Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje made history on Sunday by becoming the first all-South African team to win the Absa Cape Epic after a dramatic final stage in Stellenbosch.
Starting the day just 13 seconds behind overnight leaders Luca and Simone, the Toyota Specialized Imbuko pair raced aggressively from the start and overturned the deficit to secure the overall title. While Sam and Luca claimed the stage win, Matt and Tristan did enough with their third-place finish to wrap up a famous victory.
It was Matt’s fourth Cape Epic title and Tristan’s first — and it didn’t come easily.
The South Africans put pressure on early and had built a strong advantage before Tristan crashed heavily midway through the stage, injuring his elbow and bruising his leg. With Luca and Simone closing fast in the final kilometres, Matt helped pace and push his teammate all the way to the finish as they held on for a memorable win.
“You can’t get bigger than this,” said Tristan. “There are so many emotions right now. I think about all the sacrifices made by family, friends and the team that have supported me. Today was about doing it for them and for the people of South Africa. It’s very special.”
Matt said the result meant even more because of what it represented.
“It’s a special one because we have done what a lot of South Africans have been trying to do for a long time,” he said. “Tristan has ridden amazingly all week and showed true character pushing through.”
In the women’s race, Candice Lill finally claimed her first Absa Cape Epic title after five previous runner-up finishes, teaming up with Alessandra Keller to dominate the race from start to finish.
Candice and Alessandra won seven of the eight stages, including the final stage, to seal an emphatic overall victory. Monica and Tessa finished second on the day, with Hayley and Haley in third.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Candice. “But sometimes you have to go through those deep, dark situations to get to where I am today. It makes it sweeter.”
It was a breakthrough win for Tristan, a fourth title for Matt, and a long-awaited moment of triumph for Candice — making it a Cape Epic to remember for South African cycling.
