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It’s Down to the Wire for GC Honours

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on It’s Down to the Wire for GC Honours

The final stage of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic is all set to be a nailbiter. On Saturday’s penultimate stage, South Africans Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) powered back into contention on a stage won by the Buff-BH team of Wout Alleman and Martin Stosek in Stellenbosch.

Beers and Nortje finished second but, more importantly, pulled back 1 minute 37 seconds on the overall leaders, Italians Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto, and now lie just 13 seconds behind with only the Grand Finale stage on Sunday to go.

It was a thrilling end to a stage that climbed more per metre than any other stage of this year’s race with 2450m of ascent over the 76km route. But unlike the rough trails from earlier in the week, it was a day to play for most of the riders as they raced around the manicured trails in near-perfect cool, calm weather.

In the women’s elite race, over 62km with 1850m of climbing, overall leaders Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller won their fifth stage with relative ease after the second-placed She Sends Foundation team was reduced to one when Italian Greta Seiwald withdrew through illness. Seiwald developed a fever overnight and withdrew shortly after the start, leaving World Marathon champion Kate Courtney from the US to continue on alone. The withdrawal meant that the Chemchamp Honeycomb team of Haley Preen and Haley Smith moved into second position after finishing third on the stage. Margot Moschetti and Claudia Peretti (Symbtech.Net) took second place on Saturday to move from fifth to fourth on the overall.

Men’s Race

After winning the Queen stage on Friday, Braidot and Avondetto looked favourites to win their first Absa Cape Epic title on Sunday. But early on it was clear that Braidot was feeling the effects of the long week. With 16km of the stage to go, the Beers and Nortje surged clear of the main bunch up the long climb towards the top of the The Doctor trail.

At time physically pushing Nortje, Beers powered up the steady climb cheered on by big local crowds. They first caught early leaders Sam Gaze and Luca Schwarzbauer of Canyon and were even starting to bring down the gap between the Buff-BH team who, with Canyon, had made the earlier break.

But Alleman and Stosek, who had suffered numerous mechanicals earlier in the week, were flying down the final singletrack towards the finish and secured their second win of the week by 18 seconds.

“It was so much fun with the crowds screaming for us along the route,” Allenman said. “We just wanted to show that, after all our bad luck this week, that we were still in shape.”

Beers and Nortje followed just 18 seconds later followed by Canyon and the second Toyota Specialized Imbuko team of Marco Joubert and Travis Stedman. The yellow jersey ended fifth – the first time they had been off the podium all week.

After the stage Braidot quickly left the media interview area and it was left to Avondetto to comment on their dramatic day: “It was a tough day and Luca was on the limit in the last part, but we are still in it to fight for the yellow jersey. Thirteen seconds is nothing but it’s better to be in front than having to chase.”

Beers and Nortje had their own struggles with Nortje struggling to hold the pace early on.

“We could see that Luca was suffering, but Tristan was also hurting,” Beers said. “But he’s a tough kid and doesn’t give up. I knew he would come around at some point, although it took a little longer than I expected.”

“This was my bad day,” Nortje said. “Between Luca and me, it was about who was suffering more. But I kept believing and didn’t want to be the first to give up.”

Beers is a three-time Absa Cape Epic winner, while Nortje won the Absa African jersey in 2025 alongside Marco Joubert.

 

Women’s Race

After the early withdrawal of Seiwald, it was clear that the class of Lill and Keller would be difficult to beat as Chemchamp Honeycomb and Symbtech fought it out for the podium.

By the 40km mark, the two had already cruised to a 1-minute lead and began to stretch it out as the local fans cheered on the pair.

“It was really sad about Greta this morning and we never want to see our competitors have to pull out like that. It’s been great racing them all week,” said Lill. “But we had a really nice day today. I enjoyed following Alessandra on the downhills, and I think I’m definitely improving my skills there thanks to her.”

Preen and Smith proved that consistency is key as they moved into second on the GC.

“This is the way I like to race this race,” said Preen. “I always start further back and work my way up. But we can’t get too excited until the end of tomorrow.”

The final stage of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic takes place over 58km with 2150m of climbing. The course is the same for the women’s elite race.

