At the ABSA Cape Epic 2013, Hansgrohe ran the Dirtiest Rider competition as a means of building the spirit of riders during the event. They had a good excuse to have their faces full of mud!

The competition was a success in that Hansgrohe was able to communicate with riders and the public who voted for their favourite or dirtiest rider.

Our winner of the competition, Giuliana Massarotto, was very happy to be contacted and her prize handed over to her on the day of her departure back to Italy. Giuliana rode the Epic as part of a ladies team and did very well during the event.

Giuliana won a Hansgrohe Raindance E360 overhead shower, which she has since installed and enjoys very much – “I’m having shower with “Hansgrohe” since I came back…very nice!!!” She also won a set of Hansgrohe riding kit, which she uses regularly and has sent us some photos.

She has by no means taken a break and is training up a storm. She plans to compete in the Mongolia Bike Challenge, a stage race over hundreds of kilometers of wondrous Mongolian territory – from 30 August to 7 September 2013.

We wish Giuliana the best of luck in her training and we are sure that she will enjoy her Hansgrohe shower time after time.

Giuliana sporting her new Hansgrohe kit

Team Hansgrohe Dan and Johan pleased with a great time and completion of the ABSA Cape Epic

Team Hansgrohe Rob and Di finish in the top riders of the in the ABSA Cape Epic Mixed category - well done!

Team Hansgrohe Leon and Rod are very pleased to have completed the ABSA Cape Epic in good spitirs and an even better time.

The final stage of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic was short, with only one major climb at the halfway mark.

The riders left Stellenbosch along the mountainside through Coetzenberg and Eden Forest, then worked their way into the Stellenbosch Winelands.

The trail climbed up through the vineyards, opening up spectacular views of False Bay, as far as Cape Point, and back to Table Mountain and Durbanville. The 9 km climb up the side of the Helderberg Mountain into the Lourensford Neck was challenging. But who cares, their legs had seen worse.

With the finish almost in sight, the striking Lourensford bowl came into view. Today was the first time in Absa Cape Epic history that riders approached Lourensford Wine Estate from a totally different direction and not traditionally via Gamtouw Pass.

The final 25km were predominantly downhill, on forestry roads on the higher elevations, interspersed with some single track, and into the orchards and vineyards on the lower slopes.

While a week ago the finish seemed nowhere in sight, riders’ final run onto the lush green polo field packed with grandstands, marquees and supporters was unforgettable. They had tamed the 2013 Absa Cape Epic.

Hansgrohe rounded off the week of activations with a live shower display and announced its winners of the Dirtiest Rider competition, Giuliana Massarotto – congratulations! Thank you to all those who entered – please see the results of the lucky draw on the winners page.

Hansgrohe activation for Lourensford stage of the ABSA Cape Epic

Consumers entering the Dirtiest Rider competition to support the riders and stand a chance to win a Croma 1Jet EcoSmart showerhead

Team Dan and Johan getting stronger as they come up in the ranks

Today the guys got ready to dig deep. With a maximum stage time of 10 hours, it was going to be a gruelling stage today. At least it was the last big hurdle of the 2013 Absa Cape Epic.

The first 20km were primarily in the forestry plantation on the slopes of Du Toitskloof, as they tackled a steady 10km climb followed by an equally long, fast descent interrupted occasionally by some soft forest single track as well as a short spike.

The second major climb was through orchards that soon gave way to mountain fynbos with the trail turning more rugged. After another section of single track the guys needed to take care not to get their handlebars hooked by the fynbos.

By the time they had crossed under the National Highway (N1) at the 35km mark, they had completed almost half the climbing of the day.

The next section was fast and easy going as the route took them alongside the Drakenstein Mountains on a mix of farm and gravel roads in the direction of Franschhoek. The highlight was “Freedom Hill”, the hill that former President Nelson Mandela looked out at from his prison house at Victor Verster Prison (now Drakenstein Correctional Facility) where he spent the last three of his 27-year imprisonment before being released on 11 February 1990.

Once the route made the turn towards Helshoogte Pass it was slow going, as the trail hugged the steep slopes of the iconic Simonsberg Mountain. They crested the pass and looked out over Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in South Africa, and its surrounding winelands open up.

They passed through prestigious wine farms and the hidden Idas Valley.

Before tunnelling under the R310, hitting one last steep climb, before some more sweet forestry single track took them home to the Stellenbosch race village.

Our riders had a bit of mixed feelings during this stage as word got around that Team Livio and Ray would not continue their Epic journey as Livio had an unfortunate tumble from his bike and became injured badly. We wish him the best in his recovery.

