I have just finished the Transwales and enjoyed it thoroughly - great ride and, more importantly a good laugh with like minded folk. I may try it again next year, but given the Transwales falls slap bang in the middle of the school holidays getting the logistics sorted for a three wekk break from work plus arranging family holiday around it is a bit of an ask.
I'd love to do another stage ride, and Transalp is high on my list. I've heard different things about it. Certainly it looks harder than the Transwales in terms of distances/climbing etc but I reckon I can handle that (I've done the Cape Epic before). However is it technically hard ? If I did it is a diet of some UK riding (natural/trail centre) going to be sufficient to get me around ? My bike skills are not the greatest when pointed downhill (sometimes more mental than anything).
Friends of mine who did it said that they were riding gods on the transalp on anything technical despite being average to slightly above average amongst most riders here in the UK - there's a lot of off road roadies by all accounts so if they can manage it, you'll be fine (from a technical perspective at least!)
Pace-wise, you'd consider them both pretty quick but they 'only' finished just inside the top half overall. Tough event.
Tex what did you think of the Epic? Im riding it next year..As for the TransAlps I hear its not that technical. A good technical multi-stage race is the BC Bike Race. It does have quite a steep learning curve but its all very ride-able & more singletrack than you can shake a stick at.
I thought the Cape was a great race - the organisation was second to none. When I did it it was coastal so a little cooler and great views. However, it was not remotely technical and a CX bike would have been fine apart from a couple of sections. A lot of tracks were gravel roads/jeep tracks and the riding would be in large groups of 10-20 riders. Distances were long - the total ride distance was 950km - the first day was 140km - I hadn't done that on a road bike let alone a mountain bike in training. I think the distances have been moderated now and they may have made riding more technical. As with the Transalp the (majority of) locals were not great technically and didn't like the rain. On day 1 we had a biblical downpour and in retrospect it was my best day riding since the South Africans don't ride in the wet and don't pack disc brake pads to cope either.
I'd do it again but bear in mind it means training and peaking over winter. Another cold winter and you could be spending more time than you want on the turbo. Its also expensive (I think its £1300 entry !!).
I'll second Tex's view of the Epic, amazing organisation and a stunning ride. I'm guessing that was 2008's course which was more of an off-road 'road ride'. 2009 was 200km shorter and had more technical riding on it, but still don't consider it something like the BC Bike Race. The TransAlp is supposed to be substantially easier in terms of technical riding, so that might not be the one to aim for. Cape Epic entry is looking like £1400/person entry for 2011 - it's increasingly rapidly each year given that in 2008 it was less than £500/person.
BC Bike Race looks great but it's going to be super expensive - £1400 entry, plus flights plus food plus some accomodation, so at least £2500 for a week away.
My recommendation would be the TransProvence - similar 'rally stages' to the Trans Wales but much tougher riding, real proper mountain biking, plus it's at the end of September so won't clash with school holidays.
You'll need to register for the transalp very early, as it usually sells out faster than Glastonbury.
I've not ridden it but I read the race reports in continental bike mags every year and it sounds pretty tough - certainly a LOT of climbing to do, and quite a bit of it at higher altitudes. The UK has some pretty technical riding on offer so if you're used to the trickier bits here you shouldn't find the transalp too technical IMO - they usually try and have the descents all rideable.