, 2, 1... BANG!! The crowd went mad & we were off!! 8 days, 600 teams & 722km (plus a bit more...)

Day 1 (117km) Wellington - Ceres
We started the race with a climb, this would be the best description for the race, we climbed every day, most of the day!! My heart was sitting in my mouth, my legs were burning, I was completely soaked, how much further I thought... I looked down at my computer... we had only done 13.2km, the road was still going up & I couldn't go any faster!!
I thought to myself.. this stage is 117km long, about 2000m climbing to do & then another 7 of these days would follow!!
I decided to pace myself & take every stage as an individual race. I regained my composure, found my rhythm somehow & started being positive!! It would either be this, or I pull out immediately- that wasn't an option in my mind!

My partner & cousin, Charles Keey, had a fantastic start & managed to hook onto a very strong group. This was his game, he knew how to ride at this high intensity & must have been thinking that I probably wasn't the best partner for him.
We worked hard together & rode consistently throughout the stage, until... BANG!! Charlie blew to a million pieces, 60km to go in stage 1 & he was stuffed! I kept chatting to him, pulling him & pushing him up the climbs, dragging him along the flats & trying to keep him motivated! With just 8km to go, thoughts of abandoning the Epic on just the first stage were crossing our minds. We stopped at a water trough in a cattle field & Charlie seized up completely. I splashed water over his pins & even tried to rub them... he shed a tear- I'm still not sure if it was the pain of the cramp, or the possibility of not finishing a single stager of the Epic.
Now, it wasn't about holding our position, but rather limiting our losses, which we did relatively well. Charlie got stronger, I kept chatting & after 7km of excruciating railway track, we made it to Ceres in one piece, just... We finished this day in 33rd overall, things could only get better!!

So.. we didn't talk much after the stage in terms of what we did wrong, but rather focussed on how we would tackle the next 7 days. We had to keep talking to each other, we both knew that either of us could have a bad day at any stage. I knew Charlie felt a bit stupid & silly for blowing on stage 1, but I wasn't about to make him feel worse. I rather hoped & prayed that I wouldn't have to go through a day like he did!!

Stage 2 (96km) Ceres - Ceres
A day of single track. Neither of us had the best technical skills. We could climb quite fast & hold our own on the flats.. the single tracks of Eselfontein would be a real tester of our mountain biking ability!
Charlie meandered over to me just before the start, I was busy preparing my water bottles. He said "Hey Stu, don't worry about yesterday, I'll man the fuck up!!!" Ha ha, I laughed & chirped him for blowing, but I knew this would be it. We both realised the race would be hard & we would need to be the same. I would have to be the other half of Charlie & he would have to be the other half of me! We were on it.
We tore the single tracks apart & rode with confidence all day, we ended in 22nd overall & our confidence had grown.

Stage 3 (120km) Ceres - Ceres
This would be one of the most testing days of the 2010 Cape Epic. Charlie & I were full of confidence, taking stage for stage. We were good at climbing & we decided not to take unnecessary risks. We rode the climbs hard & descended as fast as we could, without taking too many risks & surrounded ourselves with good strong riders who we knew would more than likely take the correct/appropriate line on the descent. At a stage we were climbing with the best in the business... Garmin Adidas (Phillip Buys & Francois Theron) Team Merida (Jose Hermida & Haus) The Spaniards & Shan & Andrew.. we were really mixing it up with the biggest names in the mountain biking world!!
This time we ended in 17th overall. Could it be... we were getting better & stronger as the race went on. At this rate we would make a podium by stage 8 :)

Stage 4 (90km) Ceres - Worcester
In the race briefing the night before, we heard that this would be an easier stage in terms of mileage & climbing... Ok, so we push it a bit harder we thought.
For some odd reason, day 4 in the ABSA Cape Epic would be the teams nemesis. Charlie & I were flat as 2 pancakes. We battled our way through a crazy start, missed the split to the main bunch, grafted hard on the flat open gravel roads & felt shit all day. Today, there wasn't a team we thought, who wasn't stronger than us. The back markers might even catch us at the rate we were riding, literally just turning the pedals over.
We got to the finish, worse for wear. As it turned out, there were actually a good couple of teams who felt as we did- broken! We ended the day 27th overall, quite disappointed.

As with every day, after the race we would have a quick shower, rush over to our massage ladies who always anticipated great things from us & were always on top of the world! A great 1 hour recovery massage & then back to our little red huts... as per usual they were a minimum of 45 deg C & all our recovery drinks were cooking to a point of absolute denaturisation!!

Stage 5 (27km TT) Worcester - Worcester
The chance to sleep later would be a God send. We woke up feeling slightly more energetic. Still the aching muscles, but a chance to eat a nice relaxed breakfast before a tester of a time trial later that morning.
The day started off in reverse. All the back markers left at 30sec intervals up to 151st place. Then it was our turn. All the teams in the top 30 in the General Classification (we were lying 22nd in GC)
Starting in reverse again, we would have our work cut out for us. The Speedy was just behind. the Ramora brothers from Spain, not to mention the Bulls, Burry, Kevin & the rest of the top class field would be chasing us down.
I said to Charlie that he should take the lead early on as it was a relatively flat start. As it turned out, Charliue felt flat, so I took it upon myself to lead us out. I felt strong & pulled a good share of the way. We were catching teams ahead, but I knew I couldn't do it alone. Stronger teams would be hunting us down from behind.
We climbed well, but this course had the most treacherous descents & we weren't about to throw away our Epic for 1 hour & a couple of minutes.
We ended solidly in 26th overall, not happy, but not disappointed.