Team Leon and Rod had a tough ride with the cumulative efforts now taking their toll and finished stage 6 just on 7 hours and had this to say, “We will finish. We are winners.” We know you will, Leon and Rod.

Team Dan and Johan had a good day out finishing in the top 100 today in 6 hours 24 minutes. “We are going strong.” says Dan.

We look forward to what stage 7 holds for Di and Robert as they have been so strong throughout the race. We will be at Lourensford to welcome you home!

Valued partner, Leon Tobias of Team Hansgrohe 3 at Woolies recovery

Hansgrohe rider Ray brings us ice cream every day – you rock!

The fifth stage was like a bonus day – short, sweet, and most importantly, great fun!

The unbeatable network of single track that is Welvanpas was the setting, perched between the Wellington vineyards and the slopes of Bain’s Kloof.

It offered riders more single track than any previous stage of the Absa Cape Epic, featuring some amazing cross-country terrain, lots of twisting ups and downs, and, all in all, an day to re-energise body and mind and leave riders whooping with delight.

Today, Anthony Mederer, MD of Hansgrohe SA, came through to welcome the riders in from their ride. All in good spirits for tomorrow.

The ShowerZone experienced a brief lack of water supply from the town which left some dirty, tired riders wanting for their beloved showers even longer. Thank goodness, after 30 minutes, the water supply was restored. Thank you James, Afripex and the rest of the guys!

Let us enter you into the Hansgrohe Dirtiest Rider competition

Hansgrohe ShowerZone queuing system in action

We are saving the podium for you Team Hansgrohe riders!

ABSA Cape Epic riders are happy post shower

Stage 4’s terrain was extremely varied with three major climbs. It is a stage of contrasts with smooth gravel, then very rugged, followed by the National Monument of Bains Kloof Pass on tar, and then beautifully manicured purpose-built single track.

The first 15 kms was easy letting the riders spin out the damage from the pervious days’ work.

After water point 1, the climbing started with a slow, steady 5 km climb up a gravel road with an average of 7% gradient to Kluitjieskraal.

On the other side, they descended into a desolate bowl that roughened up into an 8 km bike-swallowing descent. The gradient was not steep but the track was washed out, rocky (and sandy).

After water point 2 a flat minor gravel road led to the foot of Bain’s Kloof Pass. The 16-km-climb was on tar and riders were able take in the spectacular scenery of this National Monument Site.

Over the top, and down, you’ll see the Cape Winelands with views onto Wellington, Paarl Rock and as far as Table Mountain, some 70km away. The first bit of the descent was on tar, before plunging into the beautifully kept Bain’s MTB Trails at Welvanpas, smooth flowing ups and downs, perfectly carved into the mountain side.

There was one more big climb, most of it on forestry roads, and it was the best value for climbing a mountain biker could ask for: the guys all earned themselves a 4 km downhill of handcrafted single track through pristine fynbos vegetation.

There was one more tiny bump, and then the last couple of kilometers were all plain sailing into the new race village in Wellington.

Today’s ride was a shorter on and the riders came in early. Could not have been too tough, with the Hansgrohe Mixed team ranking 12th position overall and the rest of our teams getting stronger with each day – isn’t that great? Robert of Team Hansgrohe Mixed had this to say:

“Another Move Day and once again, a long ride was in stall for us. Leaving Saronsberg along the dirt road we were sitting in a fast bunch and there was dust everywhere. With the rising sun right ahead of us , it was difficult to see much and it seemed like we were riding on intuition alone. We headed towards Wolseley on a dirt road and eventually turned right, towards the mountain. A long climb took us to a high contour road which took us back in the direction we had come from. Typical Epic! Waterpoint 1 was at the Cape Nature “waterfall” camp. The trail turned into the mountains here and we started a long , rocky climb up an old dual track which took us into another, higher valley. Heading in a southerly direction, we dropped down in the Tulbagh valley, again, and then skirted the mountains to Waterpoint 3 and onwards to Bains Kloof. The heat was radiating up from the tar and it was a slog, but fortunately not technical.

Over the top and down the pass until we turned right into the Welvanpas Trails. Some flowing single track took us down to Waterpoint 3 , after which we had one final climb to deal with. From there we had 4km of flowing single track with great views towards Paarl and Cape Town in the distance. There wasn’t much time to appreciate the views though. We were tired and just wanting to the finish the 120km stage. One final dirt road downhill took us into Wellington and the finish.”

Livio and Ray climbed the ranks a bit to end up in the top 200′s. “Bainskloof was a long slog,but fun to ride with the other teams Hansgrohe and that was followed by awesome singletrack that we will have much more of today. We managed to climb back up the ranks into the 200′s again. It’s not the 100′s like we wanted, but there are still a few days of riding left.”

