Welcome

Welcome to the 2023 Absa Cape Epic!

Congratulations on making it to the start line of The Untamed African MTB Race! The next eight days are the culmination of months of hard work and sacrifice; you’ve studied the route, done the training, and now it is time to reap the rewards. Make sure you take a moment to soak it all in before you roll off the start ramp on Sunday and begin your encounter with the Untamed.  

The 2023 Absa Cape Epic race register sees riders from over 50 countries, our largest women’s field to date, 840 Absa Cape Epic Newbies, 40 Epic Legends and 13 riders seeking to claim Epic Legend status. We also have 148 riders racing to complete their third event and join the Amabubesi Finisher Club.  Successfully completing the 658km and 15775m of climbing is a huge achievement in itself, but for those of you at the sharper end of racing, this year there are more age category jerseys to be contested for than ever before, in both the men and the women categories. 

Well over a year of planning, riding, building and refining has gone into curating the 2023 Absa Cape Epic route. There is no denying that this race wouldn’t be what it is without the support of over 150 landowners and farmers who welcome the event onto their properties, allowing us to showcase the most spectacular trails the Western Cape has to offer and provide you with the most memorable experience. We know it may be hard to look up and enjoy the surrounding vistas and landscapes, but we encourage you to take a moment to appreciate where you are what you’ve accomplished; with that being said, we also request that you respect the landowners and their land by sticking to the dedicated route and keeping any litter in your pockets until it can be discarded at a water point.  

This Rider Manual contains all the information that you will need for the 2023 Absa Cape Epic so please make sure to scroll through it and get familiar with the finer details. Should you need any more information, please feel free to send our Race Office a message (WhatsApp +27 87 163 2022) or come and visit Jordan, Liezell, Jennifer and myself at the Race Office trailer in each Race Village. 

Now it’s time to take on The Race That Measures All. We look forward to supporting you along your journey and giving you a hero’s welcome as you across the finish line at the Grand Finale at Val de Vie Estate.