The countdown is on: on Sunday, 21 March 2010, the Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas, now in its seventh year, will kick off at Diemersfountain wine estate outside Wellington and will finish 8 days and 722km later at the Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West.

1200 athletes from 50 countries participate in the annual 8-day mountain bike team stage race through South Africa’s Western Cape. Each participating team consists of two riders and starts in one of four different categories Men, Ladies, Mixed and Masters (both riders must be 40 years or older).

The Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas is the premier multi day stage race in the world and the most televised mountain bike race of all time. In 2006, the Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas became the first ever team mountain bike stage race at which UCI points were awarded.

The 2010 race is the only mountain bike stage race to be classified HC (hors categorie) by the UCI. Thus, the entrants include some of the best Cross Country and Marathon riders in the world like the reigning World Cross Country Champion Nino Schurter (SUI), the 2008 World Cross Country Champion Christoph Sauser (SUI), Olympic gold medallists Bart Brentjens (NED), Olympic silver medallist José Hermida (ESP), as well as three time Absa Cape Epic winner Karl Platt (GER) and two time Absa Cape Epic winner Stefan Sahm (GER).

The 2010 race also sees 2009 Under 23 UCI World Champion Burry Stander (RSA), South Africa’s most successful Absa Cape Epic participant to date Kevin Evans (RSA) as well as the 2009 Vice World Marathon Champion Alban Lakata (AUT), three time Giro del Capo winner David George (RSA), African mountain biking legend Mannie Heymans (NAM) and the Flückiger brothers (SUI) who completed their first Absa Cape Epic in 2009 with a stage win on the final day.

Mountain bikers come all the way from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Sweden the USA and Venezuela to join the Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas. A new route is designed each year and the race is entirely off-road. Within eight days, the 600 two-person-teams have to cycle 722 gruelling kilometres and climb some 14 635 vertical metres on their bikes, which is the equivalent of riding twice up Mount Everest! To deserve the honourable ‘Absa Cape Epic Finisher’ title, the participants have to complete the time trial and all seven stages.

The 2010 race will see a 27km time trial stage on day five in Worcester. The teams will set off at 30-second intervals in reverse order, according to their ranking on the GC. The Absa Cape Epic finishes at Lourensford Estate in Somerset West, on Sunday 28 March.

The Magical and Untamed African Mountain Bike Race is also a massive logistics project. The organisers pitch over 1400 tents per day and transport 280 tons of equipment from stage town to stage town. Twenty-seven heavy-duty trucks and transporters and over 600 crew, volunteers and supplier representatives are involved in implementing the largest mountain bike stage race in the world. 

You can follow the progress of Team Mule Bar / Bikemagic.com when the event starts right here.