The Best Western - the power of the cape to cape

So much has happened in the last nine years – we have had five Australian Prime Ministers, found water on Mars, Facebook grew from 100 million to 1.8 billion users (24% of the global population) and society has (thankfully!) survived the GFC, SARS, Ebola, Zika and Lance Armstrong. Nine years is a long time to be in a relationship, to work for just one company or – in the context of mountain biking in Australia – successfully run an annual race that keeps people excited, energised and coming back for more. Step forward Cape to Cape.

Many of us probably associate Margaret River with craft breweries, surrounding wineries, beautiful beaches (plus the odd large fish with sharp teeth) and some of the finest surfing breaks the west coast has to offer – but as the local West Australian contingent keep telling me, gone are the days where every car has a surfboard on the roof. These days, Margaret River is becoming all about mountain bikes.

A first taste of WA
Having never been to the region or raced Cape to Cape before, I was rather eager as I loaded the bike bag on to the plane and commenced the five hour flight from Sydney to Perth, noting that there were a whole lot of other people in beige chinos, flat brimmed caps and bike T-shirts doing exactly the same thing. Other than the Dwellingup100 and the odd National XCO round at Pemberton, WA doesn’t have an immense mountain bike calendar – at least not one which appeals to the majority of the mountain bike population who live on (or near) the east coast. The Cape to Cape is different – what started nine years ago as a race with less than 100 local entrants has now increased to over 1,300 riders in 2016, a great deal of them from interstate and overseas. Just like the gravitational effect of an expanding black hole, this race is starting to really pull people in.

The format of Cape to Cape has remained relatively similar for the whole of its existence – four stages over four days, where you can choose to race hard or simply ride and enjoy the journey, the remarkable countryside and the beers at the end. The elite fields continue to grow, with 2016 attracting large numbers of the fastest men and women from across Australia. More importantly, ‘The Cape’ captivates the imaginations of an ever growing mass of punters who come for the holiday and the comradery involved with riding with (or racing) your mates, meeting a stack of new people out on the bike and retelling stories of glory, bravery and epic near misses over a freshly caught seafood platter, bowl of hot chips and nice bottle of red. 

The shape of 2016
This year’s race kicked off at Cape Leeuwin lighthouse (where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean for those keen on geography) and featured some unforgiving climbs, woodland with the tallest trees you might ever see, plenty of loamy single-track, luscious pine forests, boundless fields entwined with grape vines, some high cadence tarmac and sandy gravel roads with spectacular ocean views. Rumour has it that some riders even witnessed whales frolicking off the coast during stage one! Personally, I was too busy chewing my stem to engage in a spot of whale watching. However, I did find some time to take a dip in the sea while trying to close some gaps and avoid fish-tailing riders on the notorious ‘beach section’.

It’s not a rarity to find races that have a great atmosphere at the finish line, but Cape to Cape really works hard to deliver the optimal rider experience – every stage end has a vibrant mood with massage tents, a selection of food from local vendors, a bike wash, bike mechanic, shuttle services, pumping music and a huge team of volunteers to ensure you have a good time. The team at Cape to Cape have clearly listened and acted on rider feedback year on year and improved both the course and the event more generally.

CAPE TO CAPE ESSENTIALS

When: 19-22 October, 2017
Where: Margaret River, Western Australia
How to get there: Fly to Perth airport and rent a car to drive south.
What to take: An XC or trail bike, sense of humour, beer money, sunscreen and a beach towel.
Where to stay: Margaret River, or Gnarabup Beach.

More details: capetocapemtb.com

One element in particular that makes the Cape to Cape (and its sister event, Port to Port) both memorable and unique is the special ‘shootout’ stage. On the afternoon of day two, the top elite riders, a selection of wildcards from the field and a collection of fancy-dressed locals pit their skills against each other in a couple of minutes of eye-bleeding, mouth-watering madness in the middle of the famous Margaret River Pines. The trails here are already unreal, but on the afternoon of the shootout they become littered with hundreds of spectators, all shouting, cheering, ringing cowbells and banging pots together (and also trying to avoid a flying Kyle Ward who found himself the wrong side of the bunting this year) – which all serves to create what can best be described as a ‘World Cup’ atmosphere. Time bonuses are on the line for the elites with a variety of prizes and bragging rights for the locals, many of whom are amazingly skilled yet remarkably humble junior frothers.

