Hermanus is gearing up for the arrival of the Absa Cape Epic cyclists and crew on 19 March and local lycra supporters are wheeling around to finish organisational detail.  One such supporter is Paul du Toit of Wine Village.  Paul thrives on sport events and has a number of these to his credit including South Africa’s first trail run, the annual Hermanus Wine Festival and the Hermanus Cliff Path Night Run.  He wanted in from the minute he heard about Kevin Vermaak’s ambitious dream to establish the Cape Epic mountain bike adventure.

Back in 2003 Paul was a sport enthusiast  with Springbok colours in lifesaving who could not resist the Cape Epic and immediately became part of the race management team.  In 2014 Paul and his son Johannes competed in the race but unfortunately Paul did not finish.  Despite 2015 being the last year that Paul was formally involved in the organisational structure he continued to play a role in the preparations.  When Hermanus was again considered as a stage location and also the starting point for the 2017 race Paul offered his services to establish the challenging tracks which every cyclist has come to expect.  Paul, Deon Ferreira and Schalk van der Merwe teamed up to ensure that the first two stages that cover Hermanus, Hemel-en-Aarde and Stanford are untamed and unpredictable.

What is the benefit of being a Cape Epic stage location?  On this Paul is adamant that “no money can buy the international marketing exposure estimated between R30m and R40m in value”.  The exposure to a world-class event organisation and the opportunity of seeing top athletes in action make for an absolute bonus.  Spectators points are at Newton Johnson, Sir Robert Stanford and Creation Wines and people are invited to view the riders progress from these points.  Visitors are welcome to drop in at the race village that will be set up at Hermanus High School for an #untamed adventure. Read more about the event on http://www.cape-epic.com.