Kevin Vermaak, a Capetonian and UCT electrical engineering graduate, founded the Cape Epic which is routinely referred to as “the Tour de France of mountain biking”. Kevin worked in IT in London in the early 2000s and, as a passionate mountain biker, took part in events across the world, including two mountain bike crossings of the Himalayas. He conceived the Cape Epic while taking part in the La Ruta de los Conquistadores in Costa Rica in November, 2002. In 2004, at a time when there were no similar events in South Africa, and the sport of mountain biking was in its infancy in the country, Kevin created the Cape Epic. His vision was to create the world’s premier mountain bike event and to set a new benchmark for the sport. The Absa Cape Epic is the most televised mountain bike stage race in the world and the only eight-day mountain bike stage race classed as hors catégorie by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)