ED ’ S LETTER
EPIC ALL THE WAY
ow , time truly does fly , especially when you ’ re having fun . I vividly remember the day in 2003 when Kevin Vermaak came to our offices at Media24 , where I was the publisher of Bicycling magazine at the time . He was fresh back from Costa Rica and wanted to chat about launching an ultra-distance mountain bike stage race in South Africa . He was so inspired by La Ruta de los Conquistadores ( the route of the Spanish conquerors ), a multi-day stage race across the country , from the Atlantic to the Pacific . He envisioned a similar race for South Africa , something that would create an iconic mountain bike challenge .
Bicycling agreed to be the race ’ s media partner , and after a couple of interesting teething years , the race gained traction . It moved away from the original Knysna to Stellenbosch / Somerset West pointto-point route to more practical , and more demanding , clover-leaf courses based around a few race villages closer to Cape Town .
The biggest paradigm shift came with the partnership with Absa , which gave the event the muscle to roll out global media and attract the best riders on the planet to South Africa . Race village infrastructure boomed , and soon we had mountain biking ’ s answer to the Tour de France .
This was an exciting development for the sport globally . Now cross country marathon racers were rising in prominence alongside World Cup XCO specialists , even more so here in South Africa where we love ultra endurance events – just look at the popularity of Comrades .
Marathon stage races boomed , and global superstars were suddenly spending the European winter in Stellenbosch . We now had recognised status as the country with not only the best weather , but also the best trails . Trailbuilding exploded around the same time , and is still huge today , with world-class trails in literally every rider ’ s backyard .
Compiling this special 20th-anniversary edition has been like riding in a time machine . Witnessing the evolution of bikes , from the now somewhat-sillylooking 26in bikes with narrow handlebars and weak front suspension , only makes you wonder how Mannie Heymans and other early adopters of the race made it all the way from Knysna to Stellenbosch .
We had no tyre sealant – thorns could literally deflate the ambitions of stage and race leaders . Racing was a bit of a lottery with riders removing tubes and waiting for those slippery little glue patches to
Nothing can compare to exploring the wild African bush by bike …
“ WE HAVE IDEAL WEATHER AND MORE TRAILS AROUND OUR MAGNIFICENTLY VARIED TERRAIN THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY ” dry before hand-pumping like crazy while rivals flocked by . Oh , how wonderful life is with CO2 bombs , plugs and sealant in the world ! Not to mention wider tyres on boost geometry , with infinite gears and dropper posts making climbing steep up and descending steep down sooo much easier , faster and safer than it was 20 years ago . It ’ s made mountain biking massively more accessible and trails that were once the revered stomping ground of pro riders only ( or full-face helmet-wearing hell chargers ) are now the happy place of most reasonably experienced bike riders . It ’ s opened up a whole new world of riding terrain and fun for riders and trialbuilders alike . This is a win for everyone in our industry . Let ’ s raise a glass to that . Cheers !
Interviewing the legendary riders who have dominated the biggest off-road bike race over the past two decades has also been a revelation . Discovering how these once-pro riders have maintained their passion for bike riding , and redirected their racing energy and professionalism towards making a difference and growing the sport , has been delightful . We do hope you enjoy these in-depth interviews with the likes of Annika , Karl , Christoph , Bart and Nino – among hordes of other phenomenal riders who have waved the flag of our sport all over the world as proud ambassadors .
We celebrate many of the elite riders who have helped define this race over the years – and also the toughest , most committed amateurs , who have not just made it over the line after 8 days of brutal trail riding in the heat and dust of an African summer , but have returned to conquer it at least three times . That takes enormous courage and determination ! On pages 138-151 we salute each of these champions of life . Congratulations to each of you . Wow , just wow ! Among these 1800 Amabubesi ( meaning “ pride of lions ” in Zulu ) are a few super humans who have taken courage to a whole other-worldly dimension . There are incredible people who , despite their busy lives with careers and families , will
PHOTOGRAPHS MARTIN BISSIG , GARY PERKIN / SPORTZPICS , CHRIS RUEGGE
08 | MTB | 20 YEARS UNTAMED