Mountain Biking: Fierce Marathon Race at the Garden Route Programme Offer
CAPE EPIC 2007
March 23rd-31st 2007, South Africa
The largest and most spectacular mountain bike stage race in the world is back! On March 23rd 2007, the CAPE EPIC will kick off for the fourth time in Knysna, South Africa, situated in the heart of the famous Garden Route. Then, thousand mountain bikers from all over the world will experience the magnificent scenery of the Western Cape with its wide open African plains, majestic mountains, deep ravines, indigenous forests and flourishing vineyards.
During their adventurous eightday journey that will end at the Lourensford Wine Estate just outside Cape Town on March 31st 2007, the participants will have to ride nearly 900 gruelling kilometres and climb more than 15,000 vertical metres. On their way to Lourensford, the competitors will have a good chance to catch a glimpse of the African wildlife with its elephants, giraffe, gemsbok, springbok or even lions. The route leads the riders over dusty and demanding gravel paths, serious climbs and thrilling down hills, magnificent river crossings and stunning single tracks. Much of the marathon route is on private land and is only opened to mountain bikers once a year for the CAPE EPIC.
Breathtaking trails and speedy down hills
The 2007 route leads from Knysna over Uniondale, Oudtshoom, Ladismith, Barrydal, Montagu, Villiersdorp and Kleinmond to Lourensford. There is always a lot of single track and dusty jeep tracks, and as little sealed road as possible. The scenario is changing daily, and with each ridden kilometre, new and magic perspectives on South Africa’s untamed and varied landscape open. Daily stages are between 75 and 132 km. All riders must enter as a two-rider team who must remain together at all times during the race. Teams can register in four categories including Open Women, Open Men, Mixed and Master (participants older than 40 years). At each stage, the winners of the day receive prizes and the leaders in the overall classification their yellow Leader Jerseys. At the finish, individual times are summed up to reveal the overall winners.
At the start: the best of the best!
The CAPE EPIC is a popular sport race but due to the extreme heat and the sheer beauty of the route the contest is a challenge that also some of the world’s best professionals take up. One of the most famous participants is Christoph Sauser (SUI) who is one of the best and most constant world cup riders of the last two years and winner of the CAPE EPIC 2006. He will form a team together with Liam Killeen (GBR) who was fifth at the Olympics 2004. Last year’s second, Johannes Sickmueller (GER), will team up with Rene Birkenfeld (GER). The African team that finished fourth in 2006 will split itself up in two teams this year: Kevin Ewans will ride together with Ben Melt Swanepoel (both RSA) while Mannie Heymans (NAM) will work together with Brandon Stewart (RSA). The teams of Bart Brentjens(1.MTB Gold Winner of Olympia ´96/ 3rd place Olympia ´04) and Rudi van Houts (both NED) and Thomas Zahnd/Sandro Spaeth (both SUI) are also favourites of the Cape Epic 2007. Mountain bike legends Thomas Frischknecht (SUI) World Champion MTB Marathon 2005 and Tom Ritchey (USA) will form a very special team called “Team Rwanda”. At the women’s contest, Kathy Pruitt (USA) and Anke Martin (RSA) are the favourites, just as Greg Minaar and Hannele Steyn (both RSA) at the Mixed category.
Penguins at sunset
The CAPE EPIC is costly organised and presented with the participating athletes at the focal point. The 24-hour full service includes tented accommodation in race villages, carbo-loaded breakfasts and dinners, race nutrition, bike servicing, masseurs, and stage location specific infotainment every evening. For the first time, the competitors will stay at the mountain paradise of Uniondale. Another first time visit is Oudtshoorn, the Ostrich capital of the World and home to the spectacular Cango Caves, situated in a beautiful wide valley between the Outeniqua and Swartberg Mountains. The participants will also look forward to visit Kleinmond for the first time though they probably won’t have the time to enjoy the sun setting over False Bay, to bodysurf at Pringle Bay or to visit the penguin colony around sunset at Betty’s Bay. One of many highlights of the CAPE EPIC 2006 route!
For more information, please visit http://www.cape-epic.com/.
TV Production
We will be at place with a live production team. Over the whole week of the event, our team will work with six digi beta cameras and will produce impressive pictures from the helicopter. We will not only deliver daily satellite news with unilaterals but a daily 24-minute highlight version each evening. With pleasure we will give you the possibility to broadcast live. We invite you to report from this unique event with your own presenters and journalists if you like. In addition we will offer three rough-cut versions with the main emphasis on “interview”, “wildlife & nature” and “logistics”.
Programme opportunities include:
□ Daily 3 min. news plus unlitaterals via satellite
(daily, March 23rd to 31st 2007, 04:30 pm CET)
□ Daily 24 min. highlight version via satellite
(daily, March 23rd to 31st 2007, 09:00 pm CET)
□ 24 min. sports highlight version
□ 52 min. documentary highlight version
□ 30 min. rough-cut “interviews”
□ 30 min. rough-cut “wildlife & nature”
□ 30 min. rough-cut “logistics”
DAVID JONES
Representative EMEA & Americas
Email: David.Jones@4Msports.com
Phone: 0034 650 767 126
Skype: kahunajones