They thought they could win a stage and finish in the top-ten on GC if everything went right.

Lachlan had trained harder than he had trained in years to get ready for Cape Epic. After endurance adventures like his Alt-Tour and One Ride Away, he wanted to get fast again so he could compete in the world’s great off-road stage race. And he just wanted to be able to keep up with Keegan.

Keegan races cross-country world cups. He is as strong on his gravel bike as he is skilled on his mountain-bike. Last year, he won the overall title at the Life Time Grand Prix. That’s where he and Lachy became friends. They hit on the idea of racing Cape Epic together.

Cape Epic is often called the Tour de France of mountain biking. For eight days, the sport’s fastest pros tear across the sandstone hills, shrub land, and vineyards of South Africa’s Western Cape ahead of thousands of amateurs, who make the trip to take on the rugged route. The competition is only softened by the rule that the Cape Epic is raced in pairs—as a safety measure, so riders can look after each other in the remote South African bush.

Lachlan and Keegan’s race started with disappointment. Lachlan was off the pace and holding Keegan back. He started to question if his days as a racer were over. But he and Keegan pushed on, through rainstorms and under the hot African sun, and came into their own on the harshest terrain. They finished with a result that they are proud of.

The latest installment of our Explore series, presented by Wahoo, tracks their redemption at Cape Epic.