The Absa Cape Epic is open to professional and amateur mountain bikers and has seen amateurs from all walks of life compete alongside decorated professional mountain bikers, including Olympic medalists, and World Champions. The eight-day mountain biking stage race is held in Western Cape, South Africa. Ebudilwe took part in the 2024 edition but said it did not go as planned. “I did the 2024 Cape Epic and Trans Kalahari Corridor (TKC) ride, but it was not as productive as I hoped. This season, although I am planning to do more races and really get back into the swing of things. I have been training diligently and at the beginning of this year, I was in Howick town in South Africa, for the Cape Epic training camp and all went well,” she said.
Ebudilwe said the previous season was challenging since she was getting back to cycling after maternity. She said this season her focus is on maximising her performance and making the most of the opportunities ahead. This will be the first year Ebudilwe will be on a CORE Greeza R bike with SALT wheelset at the event. “Imagine eight days of intense competition and challenging terrain, that is the epic. Riders, in teams of two, tackle over 700km and 16,000 metres of climbing of rugged trails, pushing their physical and mental limits to the very end. I have partnered with Julia Westoby from Mpumalanga and it will be our second time as partners,” Ebudilwe said. She is part of the #SheUntamed initiative by Absa, which is meant to support women in cycling and is pushing to see more women at the start lines of epic events. Ebudilwe, who turns 29 in June, was previously based in Europe but is now back in the country