Riders are surely eager for the showers now!

Hansgrohe ShowerZone front Setup

Imposing mountain ranges, the Obiqua Mountains to the West, the Winterhoek Mountains to the North and the Witzenberg range to the East, surround the town of Tulbagh. The mountain basin enjoys equally attractive conditions for wine making and mountain biking, and both have seen advancements in recent years, with not only new vineyards, but also new trails springing up. What better combination than having the race village at the Saronsberg Wine Estate?

Stage 3 was a ‘tour of the basin’, with a figure of 8 traversing the vineyards and farmlands, skirting the surrounding mountains.

It started with a 400m over 15km, with a short warm up – far gentler on the legs than previous days. This was followed by 3km of sweeping single track, finishing off with a section through poplar forest.

There were lots of ups and downs interspersed with flowing single track sections today. The day was easier on the body, the soil softer, the vegetation more lush and the hills shorter.

But it’s still the Absa Cape Epic. So at the 55km mark, riders embarked on the second part of the figure of 8.

This loop was shorter, but includes the same amount of climbing as the first one, and just when everyone thought ‘this wasn’t too bad’, Dr Evil and the route design team show their true face.

After water point 3 came the blow to the legs – a 1.5km climb on a steep farm road, followed by a short descent and 3 more short but sharp climbs on rough surface. Finally, it was then back to Saronsberg Wine Estate.

“Recover day… really?” was the general line of comment from many riders entering the ShowerZone after the ride. It certainly was boiling hot out there, but never the less, the riders were into the showers early, so it must have been less hectic some way or how.

Team Hansgrohe Mixed Rob and Di are maintaining their ever strong rankings and pulled in at 14th for stage 3. Rob had this to say about their ride today:

“I was not looking forward to this stage, a circumnavigation of the Tulbagh valley. Visions of the 2011 Epic again, where we were chased up and down and around the mountain to get the distance in. the nice surprise was the first part of the stage. We climbed up the side of the mountain (still cool as the sun had not come up over the mountains yet) to find a long , flowing piece of single track which took us all the way to the bottom. A German rider behind me was shouting with delight behind me and telling his partner how this riding was better than skiing. With the heat of the day not far off, I thought that skiing was a much better idea! As the organisers had warned, after 55km we came within sight of the race village and were promptly led back up the mountains. Waterpoint 3 was at the base of a dusty climb, with a 20% gradient in places. It wasn’t fun, but there are no shortcuts at the Epic, so up we went. After every up there is a down and we were happy when it eventually came. The last couple of km were flat and dusty and we were happy to be home again.

Each Team did quite well and the times were good on this so-called recovery day.

Riders are looking in decent shape over the finish today

Stage 2 will took riders deep into the Koue Bokkeveld, known for its spectacular sandstone formations. It’s an area that gets lots of snow in winter. Of course it’s summer now, so swelteringly hot.

Most of the hard work was done early in the day by scaling the Middelberg Pass, a relentless climb with a gain of 900 m in altitude over the first 18 km. It started off on tar before turning into smooth gravel road.

The descent onto the plateau is fast and exhilarating with no technical obstacles, although a few sharp bends will keep your heels firmly dropped.

The route traversed beautiful buckfields on rolling dual tracks and farm roads. The riders were able to make up some time until just before the half way mark, where a 4km climb took them to the highest point of the entire race (approximately 1 150m above sea level).

They were rewarded with a 5 km single-track section, winding its way through red sandstone formations. Overall, this stage was relatively fast and flat, until the riders hit the rugged and challenging wagon trail that takes you up into the Witzenberg Valley.

Cleared for the race by local farmers, who are keen mountain bikers themselves and happy to share their home playground, this part of the race will showcase some of the finest terrain the Western Cape has to offer.

The best was saved for last with a technical 5 km single track, an old wagon trail opened up for the 2010 Absa Cape Epic, plummeting into the Tulbagh Valley with its quaint village and wine farms.

Team Livio and Ray had a good day out, but were slowed down by some hydration challenges.
Team Dan and Johan had a much better ride with their time only for the evening to end in a bit of worry for us sponsors when Dan visited the Medi-Clinic tent after some cardiac “symptoms”. It’s amazing what a drip can do for you. Dan was up and running again – thank you Medi-Clnic.

Leon and Rod also had a much better day out as they, and I quote “Came back, strong as a lion!”

Once again Di and Rob had another great day out, putting pressure on the top teams.
“Day 2 Started with a huge climb of 900m over the Middleberg pass.
Then a very fast pace through farmlands. some amazing single track and then a nasty climb up to the top of the mountain and then the best part of the day was the descent
into the Tulbagh valley. Thanks Hansgrohe for the lovely shower at the end and
the dinner too. What a way to end a long day. We managed 12th in the mixed
category.”

