Friday, 30th March 2007 at 12:49 am

Absa Cape Epic - tough but fair

If you’ve been following the mountain biking from Knysna through the Little Karoo, you’ll have picked up the general sentiment that the 2007 edition has been a rather malevolent affair, testing the riders with some brutal, unforgiving territory. And from there, it’s pretty easy to assume that this year’s field has suffered as a result.

But six stages into the race, a stark statistic emerges that places the wails of disconsolate riders firmly in context. A year ago, 20% of the field called it quits at this stage, unable to continue despite just two stages lying between them and the finish. Cue 2007, and with stages seven and eight left, more than 90% of the field is still in the reckoning, despite a vicious route designed by Leon Evans.

Whixh leads to a simple conclusion. The route is undoubtedly tougher, and yet the attrition rate has dimiinshed - clearly, then, the field is better prepared for the rigours of the world’s most demanding mountain bike stage race. It’ll only spur Evans on to somehting nastier for 2008; on this year’s evidence, the field will be quite happy to take it on the chin, and face down whatever the Absa Cape Epic throws up.