Hey @SeanHurley why is Sofia not in one of the lonely leopards jerseys? It looks like other riders who have gone solo are wearing that jersey, and possibly then still starting with their original group (at least that’s what it’s looked like with Seewald and others highlighted on IG)?
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Good question. I’ll see if I can find out for you!
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Sophia is not taking part in the UCI Pro-Elite category, but rather as an amateur.
From the rules
“Outcast Rider” means a UCI Pro-Elite Rider, whose partner has withdrawn (or been removed), but who continues to participate in the Race, as set out in Rule 33.3. For the avoidance of doubt, the timing for when a rider will become an “Outcast Rider” is as follows:
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if his/her team member fails to start a stage, with effect from the commencement of that stage; or
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if his/her team member withdraws from the Race during a stage, with effect from the commencement of the next stage. (Please note: The label “Outcast Riders” itself is not used at all Races; for example, at the Absa Cape Epic, Outcast Riders are instead referred to as “Leopard Jerseys”.)
“UCI Pro-Elite Rider” means a rider who is (and whose team member is) registered for the Race in the UCI pro-elite category in accordance with Rule 32.
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Link to the rules: https://dalvfo2yu1bfi.cloudfront.net/downloads/EpicSeriesRulesv21-08-12ES-EN_clean.pdf
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Hey I had to write you watching stage 5 time now CET and I just saw two riders with front fenders . 
One of the Bulls Team mens rider had a front fender and woman rider on Team 60… AND during a pre race stage 5 interview with Team PYGA Euro STEEL They said they make the tire and mud guard decisions in the a.m… I feel better that I was not completely out on a limb 
Update: Stage 5 Results
It’s always been clear that Stage 5 would be tough. With 3 major sustained climbs and constant smaller ups and downs in-between, the terrain was daunting enough on its own, but cold weather and periodic rain made things truly brutal. On the plus side, the descents were flowy and relatively rock-free, and the stage included lots of scenic vineyard roads.
Rob and Rossouw continued their steady march up the leaderboard with another truly impressive ride. Rossouw admitted being a bit scared of Stage 5 in advance, but Rob’s superb climbing ability helped shepherd this punchier teammate through the intimidating terrain. For his part, Rob actually enjoyed the day immensely, and wishes every day of the race could feature this many climbs. Rossouw, on the other hand, is more relieved than anything else and excited for tomorrow’s undulating punchy parcours. They finished 16th today and jumped 3 places in GC to 18th in the Men’s division with two stages to go.
Jonathan and Brandon continued their tag-team pattern of alternating tough days; after Brandon’s mechanicals and crash yesterday, today was Jonathan’s turn to suffer. Flat legs and cold conditions left him on the back foot, with a persistent feeling of weakness and exhaustion dogging him throughout the day. Brandon was more in his element, with the long climbs and the flowing descents both suiting his skillset. It’s worth nothing that both Brandon and Jonathan have ridden more this week than they’ve ever done in a week before, and it’s exciting to see them learn their limits as they go! They finished today in 33rd place in the men’s division, unchanged from yesterday.
Sofia was able to start in a faster corral again today and as a result was able to race competitively. Her performance lived up to expectations; late in the stage she was able to work cooperatively with a small group of similarly-paced teams to maintain a steady effort up the final climb and towards the finish. Her biggest challenge today was not the course so much as the weather. Sofia didn’t bring a jacket and as a result was shivering and extremely cold on the descents. With more rain forecast tomorrow she’ll be sure to dress more warmly.
A quick update on Nate:
Many folks have reached out asking how Nate is doing after his Stage 1 concussion. We’re happy to report he’s recovering well! He’s back home in Reno and feeling quite a bit better, taking it easy and rooting on our teams from afar.
Tomorrow: On the heels of today’s big climbs, tomorrow’s Stage 6 doesn’t include any long ascents, but over the course of 95 km/ 59 mi it accrues 2,300 meters of vertical gain. It’s likely to be quite fast, and while racers will undoubtedly desire a rest this stage will probably not offer much of a chance for recovery. Only two stages remain in this year’s Cape Epic. but with more rain and cold weather in the forecast racers won’t get an easy ride to the finish.
As always, for more details, head over to our official recap Blog Post or check out our daily updates on Youtube and your favorite podcast apps.
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It’s going to get dirty today! It should make for some great shots with the white and black kit.
AFAIK they’ve shortened the course due to the weather.
Whoop, whoop! The best bit about XCM is dealing with the challenges.
I have a feeling that kit won’t be very white after today 
Update: Stage 6 Results
The penultimate stage of Cape Epic looked set to be a long, fast, rolling day on a flowing course. Alas, any rider who was planning for today to be restful was sorely disappointed. Torrential rains overnight left the course an absolute mudfest, forcing the delay of the stage by an hour and the shortening of the course by 14 km. In the end, this stage was anything but easy.
Rob and Rossouw took a conservative approach. Their 18th place in GC seemingly safe, the distance to 17th also seems insurmountable, so the strategy is now to maintain and stay problem-free to the finish line. They kept it consistent today for a 15th place finish on the day, and with increasingly-tired legs and a sinus issue starting to bother Rob, our support agents are ready to finish things up tomorrow.