 

Early Bird Entries

On Friday, organisers also announced that early-bird entries for the 2027 Absa Cape Epic will open on Monday at 4pm for Full Access members and at 5pm for general entries. Check out www-cape-epic.com for all the details.

 

RESULTS

Elite Men Stage

1. BUFF-BH Wout ALLEMAN & Martin STOSEK (3:13.49)

2. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matt BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (3:14.08 | +18)

3. CANYON Luca SCHWARZBAUER & Sam GAZE (3:14.20 | +30)

4. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO 2 Marco Joubert & Travis STEDMAN (3:15.36 | +1:46)

5. WILIER-VITTORIA: Luca BRAIDOT & Simone AVONDETTO (3:15.44 | +1:55)

 

Elite Men GC

1.  WILIER-VITTORIA: Luca BRAIDOT & Simone AVONDETTO (24:34.35)

2. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matthew BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (24:34.48 | +13)

3. CANYON:Luca SCHWARZBAUER & Sam GAZE (24:39.31 | +4:55)

4. KLIMATIZA ORBEA: David VALERO SERRANO & Marc STUTZMANN (24:44.39 | +10:03)

5. BUFF-BH Wout ALLEMAN & Martin STOSEK (24:48.14 | +13:38)

 

Elite Women Stage

1. THÖMUS MAXON SABI SABI: Candice LILL & Alessandra KELLER (2:56.08)

2. SYMBTECH.NET Margot MOSCHETTI Claudia PERETTI (2:58.55 | +2:47)

3. CHEMCHAMP HONEYCOMB Hayley PREEN & Hayley SMITH (3:01.09 | +5:01)

4. MASSI ISB SPORT Monica CALEDERON & Tessa KORTEKAAS (3:01.52 | +5:44)

5. TORPADO FSA KENDA Katazina SOSNA-PINELE & Giorgia MARCHET (3:05.43 | +9:35)

 

Elite Women GC

1. THÖMUS MAXON SABI SABI: Candice LILL & Alessandra KELLER (21:44.11)

2. CHEMCHAMP HONEYCOMB: Hayley PREEN & Haley SMITH (22:32.36 | +48:25)

3. TORPADO FSA KENDA Katazina SOSNA-PINELE & Giorgia MARCHET (22:44.50 | +1:00.39)

4. SYMBTECH.NET Margot MOSCHETTI Claudia PERETTI  (22:51.59 | 1:07.48)

5. MASSI ISB SPORT Monica CALEDERON & Tessa KORTEKAAS (23:05.01 | +1:20.50)

 

SPECIAL JERSEYS GC

Toyota Mixed

1. TEAM 69: Jenny RISSVEDS & Simon ANDREASSEN (28:42.48)

Absa African Men

1. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matthew BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (23:34.48)

Absa African Women

1. SANI2C EFFICIENT INFINITI: Samantha SANDERS & Bianca HAW (23:12.42)

Open Women:

1. JOY RIDE: Jennifer BURTNER & Callah ROBINSON (40:50.29)

Open Men:

1. SAFARI ESSENCE Mark van Zyl & William PIAT (27:55.54)

Great Grand Masters Men

1. OTB: Pieter MULLER & Corrie MULLER (36:34.29)

GIC Grand Masters Women

1. UAG EPIC: Martha KOEKEMOER & Jenny RÖNNGREN (37:50.41)

GIC Grand Masters Men

1. ORBEA FOX FACTORY: Ibon ZUGASTI & Ernesto MENDOZA (28:47.50)

NTT Data Masters Women

1. IGLU THERAPY CHEMCHAMP RACING Juanita Rose MACKENZIE Rouxda GROBLER (36:39.42)

NTT Data Masters Men

1. CZECHROCKETS&SWISSDIESEL Pavel GONDA Tobias Luthi (27:21.39)

Exxaro Women’s Jersey

1. EXXARO MANGANESE LADIES 1: Tsholofelo NKOSI & Bontle PHEPISO (46:54.26)

Exxaro Men’s Jersey

1. FAIRTREE DP WORLD CANNONDALE 2: Ethan MICHAELS & Damon TERBLANCHE (29:12.20)

 

To follow the Absa Cape Epic action live, mountain biking fans are encouraged to tune into the Absa Cape Epic’s live broadcast on the Epic SeriesYouTube Channel here. Daily highlights from the race can also be viewed on the YouTube Channel, and the excitement from the trails of Western Cape will be shared on the Absa Cape Epic Facebook page and @capeepic on Instagram. To find out more, visit https://www.epic-series.com/races/capeepic . 

