The ABSA Cape Epic mountain bike race will for the first time start at a wine estate, with Diemersfontein in Wellington to play host to the first stage of the race in 2010. On Sunday 21 March, 1200 riders will begin the most televised event, and one of the most challenging, on the mountain biking calendar. Stage one will see riders traversing mountainous terrain, facing the technical climbing for which the Wellington tracks are known. The route will make use of extensive single bike track that is seeing the area fast become a biking destination of global significance. An initiative of Brett Rightford, winemaker at Diemersfontein, and Pieter van Wyk, a local bike shop owner, the Wellington single track was created from funds raised by the pair to "take local MTB matters into our own hands," Rightford says. Accessible to the public, the track is also the site of the Wellington Gravel Travel mountain bike race that takes place in August annually: and will play host to a one day race at the start of the ABSA Cape Epic event. Local biking enthusiasts will be given the chance to tail the official riders, once they are well on their way to the second stage of the race, which will take place in Ceres the following day. Cyclists in the 2010 ABSA Cape Epic will take on the Ceres Mountains in stages two and three, arriving in Worcester the following day for stage five. Stages six and seven will take place in Elgin, with the race finishing once again at Lourensford in Somerset West on Sunday 28 March - some 722 grueling kilometers later. The starting event will be a festive affair with plentiful food on offer and the adrenalin-packed vibe for which the ABSA Cape Epic is known. Details will be posted to the Diemersfontein site, www.diemersfontein.co.za, in the coming months.