Stage 6 (123km) Worcester - Oak Valley
The long stages were turning out to be our strong points. We rode hard from the start & managed to make the split into a strong group. I felt really strong again & I realised that this climbing thing was becoming my game. I pulled up the climbs, most times, & Charlie would be the man for the flat sections, being a roadie.
We both felt good today, there was lots of climbing & fantastic single tracks. We ended the day in both overall & put time into a couple of teams ahead of us in GC.
A big factor of the Cape Epic is consistency. We communicated well, kept each other motivated & kept our position in the GC. We studied the profile, knew exactly where the water points were & raced sensible- very unlike two rookies in a huge event!! :)

Stage 7 (103km) Oak Valley - Oak Valley
All along I had been praying that I would keep riding strongly throughout. I didn't want to bonk. I ate well & recovered properly... it was out of my control... this would be my day.
I kept quiet at the start. I didn't want to be negative to my partner. I just wasn't feeling it, it was cold, rainy, windy & I just didn't want to ride. I'm a team player, so would never let Charlie down. I would give everything to stay on his wheel, hang on the bunch, push up the climbs... but from the start, I WAS FLAT!!!
I worked hard to make a good group. Somehow I managed to get up to Charlie & a couple of strong riders. Myself, Charlie, Erik & Oliver worked hard together to make up time on guys who had fallen off our bunch. I knew I was hurting, but I couldn't let the other guys know. One attack & would blow off the back. Charlie knew I was in a bad way. He slowed the pace & tried to help me in every situation he could. I would blow off the back of a bunch & he would drag me back like a rag doll!! I was cursing him from start to finish... couldn't he see how stuffed I was ?? Did he not know what I mean't when I said I was blown ?? or was this payback for the pain I had caused him over the last 5 days... ??
Either way, I wouldn't give up & he wouldn't settle for anything less. This was a hard race & we had to be the same- my turn to man the fuck up! He was hurting me & had the race been another 1km longer, it would have been my turn to shed a tear!!! We made good time towards the end of the stage & even caught a couple of teams who were slightly optimistic at the start. I reminded myself that this was the penultimate stage, tomorrow we would be riding home to Lourensford!! I pushed on & we managed a 21st overall & moved up in the GC to 20th overall.

Stage 8 (63km) Oak Valley - Lourensford
In the GC we were lying 20th overall. Jaco & Adrian neon-Schutte had made some serious time on us the previous day. We wanted a top 20 finish & would give our livers to maintain our overall. From the start I was chuffed to welcome my legs back after losing them the previous day... I climbed hard & strong with what I had left from the week of madness, I dragged Charlie up the climbs, up, up, up, we were going over the mountains, there was no way around. The terrain was loose, rugged , steep & slow. I pushed hard, determined not to lose ant time on the guys chasing from behind. I knew Charlie was hurting, but this was stage 8, one last race to the finish line, it was what it all came down to. Only 63km!! I didn't think the climbing could get harder, but this is the ABSA Cape Epic. There are no easy stages & this was no exception. It was shorter, but extremely gruelling & up there in terms of toughness!!
I made it over the top a couple of minutes ahead of Charlie, I saw him coming, but this wasn't the kind of climb where you could offer assistance. It was every man for himself, so I decided to go ahead on the very tricky descent, slowly & wait for Charlie to catch up... when he eventually did, all I heard was a train of cursing & anger, more than I'd witnessed throughout the Epic. I didn't add fuel to the fire, I let him do the shouting, he was good at this... after he was done I said "Charlie, lets not let this slip, focus on the race, sit on my wheel & lets get racing again!" That was it, not another word, still now, we didn't talk about what was said. We both knew that this race would be a tester, not only of physical strength, but of character, & for some reason we both concurred that these mountains, as majestic & beautiful as they are, had the ability to bring out the very worst & the very best... we chose the latter!!! :)

The next thing we knew, we had made good time & were riding with two leader jerseys. The first was the masters (Andrew Mclean & Shan Wilson) & the second was African leaders (Max Knox & Brandon Stewart)
We wanted to ride into Lourensford with these guys. Not only would it be great coverage for our sponsors, but it would be a great end to a fantastic ABSA Cape Epic 2010!!
The crowds had arrived in their thousands & the emotions you feel can't be described in any way. I was overwhelmed, as was Charlie. We had done it! We held hands & crossed the line in 18th overall for the stage & 20th in the General Classification. At the time I didn't realise the magnitude of what we had achieved. It was our very first Cape Epic, both relatively new to the sport & not having a clue of what to expect. We were mixing it up with the best athletes in the world. We were the first amateur team & 4th South African team overall!!
This was huge, by far the biggest & most prestigious sporting highlight of my life.
I look back at how quickly this all happened & realise how privileged I am to have been part of the biggest mountain biking experience in the world!

A special thank you to all my sponsors: Blend Properties, 2XU, Felt Bikes, Hammer nutrition, Peptopro & i-flex, Omnico, Mavic & Dragons sports!

This was an experience of a lifetime!!"