Former Springbok Marius Hunter to participate in this years Absa Cape Epic

Currently a coach for the u/19 Lions, a forwards consultant at the Bulls and a sport and labour attorney, Marius undertook to complete the Absa Cape Epic after reading an article while on holiday. “I needed a new goal - something extreme - and called up Christiaan Schutte, now my team mate. I'd also heard that the ‘Big K' (Robbie Kempson) had completed the race the year before - this was huge motivation for me”, Hurter says.

Marius, who had always loathed cycling when it was considered part of his rugby fitness training, started his Epic training on a spinning bike at his local gym. “My motivation was twofold - I didn't have a bike to train on and I wanted to lose weight,” he says. After trying his hand at spinning, Marius approached his local cycle store, Cycle Lab Centurion, who kindly sponsored a Volcan MTB. This was the start of an amazing journey for the hefty prop as he started cycling for 10 hours a week and recently completed three harrowing races - the Subaru Sun City MTB race, Karoo to Coast and the grueling Attakwas Challenge.

Marius will be teamed with good friend and dentist by trade, Christiaan Schutte. The unlikely pair, who will both be completing their first Epic, admitted that they might not have the expertise required but will conduct the race by improvising. “What doesn't kill us will undoubtedly make us stronger,” he gleefully reports.

And Marius' advice for his Epic competitors? “Bring a strong mind - and an even stronger bike! I cracked my first one (possibly due to my weight) so I'm a big believer in investing in the best equipment.”

For those not participating in the full race, organisers of the Absa Cape Epic are putting out a call for entries into the one-day mountain bike race, the MTN Cape Times Vigne à Vigne, or the Lourensford Cape Times Vineyard Run. Both races take place at the Lourensford Wine Estate, the finish venue of the Absa Cape Epic, on the last day of the eight-day race.

Visit www.cape-epic.com for more details and to see where the riders are online during the challenge.

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