Race the World | Episode 4 | The Absa Cape Epic

Episode 4 of Race the World. The journey moves to Europe, as the Epic Series continues with the 4Islands Epic in Croatia.

Each day brings a new island, each trail a fresh challenge, winding through rocky paths, historic towns and coastal views that take your breath away. The Adriatic Sea sparkles beside them, playing hide and seek as teams ride, climb, and connect through this one-of-a-kind race. It’s a celebration of teamwork, resilience, and the pure joy of mountain biking in one of the most stunning settings on Earth. And did we say the teams even start from a boat?

ENTER THE 2026 4Islands Epic:
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they’ve warned me that the Cape Epic is the toughest race in the world it’s a spotlight to showcase the best of the best in conditions that throw absolutely everything at you africa is different it It punches differently it hits differently we see that the level it’s basically getting higher and higher every year the more pressure we can execute on our competitors the better it might end for us it’s very cool when you’re riding and and you hear the helicopters one with the top men and the other with the woman and you see them on the top of the mountain then you see I have to climb up there mentally the way we prepared was just it is what it is it’s going to be wet it’s going to be slippery we’re going to get cold it’s all these things where I guess it’s negatives but you can’t see it as a negative it’s something that we’re going to have to deal with with their sight on the overall podium we can 100% expect that things are going to change you just need to one one week moment it’s pretty much one drop gel energy gel and you can lose lose time [Music] this is epic series this is pure mountain biking it’s all about finding your flow what really excites me is that it’s totally like a different concept of racing going from island to island if I’m going to travel to go and ride my bike I want it to be more than just a bike race every day you have this different experience how awesome is it that you get to start one of the days actually off the ferry it’s epic really looking forward to it the riding is different the riding is like something you’ve probably never ever done before exploring is top of the list so look who’s back auntie’s back the crowd goes wild no serious i will be back racing which makes me super happy because seeing the cave from the other side is really cool and I enjoyed it but on the other hand my DNA just want to hurt myself i just want to suffer i just want to go full guys on the trails today I’m going to go from Brussels i live in Belgium so I have to take the flight from Brussels so I go with the car to Brussel airport don’t fake our fake [Applause] but the race is not even started and already taking advant of [Music] doing 2 and a half hour flight more or less currently we’re waiting for nice pieces of documentation to Zagreb we made it to Croatia the island of rocks then for Zakre we take a car and we go to an island island number one and it’s raining we take the boat at the end of an island then we go with this boat to another island [Music] and then we arrive on an island straight from the underground and we sleep on this island and then next day we’re going to do the time trail on another island which sounds quite complicated but it’s 100% worth it because the places where you go it’s always like like it’s like more or less the same i want to have good legs and it’s not always possible so So if you want to race in a beautiful place you have to work hard for it they have to do something for it so that’s that’s what Four Islands is about [Music] i’m lucky actually that I can race again uh and come back in this this beautiful place so I look forward um I really want to go and hopefully I will be more or less in the front again where I hope where I want to be go let’s go [Music] we have 243 teams 486 riders 82% of all riders are brand new they’ve never been to this event before and 94% of the entries are international it just shows the mosaic and the diverse culture and people that come to take on this experience for all different reasons but primarily for adventure [Music] and what really excites me is that it’s totally like a different concept of racing going from island to island uh having five stages on four different islands it’s epic really looking forward to it so I feel like I haven’t really got back on the bike since Cape Epic it feels like yesterday my name is Bianca Hall i am racing four islands alongside Viral Loosa for Safari Essence Efficient Insure [Music] so this news just in the prologue which was supposed to be on Una Island has been brought back to Molly Lashin that due to the inclement weather and the high winds expected for the safety of our riders always the number one priority the team able to pivot and to make sure that they can put that nice prologue together for the riders confidently with a great result and a good way to start the event before we push through into the islands of Chris and Kirk [Applause] we are here at Molly Lashi where they’ve reconstructed a time trial it is 14 kilometers 160 mters of climbing up a little bit of wind blowing lots of rain overnight the seas are up the fairies were not able to go through to Uni you can see the time behind me we’ve got about 45 minutes until the start which is at 11:30 this morning Central European time and then of course the elite women go off at 13:40 and the elite men at 2:00 we’re expecting a winning time for the women on around 30 minutes probably 28 to 30 minutes if the conditions hold up and the wind doesn’t blow too much and for the elite men we’re hoping around 24 to 26 minutes