MTB-News: In less than two weeks it's that time again and the Cape Epic, perhaps the toughest bike race in the world, starts. Climbing over 15.000m in a week under the relentless South African sun, the MTB Stage Race is the ultimate touchstone for any mountain bike pro. Of course, defending champion Team BULLS with Karl Platt and Urs Huber and the "Project Zebra" will be there again. Also taking part again is Stefan Sahm, who, like last year, will ride in the field on the saddle of a BULLS E-MTB and collect great footage for the spectators with numerous cameras.
Cape Epic 2017: Hard, harder, Cape Epic
On March 19th, what is now the 14th time will be the start of what is probably the toughest MTB stage race in the world: The Cape Epic in South Africa. In teams of two, the starters face the almost 700 km and more than 15.000 meters of altitude difference over seven stages (+ prologue). But it's not just these bare numbers that give Cape Epic its notorious reputation: the extremely tough conditions in South Africa do the rest. Blazing heat, dust-dry trails, lots of scree and sand put riders and equipment alike to the test.
This year the race will start with a prologue in the Meerendal wine region and for the first time since 2008 the field will start the first stage from the coastal town of Hermanus the following day. The king's stage of this year's edition awaits on the penultimate day: 103 km in the notorious Oak Valley over almost 3.000 meters in altitude will probably make the preliminary decision about victory and defeat fall.
The route of the Cape Epic 2017
ProjectZebra: Mission title defense for Team BULLS
This year, of course, Team BULLS will also be at the start, which has been at the top of the Cape Epic four times since its premiere in South Africa; the most recent success was celebrated last year, when the duo of Karl Platt and Urs Huber dominated the race on day 1 and was ultimately able to confidently claim overall victory. Unsurprisingly, this winning duo will be at the start again this year and is one of the big favourites. In this constellation, the two won for the first time in South Africa last year – Karl Platt had previously won with Stefan Sahm, who has meanwhile retired from cycling.
The right chemistry and perfect teamwork are immensely important at the Cape Epic, even though each team consists of only two riders. At least since last year, Platt and Huber seem to have found each other. Karl Platt from the Palatinate dictates the line on the descents and Urs Huber from Switzerland works tirelessly at the front during the sometimes enormously exhausting transfer passages. The duo share the work on the climbs.
The two recently showed that they are in good form at the Tankwa Trek, a three-day MTB stage race on the South African coast, which they easily won with three victories. “I was surprised by myself how strong I am, but also how easy it was. We never had any problems and were able to dominate the whole race,' Karl Platt said confidently after the race. As in previous years, the successful duo will again be supported by the BULLS II team around Simon Stiebjahn and Tim Böhme, who will take part in the hard work during the stages as noble helpers.
In 2016, BULLS created the "ProjectZebra" around the Cape Epic, under whose "umbrella" the two teams of two will start again this year. This included next to a own blog also a special paint finish for the team bikes in a zebra look and the right racing clothes. The response was so positive that we are now continuing along this path - the zebra finish has meanwhile also found its way into the series models from BULLS.
Speaking of team bikes: Here you start with a completely renewed Bulls Wild Edge Team 29. Compared to its predecessor, for example, not only has the spring travel increased from 100 to 110mm, but some detailed improvements have also been made to the geometry and the frame design has been optimized. The development department worked closely with the pros, who of course wanted a perfect bike for the difficult conditions in South Africa. This year, for example, the damper has moved very close to the underside of the top tube so that there is now space for two bottle holders in the frame triangle.
Stefan Sahm again with an e-bike as an action cameraman
Just like the two racing teams Team BULLS I and Team BULLS II, Stefan Sahm was also an integral part of ProjectZebra. In a cooperation between BULLS, GoPro, Brose and the organizer, history was made and Stefan was the first rider ever to be sent on the Cape Epic adventure on an e-bike. However, he was not there as a racing driver, but as a high-tech cameraman: Among other things, 6 GoPros were attached to a telescopic rod, which took 360° shots of the racing events. There was a lot of modern transmission technology in his backpack, which the organizers also used and repeatedly fed live images of Stefan into the official transmission of the race.
Although the pilot project was viewed with a great deal of skepticism from some quarters before it was launched, the campaign turned out to be a complete success within a very short time. The BULLS E-Stream EVO FS made it possible for Stefan to easily swim with the riders, but without impeding or endangering the riders, as is unfortunately often the case with motorcycles. Of course, the ex-professional's great experience also played a role, as he can judge exactly when he has to take a step back and when the drivers need their space. "I can use the advantages of the BULLS E-Stream Evo perfectly on the single trails, where the heavy camera motorcycles are not allowed to drive," Stefan commented on the advantages of an E-MTB for this purpose after the end of the race last year.
Above all, the resulting 360° shots catapult the viewer right into the middle of the action and are really extremely worth seeing. Looking around works in all modern browsers with the mouse - but the best "right in the middle" feeling results in combination with a smartphone and the YouTube app. You can actually "look around" with it - really cool thing!
We are particularly pleased that we can offer you exclusive insights from the perspective of the Team BULLS drivers, the ProjectZebra and Stefan Sahm's collected image material during the Cape Epic this year. A dedicated blog will provide you with the hottest news from South Africa every race day. We are more than excited!
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