There are so many things that have to go right in order to complete the Cape Epic and one of the things that I think people could easily underestimate is team work!
Communication & Trust
Karl Platt says they don't talk on a stage, he looks at Urs' body language to know what he is thinking or how he is doing, he sees it as a sign of weakness to talk during the stage.
I think others would say that if you talk too much, you are not riding hard enough. :-)
The better you know your partner the more trust you are going to have riding in front or behind them.
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| I mean to be in total sync in a berm like this speaks for it self! Couldn't see who the photo credit should go to, but what an awesome photo! |
Mentoring
This year's Epic is full of examples on how more experienced riders are willing to sacrifice and ride with amateurs. Christoph Sauser & Sipho Madola, Sharon Laws & Dalene van der Leek, Hannele Steyn & her partner who she also coaches, Anneke Viljoen.
Personally I find this so encouraging that people who were used to earn their bread & butter from racing are now prepared to do this; the same as people who were prepared to ride with me when I was inexperienced and much slower than them.
Christoph mentioned that one of the things he taught Sipho was to be, "Calm, Efficient & Fast through the waterpoints. I personally witnessed Sauser putting a whole muffin in his mouth at the waterpoint. With calmness he opened his mouth wide enough in order to be efficient to fit in the muffin in one go and fast through the waterpoint... :-)
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| Photo: Ewald Sadie |
Stronger vs Weaker - Weaker vs Stronger.
The Songo.info combination of Sauser and Sipho reminds me off the Scott boys, Nino Schurter & Phil Buys from 2014.
I've been on the receiving end of both of these situations. It is so important for both riders to be on the same page and know that you are going to give your all.
As a stronger rider it is sometimes harder to ride slower, personally I prefer to just get the pain out of the way. For the slower rider it is hard to always feel like you are holding someone up or motivate yourself mentally and the faster rider needs to be aware of the mind games going on in your head.
I always tell myself when I'm dangling off the back that I am doing the best to my ability and that seems to get me over the hills. Hannele Steyn is the only women who have completed all 12 Epics so far, she has also won a few stages in the past. She was saying how hard it was to make that switch that she is riding slow for her ability, but that the speed they were travelling at was the fastest her partner could go. Her partner has only started mountain biking one year ago!
The pressure that the likes of Sipho and Phil would've put on themselves would play such a big role in their performance. I can imagine them feeling honored to race with the world's best and wanting to perform well.
The dangers of combinations like this, is that the weaker rider would ride out of their comfort zone too quickly or their body might boikot their plans which leads them to crashing & burning; which brings about dealing with the disappointment and trying to get confidence back.
Sabine Spitz, multiple World Champion and 3 x Olympic medalist said it well earlier this week, "When you do something that makes you weak, it makes you stronger afterwards."
We saw this in Phil Buys' case and can also see how Sipho is excelling towards the end of this Epic! Finishing 29th today on Stage 5 and currently sitting 50th on the GC!
Caring
Sally is always looking over her shoulder making sure she knows where Adel is. It is key to choose a pace that both riders can maintain and to look out for each other before, during and after the stage. Caring for your partner is so important as it is the little things that count; a small act of kindness in these situations when you are so tired can mean the world to them and will strengthen your team unit. :-)
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| Adel left it all out there on Stage 3 |
Good luck everybody you have made it this far, hang in there for the next two days!
Read & watch more on the Cape Epic by following this link. https://www.cape-epic.com/
Ps. There is still so much to say on this topic, but these are the things that stood out for me today!
