Penultimate stage of 2010 Absa Cape Epic

Rainy weather conditions greeted the Absa Cape Epic enthusiasts for stage 7 in Oak Valley. Today’s stage was beautiful, but hard. Most riders are relieved that tomorrow will be the final stage of this year’s epic adventure and are looking forward to returning home with their finisher jerseys and medals, a treasured possession for all. Stage 7 took riders over 99km and 2 160 of climbing. The short sharp hills early on really burnt with five minutes up and 15 seconds down making riders work hard. After the descent past Houwhoek Inn riders passed Botriver onto some fast gravel roads through the farmland. On the main obstacle of the day up to Lebanon Highlands Plantation, rocks and loose ground forced them to get off their bikes in the steep areas. Dassenberg proved difficult due to its sandy surface as well as level of complexity. Not long in kilometers, this climb took even the most experienced participants more than half an hour to master. After crossing over to Houteq, it was singletrack heading into Lebanon for some of the most coveted trails in the Cape. More short, steep climbs stood in the way of a final stretch of swooping paths to the finish line.