yes you’re the first team to go off how are you feeling as ready as ever looking forward the weather is not playing well but otherwise we are ready for it 2 go [Music] to have a good race you need a good spirit and the first contact with me with organizer when I call them 10 years ago I say I want 20 entries to this race and I give these entries to my friends because I I say this is something special [Music] gorgeous wet rainy windy uh all the elements and it was it was amazing it was phenomenal so much fun i recovered very well at like one week one easy week and then started to build up training again and I I feel super strong yeah I’m happy to be back racing with Hans especially after Cape after what happened it’s nice to be back here and we’re here for a little bit of redemption so yeah good it’s nice i like uh I like the place and especially now the conditions it’s like Belgium weather so yeah really looking forward quite a comeback is what I what I hoped for and dreamed of and yeah I just like you turn the switch and I think yeah today we’re just going to go full gas and I don’t break in the single track and that seems to be quite fast they promised me that they are going to win the yellow jersey at the end of the stage one stage one in the port of Mali Lashin one of the most iconic photographs you can get at the Four Islands Epic here in Croatia and it’s a 40ks it’s a good day it’s a fast day we know that the short days are often the most difficult because again you’re all in there’s no time to come back from mistakes and you’ve got to stay smooth like the yellow jersey in general it can be a curse and can also be something you you get gets you really nervous [Music] brakes [Music] [Music] [Applause] the thing here for us in for island is that we have one team here which is a bit uh risky because we have KTM and mythological both have two teams and already you see that Diego today had a problem and the second team gave the wheel and he could get on his way and don’t lose that much time if we have a problem it’s up to us and that’s a big advantage for the other teams that they also can pull exactly on the flat parts like the second team they can just go 3 4 km full out and just get on the side and and have the best time for the first team yeah we just have to do our thing and and don’t focus on that but it makes it for us a bit more stressful of course we have to be even more careful so that’s that’s the game plan coming into the UCI women’s racing we knew that Tessa Corticus and Monica would be very very strong canondelle ISP proved just what a combination they were taking the last two um stage wins at the Absa Cape Epic we race them lots at Epic so we sort of know their strengths i know they get stronger as the days go on they start the the stage full gas because it’s only 40 kilometers and yeah we were in second and we were definitely racing to the front and not to the back although the team behind us was also just 5 seconds behind us but I think both Bianca and I are are races by heart and we we race until we can’t anymore just want to beat them basically we’ve got the leader jersey on our shoulders it gives a little bit more pressure uh continuing this race uh and I could really feel that uh today having girls behind you chasing uh doesn’t make it easier as you feel all the time pressure from behind monica never says much but she lets her legs do the talking and she literally is the dark horse in that combination every time in a race like this it’s it’s nice to have the leader jersey and it gives some extra media attention and so it’s a good feeling and I hope we can keep it [Applause] happy birthday the best team manager in the world i told you yesterday they like to eat not like to eat [Music] i did as a rider fork i think first in 2009 or 10 and in overall in as a rider and as a team manager 13 editions already and I think here in CES fifth time also fifth editions epic and I think all of the andor that I think already is already four so yeah I did quite quite races in Epic Series the things around team management is to make sure that everybody’s in the right spot at the right time to do what they need to do my name is Vincent Durant and I’m manager for team Bulls i’ve completed my 20th epic this year so I got a team of mechanics that obviously look after the bikes i look after the logistics we’ve got riders that need to be in a perfect environment for them to perform at optimal level and I think when you have uh an event like four islands where there are lots of moving parts fairies ferry times port authorities um it brings a different dimension to uh to the racing side of logistics and I think those of us that can pivot or adapt a little bit to the circumstances more have a bigger chance of success well you’re up for that category jersey you know it’s so important the Swan year is so important that the team managers understand the rules the rules are there for a reason and it’s so important that not only the team managers and the swaners but also the athletes understand these rules and ride according to them guys today it’s the birthday of Pamora he’s there [Music] [Applause] happy birthday today’s P’s birthday if you know the rules really really well there are places where you can push the limit but there’s a very definite line and the UCI officials are here to manage that to manage that expectation to make sure the racing’s fair sometimes in the spur of the moment it’s up to at least one person in the team to say “No you’re not allowed to do that let’s work it out and let’s make sure we don’t pick up that time [Music] [Music] it looks like the weather weather is going to be fine although some black clouds but I hope that the rain will will wait for for us to to