2008
966km | 18 529m
The longest ever Absa Cape Epic started with a 17km time trial outside Knysna , a sign of changes to come . Stage 1 stormed straight into Garden Route forests , while stage 2 headed over the Outeniquas – where Gamkaberg loomed large and cyclists battled sweltering heat , loose shale and prickly vegetation . A stage to Riversdale ticked off the Rooiberg and Garcia passes , stage 4 featured big rollers among dairy farms , and stage 5 bombed riders onto the sandy roads of the De Hoop Nature Reserve before following corrugated gravel roads through hot , stubby , harvested fields . Stage 6 had nearly 3 000m of climbing but treated riders to rare mountain fynbos en route to Hermanus . A stage through the Hemel-en-Aarde to Oak Valley was next , followed by another Grand Finale over the Hottentots-Holland to Lourensford . After their 2007 disappointment , the Cannondale Vredestein team of Roel Paulissen and Jakob Fuglsang were baying for the Bulls ’ blood and took a comfortable lead on stage 2 to win the event convincingly .
20 YEARS UNTAMED | MTB | 17