Lourensford Plays Host To The Final Stage Of The Absa Cape Epic 2007

Added: 08.02.2007

2007 ABSA Cape Epic Launched with Only 2 Months To Go

Cape Town, 2 February 2007: Six months after revealing the highly anticipated 2007 route, the Absa Cape Epic team has officially launched their 2007 season, with only two months to go until the race kicks off at its annual starting point, the Knysna waterfront. Launched at the Extreme Hotel in Cape Town on 31 January and the AngloGold Ashanti Conference Centre in Johannesburg on the 1 February, the Absa Cape Epic team hosted the who's who of the South African mountain biking world to introduce the route, the sponsors and the stats for this year's race. Guests included Hannele Steyn-Kotze, winner of the 2005 Ladies category in the Absa Cape Epic and Kevin Evans, South African mountain bike champion, as well as Miss South Africa 2006, Megan Coleman and the country's top sporting media.

The Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas, is an annual eight-day mountain bike race that catapults riders through some of Africa's most exquisite scenery, offering local and international riders an unsurpassed experience in cross country marathons. Every year the route changes and, as the largest full-service, mountain bike stage race in the world, spots in the Absa Cape Epic are highly coveted. Being a full-service race, riders are accommodated in the tented village and provided with carbo-loading meals, water, masseurs, access to medical assistance and other necessities for the full duration of the race.

This year's route covers 886 kilometers of some of Africa's most breathtaking and least-seen territory, moving through a number of South African National Parks, five CapeNature reserves and vast tracts of protected terrain, including the Cape Floral Kingdom, which is one of only six floral kingdoms in the world. The route will see 1 086 riders climbing 15 045 metres, with the first stage between Knysna and Uniondale testing riders with a grueling 2 660 metre climb. "In planning the route, we aimed to include as many new trails as possible. Off-road vehicles provided by Toyota allowed us to develop one of the wildest routes to date, including some areas that, because of their remoteness, have not even been visited by the owners of the land in many years," explains Kevin Vermaak, director and founder of the Absa Cape Epic.

The Absa Cape Epic is fast becoming one of South Africa's most prominent and globally-followed sporting events. Always scheduled to end at least three weeks before the beginning of the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) World Cup Cross Country season, the world's top riders are able to participate with enough time to recover before World Cup races begin. This year, renowned riders participating will include defending champion and two time World Cup overall winner and Olympic medalist Christoph Sauser, Olympic gold medalist, World Champion and World Cup overall winner Bart Brentjens as well as South Africa's own record-breaking downhill rider, Greg Minnaar, who was South Africa's first World Champion in cycling and has clinched five Downhill World Cup wins and has twice been named the World Cup overall winner.

Having already accomplished a number of world firsts since its inaugural race in 2004, the Absa Cape Epic was the first mountain bike two-person team stage race placed on the UCI calendar. In addition to this, no mountain bike race has ever been as widely or extensively broadcast, with the Absa Cape Epic having been televised in 52 countries, in 22 languages for a total of over 3 500 hours. It is also the only cycling event that has competed in and won both a Sunday Times Business Times Marketing Excellence Award as well as a Logistics Achiever Award.

Other than the usual route changes, a few additions have been made to this year's race. Title sponsors, Absa, will be awarding a new red leader jersey for the leading South African team each day while Toyota have come on board with a sponsorship of 21 off-road vehicles needed for planning and implementing the route.

The final stage has also been moved to the Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West, offering a dramatically increased capacity for more finish-line supporters and competitors in the Cape Times Vigne à Vigne - the one-day race that takes place on the last day of the eight-day race. The finish line party will take place on the estate with a live performance by electronic act Goldfish as well as guest appearances by the much-desired captains of love, Corne and Twakkie.

Issued by: MËMO Communications
On behalf of: Absa Cape Epic
For more info: Morice Wohlman
082 587 1730
morice@memocommunications.co.za
OR: Genevieve Fisher
021 462 3129
genevieve@memocommunications.co.za


About the 2007 Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas

• The 2007 Absa Cape Epic starts in Knysna on Saturday 24 March and finishes at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West, on Saturday 31 March 2007.
• The Absa Cape Epic has within 4 years become not only the largest full-service mountain bike stage race in the world, but also, globally, the most televised mountain bike event of all time.
• Since its inception the Absa Cape Epic has generated more than 3500 hours of international TV coverage in Europe, America, the Middle East and Africa.
• 42 nations will be represented at the 2007 Absa Cape Epic and riders travel from as far as Brazil, Canada, Norway, Hong Kong and Australia to join this unique team race.
• Amongst the entrants are Olympic gold medallists, world champions and reigning UCI World Cup champions.
• Riders compete in teams of two in one of four categories: Men, Ladies, Mixed and Masters (both riders must be 40 years or older).
• The Absa Cape Epic was the first ever team mountain bike stage race at which UCI points were awarded.
• The Absa Cape Epic and Exp. Sponsorship, Absa's sponsorship agency, were awarded the Gold award in the medium budget sponsorship category at the 2006 Business Times Marketing Excellence Awards.
• The 2007 Absa Cape Epic covers a total of 886 km's over eight days and 1086 riders will complete a total climb of 15 045 m's, which is the equivalent of riding nearly twice up Mount Everest.
• A new route is designed each year and is entirely off-road from Knysna to Lourensford Wine Estate.

For additional information please visit www.cape-epic.com