A team of two Welkom cyclists, Michelle Rudolph and Cherise Odendaal, tackled the daunting and challenging Absa Cape Epic, describing the gruelling race as an emotional roller coaster ride.
“We had all four seasons during the race, and the hardest most mentally challenging of the days were Friday and Saturday (stage 5 and stage 6),” says Rudolph.
“Stage 5 was considered the queen stage and Stage 6 was almost unrideable because of the weather conditions. It was a mud fest and the legs were already tired from six epic days of riding,”
Rudolph’s partner, Cherise Odendaal, is also from Welkom.
This year the 658 km race, with 15 775 m of climbing, took place from 19 to 23 March.
The Absa Cape Epic is the world’s biggest mountain bike stage race, and the route changes every year.
The route kicked off on the trails of the Meerendal Wine Estate, and the final stage was from Lourensford to the Val de Vie Estate. This was fittingly tough, and featured two ferocious climbs and some of South Africa’s most iconic single track courses.
The trail to Val de Vie is both challenging and exhilarating.
“Being able to start Stage 8 and realising you are on the home stretch was just amazing. Once our wheels touched the green grass of the Val de Vie grand finale, the tears just came naturally as all the emotions and hard work had finally paid off.
“What an honour to take your partner’s hand and cross the finishing line together.
“The body can handle almost anything, it’s the mind that needs convincing,” says Odendaal.
Rudolph says strength does not come from what you can do, but overcoming the things that were once deemed as impossible.
“The Epic is just an amazing race, bonds are built, friendships made that will last a lifetime and memories to treasure for a lifetime. What a privilege it was to do this as a team.”
The Welkom team hopes to inspire more women to challenge themselves and realise that they can believe that they are capable.
“You can do anything you put your mind to. You only have one life, make sure you live it,” says Rudolph.
In 2022, ABSA shifted the face of cycling by entrenching its purpose of bringing possibility to life by reigniting the #SheUntamed initiative and gearing women up to break down barriers. The initiative is designed to improve women’s access to the sport of mountain biking.
“We are blessed to be a part of this amazing initiative. I have been cycling for three years and Cherise for about 12 years.
“We always share our passion for fitness, as we run, gym and cycle together. Our first race we did as a team was the Tankwa Trek 2023. It’s a four-day stage race that we used to prepare us for the Absa Cape Epic,” says Rudolph.
