South Africa’s Absa Cape Epic stage race has evolved into the unofficial season opener for Europe’s top male World Cup-level cross-country racers. Christoph Sauser and Bart Brentjens, among others, use the eight-day, 800km slog across the Western Cape to boost their fitness just weeks before the first World Cup. But in the race’s four-year history, North American cross-country pros have stayed away.

The Trek-Volkswagen team is breaking the mold for 2008 and sending two teams to the event. Jeremiah Bishop and Chris Eatough will race the men’s event, and Susan Haywood and Kiwi Jenny Smith will race in the women’s category.

Team manager Zach Vestal spearheaded the project, and admitted it was a tough sell at the corporate level.

“It took some convincing because it’s a very expensive proposition,” Vestal said. “And the benefits in the domestic market are debatable. But I think this is a great growth opportunity for the team.”

Bishop, who holds serious aspirations of making the U.S. Olympic squad for 2008, stands to benefit the most from the move. The now-nine-day race could give him the fitness to score big at the World Cup opener in Houffalize, Belgium. VeloNews caught up with the Virginian the day after he received his official race invitation.

VeloNews: What are you hoping to get out of the race?

Jeremiah Bishop: I’m not going there for a single-track joyride and I’m not going to look at animals. There are a lot of other races out there with that. I’m going for the challenge and the training. It’s the best opportunity to have day in, day out, really hard riding. You just can’t push yourself in training like you can in a stage race. It’s virtually impossible. You’re there with a weary body and blurry eyes and you still have to [push yourself]. I hope it’s a good push to put an edge on my fitness going into the [World Cup] campaign.

VN: Are you thinking about stage wins or the overall victory?

JB: You know, if we could get a stage win or a solid top-five result I would be pretty stoked. You never know. We’ve raced against the guys who won it last year [Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm of Team Bulls] and beaten them on occasion. I think it’s a matter of persistence and who is able to have the most flawless race. Last year they weren’t winning every stage, but they were solid and the other teams had moments where they fell apart. It should be exciting.

VN: It sounds like it took some convincing to get Trek to send you to the race.

JB: Well, Chris had really warmed up to the idea and was talking with Zach quite a bit. I told him how I met with [race director] Kevin [Vermaak] at world’s and how he told me that the race gets the most TV coverage of any race in the world and how the whole thing is a huge production. It seems like a really cool event, not just by the virtue of its location and grand scale, but its organization. The race is really going somewhere. They’re putting a huge effort into making it something great and it shows. I think the UCI is paying attention and the world mountain-biking community is now, too. I mean, they face these huge logistical challenges and I’ve heard it’s the best organized race in the world.

VN: It’s been a while since you and Chris raced as a team [Trans Alp Challenge, 2002].

JB: Yeah, I haven’t raced on a team since that, so it’ll be really interested to see. Originally it was Jeff [Schalk] and Chris who were going to race, but Zach said we should take me. I was disappointed that Jeff can’t race because I’m doing the race. He’s coming on really strong and it’s one of those situations that happens sometimes. Chris has a ton of experience in the endurance [race] situations and in tough racing scenarios. He can always maintain his composure and keep it together — he is really solid. This race is kind of a dirt-road race with a ton of climbing and a ton of pedaling. That’s the kind of riding that I can benefit from. After the race I’m going to Europe for a nice rest block. I think sometimes you have to stick your neck out to see how well you can do.

You can read more about Trek-Volkswagen’s plans to race the Absa Cape Epic in VeloNews issue No. 1, set to hit newsstands December 17.

Baja Epic to debut in 2008
Mexico’s rugged Baja Peninsula will host North America’s newest multi-day epic mountain-bike stage race in 2008. Called the Baja Epic, the four-day, 300-mile race will serve up a serious riding challenge in the tradition of Canada’s TransRockies Challenge, Costa Rica’s La Ruta de los Conquistadores and South Africa’s Absa Cape Epic. In addition to Baja’s diverse riding — the November 5-8 event includes desert, beach and alpine forests — organizers will showcase Baja as a vacation destination.

Mountain-bike racing, Baja style

Photo: Armando Carrasco

“We’re not trying to ride them to death — I think the wattage effort will be between 60 to 80 percent of La Ruta,” said Rob Quinn, the race’s Denver, Colorado-based promoter. “We hope to have people off their bikes by 1-2 p.m. You can go have a great riding experience close to San Diego, and come back and say you saw some cool towns, ate a bunch of great seafood and drank some margaritas.”

Quinn and Armando Carrasco are the two minds behind the race, and hold a 20-year history of organizing events in the Baja region. The two organized Rosarito Beach’s Montaña Grande mountain-bike ride in 1987, Mexico’s first organized mountain-bike event.

Carrasco, a former motocross champ, runs Too Much Fun Promotions, which organizes motocross and mountain-bike events in the region. Quinn, manager at a Denver radio station, is a three-time finisher of La Ruta, including the 2007 edition. Finishing this year’s edition of Costa Rica’s internationally renowned stage race, Quinn said, helped shape the Baja Epic’s route.

“I called Armando and said, ‘We need more climbing — these people want to go uphill,’” Quinn said. “So we’re keeping it in the mountains — there aren’t any flat stages. To not hit that topography wouldn’t do the race justice, so we’re showing all of the region’s candy for the first edition.”

The race will start in Rosarito Beach, 25 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border, and trace a winding route through the towns of Tecate, Ensenada and Valle De La Trinidad before finishing back at the start city. Racers will tackle roughly 24,000 feet of climbing along the way. The route will include roughly 20 percent single-track riding and little pavement. And each stage will start and finish directly at the host hotels, meaning no transfers.

The four-day package costs $1000 for amateurs and $1200 for pro riders. The tab includes race entry and support, four nights’ lodging, transfers to and from San Diego, breakfasts and merchandise. Twenty percent of the pro registration fees will be handed out in prize cash. Organizers will cap entry at 500 people. All entries before May 30 will receive a $100 discount.