arrive to the finish line [Music] there is no doubt that this is pure mountain biking it doesn’t get any more pure than this there’s no work going into the trails they’re not sculpted they’re not hard packed [Applause] [Music] stage number two on 10th edition of four islands [Music] year 10 of the Four Islands Epic just showcases how passionate and how good the team is behind the scenes there’s a lot of moving parts here the guys are juggling a lot of balls and what makes that exciting is that your experience is absolutely seamless you’re traversing between the different islands how awesome is it that you get to start one of the days actually off the ferry as you move out onto the island one thing that we love about the Four Islands Epic here in Croatia is the fact that we see big groups of riding friends riding clubs guys and girls who around the world are training together on a daily basis enjoying those coffee rides and then saying “Okay what’s our next goal let’s go and do Croatia or let’s get across to Andura or let’s go to Swiss.” And we’re finding that more and more that these big groups are traveling and then not only on the bike are they are they doing what they do but off the bike as well and that’s where the secret comes in to the 41 ZIC we’ve seen the South African boats we’ve seen the Swiss boats we’ve seen the American boats they’re all getting in there and enjoying that very unique experience which is hard to explain unless you’re there imagine being able to create an experience with some of your best mates in this far off place in this amazing surrounding so we started talking about renting our own boat and doing this thing with Tomas and we love Tomaslov bonded over our Borat kits and bourbon in 2023 when Edward became an epic legend and uh you know being part of Edward’s story was really cool and I’ve helped five people become epic legends now and I love that it’s so cool i just agreed to do the Swiss epic with James Lawrence next year so he can get his legends medal [Music] don’t suck today my name is James Lawrence known as the Iron Cowboy grew up in Canada and man have we been on some adventures yeah I did Cape Epic twice and as you know racing around the world you create these really tight bonds in the community made some fast friends and all of a sudden I’m here in Croatia on a freaking yacht doing the Four Islands race and are we having an incredible experience you always think you’re ready for an area going into it and then you get there and it just throws everything at you like we rode up a road that the Romans freaking built uh Edward Whmer co-founder of a of a brand called Road ID found my way to Croatia for the Four Islands Epic after doing uh several Epic Series races after you spend days at one of these things you start getting to know the people that you’re surrounding yourself with there’s the the pros which is also pretty unique to be able to tow the line with pros and stack yourself up against how they are doing kabuk’s one of my favorite races i’ve been lucky enough to do it three times every time’s been a challenging but like really nice experience the opportunity to race an epic series racing Croatia um I jumped at it coming into Kirk it was a sprint finish for the UCI men and a hungry buff Mega Mo so cool to see not only the fact that they want to win as a team but they want to race each other all the time and I think Hunts Becking just getting the better of vote Alam across the line in the sprint and he was quite excited about that going into the women’s race Monica Calderantas for Canada ISB they lifted the game the elastic snapped early on and uh the gap just got bigger and bigger at the end of the day over 6 and a half minutes ahead across the finish line there’s no doubt about it that one of the best ways to experience the four islands epic here at Croatia is with your mates on a boat and just come here with absolutely no expectations and go away with memories that’ll last forever [Music] why going crazy i’m inaugurated bringing greatness to the bay i feel like Tom Brady hanging on the game till No matter where you are in the field when it comes to these stage races with this very unique team dynamic is that you’ve got to look after yourself you’ve got to look after your partner and you’ve got to look after your bike stage three was a bit more tactical and also after 3 days of full gas racing our batteries also are like more empty than full there’s bound to be some some illness uh some of the athletes getting a little bit sick just with regards to you know the changes in temperature and just the hard work that they’re putting on their bodies and uh we saw that with the elite women the UCI women Vera Losa Bianca Hall Bianca Hall you can see the last two days just dropping a little bit in the Watts [Music] yesterday i guess the on paper the route looked quite cool but for me it was uh super tough i struggled yesterday the cracks showed [Music] seeing the visuals early on here stage four we saw that the Canadell ISB women’s second team Constanza Facilus and Pillar Fernandez taking assistance from their mechanic and obviously that is an instant 1-hour penalty so important for the athletes to know the rules especially when it comes to racing in teams of two [Music] i’m getting older and this is the thing i there will be one point that I’m like trying hard and the levels going down and and that’s fine but I still felt there’s something left in the tank and I think with this week we prove a lot that I’m not not done yet and that I’m not ready to be an influencer [Music] now I’ll go jump into the ocean yes I just leave really nice way to finish you know couldn’t ask for much more from a bike race [Music] four Islands epic was rad 100% [Music]