YOUNG AMERICANS | RIDING THE CAPE EPIC

Noah Warren, a USA cycling development programme – and Café du Cycliste – athlete lined up at the Lourensford wine estate in Cape Province, South Africa, last month, for 605 kilometres of the toughest mountain-bike racing possible. Over eight days, competitors in this celebrated and infamous Cape Epic climbed more than 16,050 metres and journeyed into the heart of South Africa.

He was riding in a two-person team with fellow American Griffin Hoppin. All competitors must ride as pairs and team-mates must stay within two minutes of each other – and repair any mechanicals they have on course. Every year the harsh weather and unbelievably rugged course take their toll on both riders and equipment, leading many to drop out before the final finish line. Noah has never had a DNF (‘Did Not Finish’) in his racing career, and he did not intend for this to be his first.

Warren is only 19, but he was bitten early by the cycling bug – and bitten hard. While in high school he raced in the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, and the National Mountain Bike Championships; and in 2021 and 2022 he finished on the podium of the USA Cycling Marathon. But, for him, it was never all about speed. Noah was always looking for adventure too. The young American made his first long trip at 15, riding east to west across the USA. His bib short of choice for this 5,200 kilometre feat? Mathilde, from our Audax range – his first ever Café du Cycliste purchase.

In 2019, at the age of 14, Noah went to spectate at the Cape Epic, where he met the legendary champion Nino Schurter. This inspired in him a dream to participate in the race as soon as he could. Little did he imagine that a few years later he would be on the start line with Schurter. The minimum age to enter the Cape Epic is 19. In 2023, at 18 and four months, he participated with pair Hadden Beykirch alongside Schurter and became the youngest UCI rider to finish.

In 2024 Warren was due to take on the adventure with team-mate Patrick Balls, but two weeks before the race, Balls injured his knee and dropped out; Griffin Hoppin filled in. For Noah, it’s this team aspect and atmosphere that makes the race special – that sharing of emotions, helping out and overcoming things together. “Cape Epic is less about the race and more about the community and the culture,” he says.

Now back on the Côte d'Azur, where he moved to study, he looks back on the experience. A stand-out moment was on Stage 3, between Saronsberg and Wellington: another rider, Casey South, found himself out of the race when his partner was injured, and so helped Noah and Griffin, sitting in front of them to keep them out of the wind. “Having that support from somebody who had no reason to help us was just amazing, and reflects the mentality of the Cape Epic,” Noah says.

Noah did all of preparation for the race around Nice, and admits he spent more time on his road bike than his mountain bike while training – so good are the region’s roads. He gives special mention to the road up to Gourdon, one of the famous ‘perched villages’ in the back country, as well as the coast road from Antibes to Nice, which he rides most days to get to university.

The Côte d’Azur cycling community has, he says, welcomed him with open arms, and in particular the regulars at our café on Nice port. Thanks to the friendliness of all the local cyclists, he’s got to know the roads. Next up: the region’s trails. Noah’s goal is to win the Cape Epic one day; and with a few more years’ riding in Nice, that could become a real prospect…
Picture credits : Nick Muzik

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