As Noah explains: “The Cape Epic is the Tour de France of off-road cycling. It is a brutal eight-day stage race in which some 40 to 60% of the 600-plus-kilometre course is singletrack. It is a true test of a rider’s ability for a multitude of reasons. First, it is eight days. This means that not only do you need to be strong one day, you have to plan out the best strategy to be the strongest across all of the days. This alone sets it apart from most mountain-bike races, which are single-day events. Second, this race is not solo. It is raced with a partner, and the team’s daily finishing time is based on the second rider to come across the line, not the first. You also cannot be more than two minutes apart, creating some interesting dynamics within the race. These two things make Cape Epic such a different beast compared to any other off-road cycling race. Even the best in the world need multiple attempts at this race to win it.”

Noah is currently studying in Colorado, and Danny has a family and full-time job. Nevertheless, both committed to a full training programme beforehand. “From a training perspective, Danny and myself both focused on high-volume training and our tempo zone,” Noah says. “Because the Epic tends to be about 30 hours of riding time across the eight days, we spend most of the time each day in tempo. Focusing on these zones in training was very important. In addition to our on-bike training, we both spent time in the gym focusing on our core and upper body, so that as we fatigued across long days we could still can be agile on the bike.” They also did sauna sessions, for heat adaptation and worked with nutritionists to make sure they were optimising their off-bike time with healthy and diverse food.

Noah continues: “Danny uses a sports psychologist, and believes it has incredibly helped his approach to racing and to adjust his approach for a duo race. For myself, I focused on the team aspect of this race and prepared for a race that was outside of myself. The duo format creates such a different dynamic compared to any other race I do, and each and every moment you have to remember that you are not racing for yourself, you are racing for your team-mate.”

With Danny faster on the flat and Noah edging it on singletrack, the pair’s strategy was to let the stronger rider lead. “Spending a couple of big-volume days on singletrack following each other’s wheels created a lot of trust between the two of us. Knowing that you can trust the wheel in front of you is incredibly important,” Noah says. “We also made sure to be vocal about how we felt at any given time. Being aware of how your partner is feeling is key in this race.”

Bad luck hit the duo early. “After a nice opener during the prologue, we were ready for Stage 1. Unfortunately, South Africa had other plans,” Noah says. While still in the peloton, a rock cracked Danny’s rim, forcing him to ride 25 kilometres on a flat tyre to the first tech zone. A couple more flats owing to 2” (5cm) “devil thorns” hampered the pair’s attempts to get back in contention, but they salvaged the stage and went into Stage 2 hoping for some respite, only to hit a day of crosswinds and flat roads and constant, all-out efforts.

Besides the challenging parcours, one of the major problems that multi-day Cape Epic presents is gastrointestinal (GI) issues, due to unsafe water, and on stage Stage 3 Danny began to suffer. “This meant that none of the food Danny consumed (particularly highly concentrated sugar, like gels) was being absorbed properly,” Noah says.

Stage 3 also saw temperatures of up to 48ºC, exacerbating Danny’s health problems, and the next two days were barely cooler. “Danny was practically running on empty for five days," Noah says. "I vividly remember halfway through Stage 5 Danny turning to me and asking if him finishing is what I wanted. He asked if I would like to ride as a ‘lonely leopard’, a solo UCI rider. I told him the only way we were not finishing as a team was if the doctor told him to get off of his bike. With that, Danny hopped on my wheel again and we made the decision to finish that race.”

On Stage 6, the weather turned. After overnight rain, they rode through low visibility on muddy trails and double-track. The pair woke up on the final day to find out that the last stage had been shortened due to the extreme rain. “With only 40 kilometres to go to the finish, Danny and I decided we would do everything we could to finish strong. With lots of pushing and hyping up, we finished the race with our best stage placement, and as a team, and set a new 60- and 90-minute power record,” Noah says. “Our happiest moment of the race was finishing that stage with our friends Loic and Robin, knowing that we had put our best foot forward and finished the race despite the hurdles we faced across each and every stage.”

Through the dust and dirt and scorching heat and rain, the pair’s clothing never let them down. “The Mona jersey is such a game changer due to the amount of storage space in the jersey. The outer pocket made it easy to sort trash from still-full gels and mechanical equipment,” Noah says. “The Mathilde bib also was incredible for this race due to its built-in base layer. On the incredibly hot days, the layer acted as a way to stay cool, and on the cooler, rainy days, it acted as an additional layer keeping you warm.”

Noah has raced – and finished – every Cape Epic since he turned eighteen and became eligible for the event, and with these experiences in the bank he’ll no doubt be back for more. “I would say that the most meaningful part of this experience was simply finishing, despite the problems we faced,” he says.