For the 13th edition of the Absa Cape Epic, the organizers have tweaked the route a little: It will include more singletrail than any previous edition in the twelve-year history of this race.
In total, the participants will get 110 kilometers of singletrack under their wheels. However, the route has been shortened by around 90 kilometers to 647 kilometers, but still includes almost 15,000 meters of altitude spread over eight race days. In terms of kilometers, the riders have to conquer around two more meters of altitude per kilometer.

According to race director Cati Csak, the new route will also be more challenging than the previous twelve routes "The extra single trails with a wide variety of ground conditions will make the 13th edition more physically and technically demanding than before."

Start at the origin
The 13th edition of the world's first mountain bike stage race returns to the flanks of Table Mountain. The adventure begins there on March 13, 2016 with the 21-kilometre prologue at the University of Cape Town. On the same day, the participants will move to Tulbagh, where the start and finish of the first stage and the start of the second stage are located.

Many new single trails will be ridden on the first and second stages. The third stage rides from Tulbagh to Wellington, after which half of the Epic route is completed. On the fourth stage, the route rides along the legendary trails at Welvanpas, while the fifth stage from Wellington to Stellenbosch on the Boschendal Wine Estate features five tough climbs. Although the penultimate stage is not short of tough climbs, it also offers athletes the finest trails in the region. The Absa Cape Epic ends on March 20 with the grand finale at the Meerendal Wine Estate in Durbanville.This year, the organizers have another anniversary to celebrate. On March 15, the second stage of the Cape Epic will be the 100th in total

The Epic route 2016 at a glance and as a video

	Sunday, March 13 The prologue Table Mountain (University of Cape Town) 21km, 650m difference in altitude
	Monday, March 14 Stage 1 Saronsberg, Tulbagh - Saronsberg, Tulbagh 106km, 2,300m difference in altitude
	Tuesday, March 15 Stage 2 Saronsberg, Tulbagh - Saronsberg, Tulbagh 93km, 2,200m difference in altitude
	Wednesday, March 16 Stage 3 Saronsberg, Tulbagh - CPUT, Wellington 103km, 2,150m difference in altitude
	Thursday, March 17 Stage 4 CPUT,Wellington - CPUT, Wellington 73km, 1,850m difference in altitude
	Friday, March 18 Stage 5 CPUT, Wellington - Boschendal, Stellenbosch 93km, 2,500m difference in altitude
	Saturday, March 19 Stage 6 Boschendal, Stellenbosch - Boschendal, Stellenbosch 74km, 2,100m difference in altitude
	Sunday, March 20 Stage 7 Boschendal, Stellenbosch - Meerendal, Durbanville 84km, 1,200m difference in altitude

www.cape-epic.com