Western Australia doesn’t have the volume of racing the eastern seaboard has, nor does it have the depth of talent, due mainly to the smaller population size. Local riders eagerly await the Cape to Cape every year knowing that it’s an opportunity to race the best in the country in their own backyard and to step forward and get noticed. For up and coming juniors it’s a chance to meet their idols, watch them live and dream of what could be in a few years’ time. There is a great deal of talent over in the west and it’s fantastic that an event such as this gives them an opportunity to show their wares.

Day three of 2016 was particularly special, starting with the full field snaking down (what felt like) the world’s longest driveway at Xanadu, where the sight of 1,350 mountain bikes gently whirring away on the sealed road needs to be experienced to be believed. The neutral zone continues as the stage trundles down the main street of Margaret River, which was notably closed for the occasion. It’s at this point on this stage that you pause to recognise what this event means to this town and this region.

Cape to Cape has, in the words of Perth’s mountain bike legend Tony Tucknott, put Margaret River on the map. Sure, the area has long had a great surfing culture, but the economic growth attributable to both the Cape to Cape and mountain bike tourism more generally has been astounding in recent years. The race has been a key driver of this – each year the organisers dive into all the feedback around what worked well and what they could have done differently – and through this has come incredible trail development and evolution. I’m told before Cape to Cape materialised Margaret River didn’t even have singletrack – yet nine years later we are presented with one of the most enjoyable trail networks in the country (and even some professional trail building companies who are applying their craft in both South West WA and beyond).

The last few years – and indeed many years to come – feature the Margaret River Pines and the seemingly endless corners, berms, rollers and doubles that seem to instantly quell the hurt created by some of the fast and aggressive fire-road sections leading into them. The Margaret River Pines are a world to their own and the work put in by the local trail builders deserves a special call out – this place is immensely enjoyable no matter what your level of skill on a bike. Come race day, they are also scattered with crowds of supporters ringing their cowbells (a real value for money purchase in this part of the world). 

“Local riders eagerly await the Cape to Cape every year knowing that it’s an opportunity to race the best in the country in their own backyard and to step forward and get noticed.”

Not to be outdone, the area is also home to Hobbit-themed Middle Earth, which just like the Margaret River Pines really delivers in terms of entertaining and gratifying trails that naturally put a smile on the faces of all who venture forth. Riding through Middle Earth you are almost oblivious to the fact you’re racing – rather making you feel like you’re doing skids and jumps with your mates on your favourite trails back home. 

The mighty west
Cape to Cape is the biggest stage race in Australia and one of the biggest in the world. Nine years on, the event continues to develop year on year, seeking out ways to improve not only the experience of the riders, but the families who provide loving support and the communities the event touches. More and more people are travelling interstate and from overseas and an increasing number of elite riders are competing for podium honours. A finisher’s medal is a tangible reward for every single person who crosses that line, but the enjoyment experienced, the memories created and the new friendships constructed are what we all really take away.

Come 2017, South West WA will be celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Cape to Cape with a special edition event designed to cater for ‘everyone and anyone’. All stages will start and finish at a specific host venue (instead of the previous point-to-point setup) – those being Xanadu Wines, Colonial Brewery, Leeuwin Estate and the town of Margaret River itself. The race adds new categories (welcome singlespeeders), wave starts, potentially a new junior classification and to facilitate the change in format, a whole lot of course changes.

Reflective of the overwhelmingly positive feedback from riders on the Margaret River Pines and Middle Earth, the redesigned course for 2017 will see both these locations feature heavily. The trail fairies have also been very busy sprinkling magic dust and crafting eternal happiness at both Boranup (fast, loamy and flowing trails with some great rocky features) and the brand spanking new, soon-to-be-opened Compartment 10. Four years in the making, Compartment 10 consists of meticulously designed hillside trails catering for both beginners and advanced riders that will potentially pioneer the way trails will be built in WA from this point forward. The ‘Best in the West’ mixes clay, dirt, rock and the famous WA pea gravel and will be a huge selling point for the 2017 Cape to Cape.  If you could summarise Compartment 10 in one word, I’m told that word is flow. Which makes me RATHER excited to say the least (insert Thumbs Up emoticon, Fist Pump emoticon, Wide Grin emoticon…)

Finally, the 2017 Cape to Cape will also see Margaret River, with the support of council and local business, become a vibrant Event Village for the entire week, with road closures facilitating access to registration areas, extra merchandise and sponsor stands, bike demonstrations and all the cafes, bars and restaurants we know and love. On top of that, all presentations will be held in the town, with live music and acts having the whole community blissfully bubbling away well in to the evening. 

They say Cape to Cape is not a mountain bike race, it’s a mountain bike holiday. I think there is an overwhelming amount of evidence to support that claim.