Daytrippers

This year was a tough Epic but hey, they all are, that’s the point. It is what makes it so appealing, not so much the course in and of itself but the intense pressure of making that cut off……every day …..for a week! Any little thing like a stomach bug, a loose rock , a slip in the shower ,a saddle sore, a broken free-wheel hub,6 punctures etc etc and it’s all undone.From Kevin Evans in the front with untimely fading brakes resulting in a disasterous fall to Kyle with a broken wheel at the very back of the field and suddenly everything changes.This is what makes it tough. I love being on the course watching the dramas unfold and feel uplifted by the way we deal with the ‘stuff’ that is hurled in our direction. It is survival instinct and steely will that see it through to the end. Then there were Kevin and Brigitte beating the cut off by a slim margin each day but never for a moment did I doubt that they would finish.I met them on out training camp in Dec when Brigitte was a complete novice mtber. She fell her way down the ‘nagmaal’ climb/descent but never once showed anything but a smile and positive attitude – and I am convinced that it was pure positivity that got her the finishers medal. The Epic crew are a great bunch and it is just brilliant working with such a dedicated enthusiastic team ,who clearly do it for the love of the event as even the Epic couldn’t afford to pay them what they are really worth. Nothing is too much to ask and it is all done with supreme professionalism.Respect.
Every year I get some ‘graduates’, who start off as trippers and then go on to do the full event the next year and then I get some riders who come back to enjoy it as a Tripper.I get a kick out of this and of course cheering the riders on with my coffee pot (Bialetti).I cannot wait for next year and the pot is still in one piece.
There was a time that I doubted the ethos of the Epic but I still love this event and long may it last and perhaps ,maby, just once more -let us have another Knysna to Cape Town.
Instead of working—- I might just decide to ride it!