What kind of the recap for stage six of the 2021 Cape epic, a lot of rain
overnight made for really muddy and slippery conditions and it actually made
it so that they shortened the course.
Let's get into the numbers, 81 kilometers for length, which is
roughly 50 miles and 1,850 meters of climbing, which is roughly 6,000 feet.
That gave us a climate or distance ratio of about 121 feet climate per
mile or 23 meters climbed per kilometer.
That's about average for the rest of the stages that we've had.
That's right there in the middle of what we had.
Uh, the, the terrain is a bit different in this area.
The dirt has a pretty weak composition.
So it's really effected by rain and water.
So there are a lot of drainage kind of trenches that we had
cutting across the trails.
And then there were also a lot of water bars that were designed into the trails.
Uh, if it was dry, I assume the dirt would have been extremely hard pack and slippery
with kind of like very tiny little pebbles on top, but the rain actually kind of
helped it because it made it a bit more.
Uh, those water bars and, and ruts though made it so that it like to steal your
momentum at every chance that it got.
So it was pretty tough to get into a flow.
There's a lot of, uh, fire road today as well, especially in
the early part of this stage.
So with all of that said, let's get into the teams reports
check-in from.
I'll second last day, this, uh, epic week, um, stage six, six day seven.
Um, did I got shortened a little bit because of the weather
yesterday, I'm still pretty all day.
Some really mighty conditions.
Luckily.
I didn't get random, too much.
That's just muddy.
Um, yeah, overall another solid day, keeping it consistent.
And, uh, we finished 15th and stolen 18th place and GC probably will stay.
I think we'd need like 12 minutes or something to move on.
So yeah, just play it safe tomorrow.
Um, overall today, I could really feel that it was day seven of
a really long address, so I can definitely feel I'm tired, everything
hurts, but, uh, overall I think we rode a sort of ride some of day.
Yeah.
Um, yeah, the stage was shortened due to pretty intense rain last
night, which to be honest was a welcome, um, Because it would not
have been nice to ride in heavy rain.
So Steve is shortened and start time was changed to an hour later to hope
you missed the rain, which we pretty much did, but the trails obviously
didn't, um, It was cold, a lot of mud.
So I didn't enjoy either of those.
I don't do well with the cold, but, uh, yeah, like associated,
we pretty much kept it consistent and just did it would be good.
We could both feel the past week of writing.
Um, I've got a bit of a sinus issue.
Hopefully it's not bad.
Hopefully I get to the finish tomorrow.
Um, definitely my legs are feeling it, but.
Yeah.
Otherwise it was a, well, the last few Ks was nice because
we knew we were getting home.
But other than that, um, we were just stoked across the line.
Yeah, I wasn't feeling great this morning, like I said, um,
so I was happy to get over it.
And now I'm feeling a bit better.
Tomorrow is the last stage, the finale.
I don't actually remember what they call it.
Um, so yeah, hopefully tomorrow we can give you some feedback from the finish
line and say that we've done Quebec, um, like resize said with GC and everything.
Um, yeah, we pretty much still in the same place and hopefully we don't move up or,
I mean, hopefully we've up, but not down.
And, uh, yeah, so far it's been a good ride by both of us.
Um,
we couldn't really do it the trail today because of all the mud.
Uh, I feel sorry for anyone riding the trails later this week.
Cause they are pretty destroyed after 600 riders have gone through there,
but yeah, tomorrow is something 65.
Um, shorter stay, but still a fair amount of elevation.
Uh, I think Russo's written some of
the roots.
No, that's quite a punchy day, at least.
So I'm like, I'm looking forward to that.
Yes.
I'm just going to manage my sinus and get to the finish line.
Um, I think the worst has done.
It's just a kind of autopilot home style.
Um, you know, finishing this thing, we're ready to close.
So it's been a, been a really good week and I think a very
good first epic experience.
Um, that would be good.
Some things happened and all that managed it and just taking it as it comes.
But you're really on a privilege to have been able to do this this week,
stage six today, originally, this was.
We were already going to be over the hump, uh, like mentally speaking,
because stage five was so hard.
But, uh, it wasn't that way, whether it had a totally
different plan, a branded, yes.
It brings so much last night.
Like it was hard to sleep.
It was so loud was pretty crazy.
Yeah, it was right.
Yeah.
And the mud was, uh, F especially in the beginning.
Yes.
We, we started out
and probably, I don't know, two or 300 meters in there is just.
Mud field
and deep mud.
I, yeah, like a really deep like pedals were scraping through at times
like the products were deep enough that you were hitting your feet
at that point were kind of thinking, oh, this is going to be like a six hour day.
Great.
That sounds amazing.
Fortunately, it wasn't amazing for you.
Random was like, I'm going to get to run instead of ride.
So very excited.
Uh, but it didn't end up being that way all the way through.
Actually it was way better than I, uh, I had feared it would be
cleared up quite a bit.
Um,
yeah, it was the hardest day for me.
So far, yesterday was really hard.
But today, like I think that we got 700 meters in and the
group just started rolling away.
Like there was already, there were already people cause we're in a group and it
goes all the way to like H or something.
But.
There were people behind me in the age group, but that front
group that we've been going with every day, I just couldn't hold.
And, uh, it was at that point, like 700 meters in that I suddenly
had to start like bargaining with myself, you know, and like just a bit
more, just get over that next rise.
Just do that.
And so I did that for 81 kilometers today and like I'm pretty emotionally
and mentally spent after that battle, it was really, really hard.
Um, I was completely exhausted and yeah, so it was really hard.