GC Leaders Dominate Queen Stage in Tough Conditions

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on GC Leaders Dominate Queen Stage in Tough Conditions

Both the overall leaders in the men’s and women’s elite categories showed why they are the strongest teams at the 2026 Absa Cape Epic during the Queen stage from Greyton to Stellenbosch on Friday. In the men’s race, Italians Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria) won their first stage of the week to extend their overall lead, while the overall leaders in the women’s race, Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi), secured their fourth stage win of the week.

The overall leaders in both the men’s and women’s races of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic proved why they are at the top of the results page after a wet and muddy Stage 5 ‘Queen Stage’ from Greyton to Stellenbosch on Friday.

In the men’s race Italians Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria) finally got their first stage win despite having led the race overall for the last three days. The two finished the brutally hard 134km, with 2750m of climbing, in 5 hours 9 minutes and 51 seconds, with David Valero and Marc Stutzmann (Klimatiza Orbea) eight seconds back. The all-South African pairing of Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) hung on for third to retain their second place in the overall classification.

In the shorter elite women’s race – over 90km with 2150m of climbing –  South African champion Candice Lill and World Short Course Champion, Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi), were unstoppable as they finished just over nine minutes ahead of Kate Courtney and Greta Seiwald (She Sends Foundation) and now lead the overall classification by 14 minutes, 18 seconds.

Men’s Race

Trailing the leaders by just 1 minute and 28 seconds, Beers and Nortje were aggressive early on as a crosswind on the open gravel roads played into the powerful Beers’ strengths. At 14km, the two South Africans put in a strong attack in an attempt to break up the lead group. The attack was brought under control and it was eventually the 7C-Pedregal team of Luis Meija and Keyron Fonseca who managed to get a gap up the road just before halfway. On stage 1, Meija and Fonseca suffered major mechanical problems, including broken wheels, which forced them to ride two-up on one bike at times just to get to the finish.

But their time in the limelight was eventually snuffed out just after the Houw Hoek water point as the leading riders started upping the pace towards the big climbs of the day. As they have done all week, the two Italians rarely took the lead, simply following the attacks and minimising their energy expenditure. The race also included a compulsory portage section down the Gantouw Pass at 90km, which further split up the leading group.

By the time the race had summited the long Lourensford climb and reached the Eden trails of Stellenbosch, three teams remained with former Olympic bronze medallist Valero setting a furious pace. But the Italians were eager to get a stage win, and as the group entered the final section of singletrack 3km from the finish, Avondetto darted ahead. It looked to be the race-winning move, but moments later, he crashed off the trail. Quickly remounting, the Italian finally rejoined his partner up front, and the two recovered to open up enough of a gap over the pursuers to have time to celebrate before the finish.

“We really wanted a win and it’s nice to get it on the Queen stage,” said the 25-year-old Avondetto, a former World Under 23 champion. “Today was quite challenging in the first 40 to 50km. We are now looking forward to the final two days.”

Beers and Nortje, despite their best efforts, were unable to break the Italians but were happy to have hung on to second place overall.

“We saw there was a crosswind and we threw in a haymaker,” said Beers. “I think it caught a few teams off guard and there was a lot of panic. But we were hoping to burn a few more teams. By the time we got down the Gantouw Pass, our legs were dying and we had to go full cockroach mode all the way home.”

After their second place, the Klimatiza Orbea team moved up to third overall, 5:59 behind the leaders.

Women’s Race

If there was any doubt that Lill and Keller were the class act of this year’s Absa Cape Epic, they certainly proved it on Friday.

After just 10km Seiwald was forced to stop when a stick got caught in her rear mechanism, and it was the signal for the Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi team to fly the coop. By halfway, they had already opened up an almost nine-minute gap as Seiwald struggled to keep pace with her World Marathon champion partner and the Chemchamp Honeycomb team of  Hayley Preen and Haley Smith (Chemchamp Honeycomb) closed in.

