Absa Cape Epic riders welcomed in Ceres

Hosting the enthusiastic Absa Cape Epic riders for the first three stages of this year’s magnificent event is the picturesque town of Ceres. The town, named after the Roman goddess of fruitfulness, is the centre of one of the most important deciduous fruit producing areas in the Western Cape (South Africa). Its Mediterranean climate results in long, dry warm summers and wet cold winters with sunny days in between the rainy ones, which make the Ceres area the ideal destination for all outdoor and adventure enthusiasts. Ceres is situated 150km (or a 90 minute drive) from Cape Town, and is surrounded by mountains which shelter it completely from the prevailing south-easterly wind in summer. San rock paintings, hiking trails, 4x4 routes, scenic drives, horse riding, fresh water fishing, farm tours, cherry picking, canoeing, abseiling, paragliding, skydiving and game viewing are but a few of the activities and attractions the area has to offer. Ceres is well-known in South Africa for its fruit juices and spring water, produced and bottled in the Ceres Valley. The Absa Cape Epic participants will be staying in Ceres for three nights.

Stage one saw 1 200 mountain bikers start the Absa Cape Epic with a rude awakening at the Diemersfontein wine estate, just outside of Wellington. Steep climbs gave them an early taste of some forest singletrack. After that, another steep climb on dirt tracks took the race halfway up the tarred Bain’s Kloof pass to Water Point 1. The smooth tar descent is well known for its tight turns, so riders had to stay alert. A flat section took them to Water Point 2 at the base of a 5km climb on smooth dirt tracks through Kluytjieskraal. Once they managed to cross to the other side, riders were surrounded by mountains, with no sign of civilisation. Then it got rough on some rocky paths descending to Water Point 3. After traversing the valley, riders dreaded the final sting in the tail – a 7.8km section over the iron sleepers and sharp stones of a railway line. This murderous stretch took them to their final destination in Ceres.