Extremely it took a lot like that probably took a year off my life today.
So that was really, but we have one day left, so.
And we didn't crash today, which was a really good thing.
No crashes.
I was, I was pretty blown away at that cause, uh, it was
my first time riding in mud.
Um, but I actually quite enjoyed it.
Um, it's actually the, probably the one-time while mountain biking
that everyone else has to slip and slide around just as much as me.
So.
I took a lot of comfort in that.
So
that was, you were ripping today and your gaps were big enough
on the climbs to me today.
And then your descending was so good that I couldn't really close it down that much.
Um, there were a few times where I was worried that we might get beyond
the two minute point, uh, as far as, cause he can't be more than two
minutes apart, but man, it was a.
It's really hard one.
So, um, a couple of things though, the good karma karma situation.
So.
When we were in this,
this final, it, wasn't sorry.
One of the, one of those two, one of the
climbs in the latter portion of the race, uh, there was, uh, a team that, um, we
had written with and gotten to talk to a little bit, uh, they were off their
bikes, um, because one of them had to do.
Access battery.
Um, and at first, when they told me that I just kind of let them go up the road
and went, oh, well, sorry about that.
Um, but then my conscience started to get to me, uh, and I caught up to them
and I gave them my access battery and.
Thought that, Hey, well, this is going to be a good karma by
giving them my access battery.
Uh, shortly after that, I sliced my sidewall on, on a little river crossing.
So, uh,
not even your slide sidewall, it was right at the.
Which for those that have those of you that don't know, that's like the
worst spot to get a puncture because they usually don't seal it's too much
pressure and stress right in that spot.
So sealant definitely doesn't work and even tire plugs usually struggle
to work relatively speaking there.
So when I saw that it was there, I was a little worried that
we were going to have to take.
Yeah, which would have taken a lot of time, but the stands dart help.
Yeah.
We were able to limp it on in
and tip on that, by the way, just stand stars, have these like little like
feather things that come off of them.
We actually like tucked those underneath in between the.
Of the rim and the tire.
And I think that kind of helped it probably hold better.
Yeah.
It kind of gave it a buffer in between the rim and that sends the rim and that
pressure didn't constantly reopen it.
Sorry.
Yeah.
So I guess I'll be capitalizing or cashing in on that good karma tomorrow.
Yes.
Uh, bound to happen.
Yeah.
So one more day.
Uh, we're almost there.
What an incredible race.
Hi guys.
Another
stage done this morning.
I thought we were in stage five and I'm like, oh, I am so tired.
Today was good.
It was really rainy.
As we were warming up, I started with a rain jacket, which I
quickly realized I did not need.
And I definitely had it like tucked in my belly for the.
I would say 45 care or whatever it was until a two.
And then I was able to stop and put it in my back and my little Camelback.
So that was good.
And the son felt really good when he came out.
When we started the stage, the first half kilometer was like super, super sloppy.
Bikes were going everywhere.
And I was like, okay, this, if this is what the whole day is going to be
is really important that I get to the front and not have not have my lines
be messed up by peoples and ability to ride the lines that they want.
So I actually made it to the front pretty quick.
And I was setting pace the majority of the time, which was kind of funny because
I think a lot of the guys had a good laugh that a check was leading the whole
pack, but whatever, I just wanted to do my own pace and, you know, I'd stay safe.
I think that's the really big part when you're starting with so many
people, is that, you know, yes, your draft might be so much better on the.
But your chances of missing splits or having some mechanical or having
someone crushing crash in front of you, it goes up substantially.
So yeah.
Nice day.
There's two lonely leopards.
Um, one was, and the other one I is former world tour pro and I kind
of stayed with them for the first 50 K I jokingly kept telling them.
Or on a recovery spin because I should not be hanging out with you for this long.
Normally I make it like 10, maybe 15 gay, but not that long amount of time, but you
know, it was good to talk to them and, um, earn their respect over the past few
days, by showing them that, you know, I'm pretty fit and I'm pretty good at riding
a bicycle and not only up, but also down.
And they told me that if I ever come back, I should really come and contest the,
the UCI, you know, the pro woman race.
So.
We'll see you pal.
If I come back, I mean, I'm definitely interested.
I think this race has been a lot more fun than I imagined it hasn't, it's been hard,
but it hasn't taken it out out of me.
Like I thought that it would, and progressively each day I've been
getting better and better like that.
We work with a massage.
That kind of takes care of everybody here at Quebec.
It's like an add on service that you can do.
And the guy I worked with today, he's like working on my legs and he's
like, did you actually ride today?
Like your legs don't feel like your race, your bike.
Like they feel better than yesterday.
So it's really good to know that my body's adapting and you know,
the training I have done over the past five years, but also over the.
This over the past year, as I built for the Olympics has really
increased my ability to respond well to these really high dates.
And I did once again, set the fastest women time, I think, um, it was like
by a minute or something like that.
So that was really cool to see.
And, you know, obviously we're racing a different race.
Like they don't get to draft off of the men.
I get to draft off of.
Anybody I'm around except the women.
And then when it comes to, you know, the course, like I do have
a lot of traffic in the elite.
Women do not have really any traffic.
So it's, you know, some stages, it plays into their advantage, other stages stages.
It plays into mind, but I'm always happy to go ride my bike.
And race it.
Good.
And yeah, I really enjoyed the stage.
I think the conditions were really good and I can't believe
we're already at one day to go.
So right now I have to kind of pack everything this evening
because tomorrow is a point to point transfer, um, on the bike.
So we will not be returning to Wellington and the place we've
been at, it's been amazing.
So one more day to go friends.