Jonathan and Brandon were looking forward to today as the beginning of the end, but rain so loud it made it hard to sleep last night was an obvious clue that today would be a challenge of its own. And a challenge it was—if not Cape Epic’s most physically demanding stage, this was by far the most mentally and emotionally taxing for Jonathan and Brandon. While neither crashed the race was not without incident, as Brandon slashed a tire late in the stage. A plug successfully sealed it and helped maintain their 33rd place on GC. There light at the end of the tunnel is in sight.
Sofia continued the absolute clinic she’s put on in the last few stages with another awe-inspiring ride today. For a second time in the race she set the fastest overall women’s time, and while she’s able to draft the masters men as a solo rider (unlike the pro women’s teams) she is also forced to start with a slower overall group, and is more frequently stuck waiting to pass other racers than the pro women’s field. In the end you can’t directly compare her performance as a solo racer to the women’s teams, but it’s safe to say her fitness and skills are nothing short of world-class. And somehow, she even managed to have fun today.
Tomorrow: At long last, the final day of Cape Epic arrives with a short 66km stage featuring 1850m of vertical gain. There aren’t any big climbs, but there are plenty of rollers throughout the stage, and a notably-rocky last descent called the “Bone Rattler.” It won’t be an easy way to end Cape Epic, but at least some beautiful sunshine and comfortable temperatures will greet our riders as they approach the finish line.
As always, for more details, head over to our official recap Blog Post or check out our daily updates on Youtube and your favorite podcast apps.
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Just saw the 2 mins video about that descent, and hoo-lee crap! Is @Jonathan nailed it or what? His technique is on a different level to the others!
Also, poor Red at the beginning 
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Update: Stage 7 / Final Results
After several days of heavy rain, Stage 7 greeted racers with bright sun and dry, hot conditions. The combination of lingering moisture and warm temperatures left the trails in great shape—grippy and tacky, but also firm and fast. That’s not to say it was all smooth, as the day’s last climb and descent were extremely rocky and threatened racers with punctures right up to the very end.
The course itself started with the approximately 45-minute Beulah climb, before descending into a rolling route of vineyard farm roads. A final climb and the rough, aptly-named Bone Rattler descent were the last real challenges, but the 8k drag to the finish seemed to go on forever after a week of exhausting racing.
Rob and Rossouw - Today’s Finishing Time 3:07:05 - Total time 28:46:22 - Final GC position: 15th of 112
Jonathan and Brandon - Today’s Finishing Time 3:26:36 - Total time 32:05:27 - Final GC position: 30th of 112
Sofia - Today’s Finishing Time 3:49:34 - Total time 33:24:06 (Ineligible for GC leaderboard as a solo rider)
All of our athletes were Cape Epic first-timers, and looking back they have a lot to reflect on. But there were a few major themes that emerged:
Training: Sustained aerobic power wins Cape Epic. Developing the fitness to attack hard over short climbs might seem useful, but it’s really the ability to steadily ride at just below FTP for hours on end that makes the biggest difference here.
Core Strength: A long offroad race such as Cape Epic also places unusual demands outside of just cycling fitness. If you lack core strength or don’t have a good bike fit, you’ll feel the consequences here.
Nutrition: While none of our athletes experienced major nutrition failures during the race, Russuow came close a few times, finding himself very hungry late in a stage. He took a less-structured approach to nutrition than Jonathan or Brandon, who planned well in advance and never even came close to bonking. Having a good nutrition and hydration plan leaves you more prepared to address the other unexpected issues that arise during a race.
Logistics: Our racers purchased a service package from Cape Epic that got them massages, transport, and some mechanical support, and it proved invaluable. This is obviously not an option at every multi-day race, but it’s absolutely worth considering logistics any time you enter a long event. No athlete succeeds on their own!
Final Thanks and Acknowledgements
On behalf of the entire TrainerRoad team, we’d like to thank the Cape Epic organizers and event staff for holding a truly world-class event. Special thanks to our race assistant Phillip who took care of all the day-to-day issues for our athletes so they didn’t have to. Thank you to Michal Cerveny for the incredible photos, and most of all thanks to our blog readers, podcast listeners, and Instagram followers for the many, many words of encouragement we received along the way.
Jonathan and Sofia will be hosting a Cape Epic Instagram live chat later this week—stay tuned for an announcement of time and date!
As always, for more details, head over to our official recap Blog Post or check out our final race update on Youtube and your favorite podcast apps.
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Congratulations to all Cape Epic TR riders! Amazing feat. It was interesting to hear the day summaries and listening to what you might have done differently and left the same. I agree that you need to add a core component to address the jarring experienced. Sofia’s times were insane! TR 1 and 2 had tremendous times too! Thank you for sharing.
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Kudos to everyone — including @Nate_Pearson, I hope you are doing better. This was a massive effort and all of you have been super quick. I am very curious to see what Sofia will do next year.
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Great work guys and big Kudos to Nate!
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Well done teams! Question, how important was technical riding skills, noting the crashes? And would you do more Trail training that Trainer training for races like this in future?
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In the recap episode Sophia mentioned a stretching app that she likes and uses. Whats the name of the app???
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