They are keeping things in the low teens with regards to their position – keep it up guys!

Well done to all of our riders thus far. Keep it up and please look after yourselves out there. Tomorrow is going to be a hot one!

Weary rider being helped by the Hansgrohe ShowerZone

The Hansgrohe ShowerZone is pumping!

Citrusdal set a fantastic tone for Stage 1 of the ABSA Cape Epic

Traditionally, Stage 1 is a shock to the system. However, traditionally there are always some riders in the field who know what’s coming. This year, Stage one started in territory completely new to the Absa Cape Epic. So everyone was in the same boat. Or hurt locker, if you prefer.

It began on a blistering morning in Citrusdal, a small farming town at the foot of the majestic Cederberg Mountain Range. The first climb started right away up Piekenierskloof. Relatively smooth roads, but as the gradient flattened out, the sandy surface slowed everyone right down.

The views from the top were breathtaking and a deserving reward for the hard work.

Crossing the Olifants River will be a wet affair, before the climb out the valley on the other side, a steady long tough one but with the most challenging section of the day still ahead.

The trail was so steep it forced portage. To reach it, riders needed to put downhill skills to the test on the narrow, rutted quad bike trail. Although a short section, the technical nature of this terrain took ages to complete.

The long descent to water point 3 was followed by approximately 20km through the farmlands in the Olifants River Valley. With no significant climbs worth mentioning, though by no means flat, riders enjoyed a slight reprieve before whooping with delight as they saw the end in Citrusdal.

Dan Forsyth had this to say, “Stage 1 was all about sand and pushing. We had some awesome downhill to revitalize my low spirit. True to form, I had my fair share of cramping which always plagues me on day one. Johan, the machine he is, pushed my bike and his up most of the hills after the 60km mark. I simply had nothing in me…”

Livio and Ray also suffered a bit in the sand with Ray cramping up and limping in over the finish and commented “Tough day out, but beautiful scenery and perfect riding conditions. About 60% of it was deep sand though so everyone had to get off and walk (the pros ran – but then, they are paid a salary to ride and win).”

The Team Hansgrohe mixed team is riding strong and hard.
“Day 1 Was a beach day. Never have I had such a hard day on the bike. We rode up
Pikenierskloof Pass and descended rocky slopes into a riverbed and from then on
the sand seemed to never end. Robert was strong and we managed a good result in
the end coming in 14th in the mixed category.”

Hopefully we will hear from Leon and Rod at the end of Stage 2: Citrusdal to Tulbagh.

Sounds like a tough day out! Perhaps the Hansgrohe ShowerZone can bring some relief at the end of a rough, sandy day?

Welcome to the Hansgrohe ShowerZone: An ocean of calm in a world of pain

To be used or not to be used: the Hansgrohe ShowerZone changing pods

Citrusdal residents celebrate the ABSA Cape Epic. Thanks Martin and Martie!

ABSA Cape Epic Riders have their fun riding through the Meerendal Wine Estate

When Meerendal said that they wanted the Absa Cape Epic riders to feel at home, perhaps they thought the organisers wouldn’t take it so literally: the 2013 event started off with riders pedalling straight through the Manor House.

From the historic Meerendal Manor House they climbed straight up “Stairway to Heaven” – to the top of Dorstberg, a mountaintop boasting magnificent 360-degree views of world famous landmarks like Table Mountain, Robben Island and Cape Point.

From the peak they dived straight into a rugged, Renosterveld-lined trail that descends into the quarry and adjacent Hoogekraal farm where fast, sweeping single track with well-bermed turns and fun descents made riding a hoot.

That glee though, turned into a grunt as the route headed up through steep vineyards and a steady climb back to the picturesque Meerendal Wine Estate.

One last single track section and the day was done.

The Team Hansgrohe did well during the prologue and managed to have some fun on the first day out. Weather treated them well and so did the crowds as they rode through the Meerendal Manor House.

The mixed team Rob and Di put in a great effort and rode over the finish in 13th position. Ray and Livio as well as Dan and Johan all had good ride completed in 1hr20, and are really revved up for the coming days, having had loads of fun out there.

Leon and Rod put in a great effort and are feeling strong for the upcoming days. “Nailed it”. This is just the beginning ladies and gentlemen. Lets hope for the best and smash it out there!

Team Hansgrohe – Livio and Ray not looking too tired after the Meerendal Prologue stage of the ABSA Cape Epic 2013

Team Hansgrohe – Leon and Rod at Meerendal Prologue

Team Hansgrohe: Di and Robert finish in 13th position in mixed class