This is our Absa Cape Epic tale.
We had a very clean, drama-free Cape Epic me and Phill; it really went the way we planned. The drama on the other hand was before the Cape Epic. So this is how the “Philliam” journey started:
On the 31st December when everyone was ready to celebrate New Year's Eve, I got a call from Phill saying "Bro I'm done, I'm going stop cycling". I immediately understood where he was coming from as I had that same thought many times last year too. We spoke words of encouragement to each other and chose to celebrate and leave it behind. The next day I got another call: “Bro, we’re still going to ride, we will find a way".
And without a Cape Epic entry we decided to start training for it anyway in hopes that when an opportunity presented itself we would be ready.
The Diepsloot MTB Academy (DMA) helped with our preparation - offering us an entry to the Bridgestone Route 66. We learned a lot from that race and had to tweak a few things before the Cape Epic (still without an entry). We finished the 3-day race in second place by 2 minutes, but we had an amazing last day winning the stage by 5 minutes with bikes we borrowed a day before.
The knocking on doors continued and hope was fading slowly. Three weeks before the Cape Epic, through a generous someone and the DMA we got an entry.
Key360 nutrition came on board to sponsor us with nutrition. Then the hunt for bikes began; we knocked on doors, I called people I know but nothing happened. I wrote an article after Route 66 and sent it to a few publications and only Bike Hub gave us a shot. SABC news followed, Beeld, then Ann7. We started making a bit of noise and started getting offers; Shaun from Trail Wolf Cycles and Ruan from Pyga Eurosteel helped us get the PYGA stage bikes - a great weapon for the adventure we were about to take on.
What we were riding for at this years’ Cape Epic was something bigger than just a green jersey. We rode for hope, motivation, resilience, and creating future opportunities for ourselves. The journey has just started, there are many miles ahead.
To every single person who sent us comments, shared posts, SMS’ed, Inboxed, called to keep us encouraged and moving and to all that made it possible to start the prologue- from the bottom of the Skinny Hulk’s heart, I thank you. A special thank you to my coach, Devlin Eyden, for getting me race ready and for all your support at the race.
PS happy to be writing again.
William Skinny Hulk signing off.
PHOTO CREDITS: Greg Beadle/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS