2006
921km | 16 605m
More than 1 000 riders lined up in Knysna for what had now become the Absa Cape Epic . The first day would prove to be a bike breaker . It rained all the way to George , and by the end of stage 3 in Riversdale , the mud fest had claimed chains , gear cables and bottom brackets , and there were more mechanics than friends drifting around camp . A pleasant ride over open farm roads took riders into the Overberg and on to Greyton , before the route headed through the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and into Hermanus for the first time . On stage 7 , the 12km ascent of Groenlandberg in the searing heat was unforgettable . It started on loose sand , followed by a rocky section that many had to walk . After a night in Boschendal , 67km through Jonkershoek took riders to the finish – where Christoph Sauser signalled the force he was to become when he and countryman Silvio Bundi arrived with a overwhelming 29-minute lead .
20 YEARS UNTAMED | MTB | 15