Lill and Keller maintained their pace in the difficult conditions, eventually crossing the finish line in Coetzenburg in 4:29.08.

“It was a tough stage but we didn’t want to get involved in racing the She Sends Foundation team the whole way,” said Lill. “My favourite way of racing is to race from the front, where we can set our own pace and rhythm.”

Meanwhile Seiwald admitted that she had struggled.

“Kate was my hero today. She literally pushed me up every hill,” the Italian said. “I just didn’t have the legs today.”

On Saturday, the penultimate stage is a relatively short 76km but with 2460m of climbing while the women’s elite race will be raced over 62km with 1850m of climbing.

Early Bird Entries

On Friday, organisers also announced that early bird entries for the 2027 Absa Cape Epic will open on Monday at 4pm for Full Access members and 5pm for general entries. Check out www-cape-epic.com for all the details.

 

RESULTS

 

Elite Men Stage

1. WILIER-VITTORIA: Luca BRAIDOT & Simone AVONDETTO (5:09.51)

2. KLIMATIZA ORBEA David Valero & Marc Stutzmann (5:09.59 | +8)

3. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matt BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (5:10.03 | +12)

4. CANYON Luca SCHWARZBAUER & Sam GAZE (5:11.01 | +1:09)

5 TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO 2 Marco Joubert & Travis STEDMAN (5:12.56 | +3:04)

 

Elite Men GC

1.  WILIER-VITTORIA: Luca BRAIDOT & Simone AVONDETTO (21:18.51)

2. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matthew BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (21:20.40 | +1:49)

3. KLIMATIZA ORBEA: David VALERO SERRANO & Marc STUTZMANN (21:24.50 | +5:59)

4. CANYON:Luca SCHWARZBAUER & Sam GAZE (21:25.10 | +6:19)

5. BUFF-BH Wout ALLEMAN & Martin STOSEK (21:34.25 | +15:34)

 

Elite Women Stage

1. THÖMUS MAXON SABI SABI: Candice LILL & Alessandra KELLER (4:29.08)

2. SHE SENDS FOUNDATION: Kate COURTNEY & Greta SEIWALD (4:38.37 | +9)

3. CHEMCHAMP HONEYCOMB Hayley PREEN & Hayley SMITH (4:40.40 | +11:32)

4. MASSI ISB SPORT Monica CALEDERON & Tessa KORTEKAAS (4:43.32 | +14:24)

5 TORPADO FSA KENDA Katazina SOSNA-PINELE & Giorgia MARCHET (4:44.43 | +15.34)

 

Elite Women GC

1. THÖMUS MAXON SABI SABI: Candice LILL & Alessandra KELLER (18:48.02)

2. SHE SENDS FOUNDATION: Kate COURTNEY & Greta SEIWALD (19:02.21 | +14:18)

3.  CHEMCHAMP HONEYCOMB: Hayley PREEN & Haley SMITH (19:31.27 | +43:24)

4 TORPADO FSA KENDA Katazina SOSNA-PINELE & Giorgia MARCHET (19:39.07 | +51:04)

5 SYMBTECH.NET Margot MOSCHETTI Claudia PERETTI  (19:53.03 | 1:05.00)

 

SPECIAL JERSEYS GC

Toyota Mixed

1. TEAM 69: Jenny RISSVEDS & Simon ANDREASSEN (25:01.41)

Absa African Men

1. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matthew BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (21:20.40)

Absa African Women

1. SANI2C EFFICIENT INFINITI: Samantha SANDERS & Bianca HAW (19:59.45)

Open Women:

1. JOY RIDE: Jennifer BURTNER & Callah ROBINSON (35:01.36)

Open Men:

1. COLIBRI CYCLING: Eimantas GUDISKIS & Vladas JURKEVICIUS (24:10.11)

Great Grand Masters Men

1. OTB: Pieter MULLER & Corrie MULLER (31:21.41)

GIC Grand Masters Women

1. UAG EPIC: Martha KOEKEMOER & Jenny RÖNNGREN (32:15.17)

GIC Grand Masters Men

1. ORBEA FOX FACTORY: Ibon ZUGASTI & Ernesto MENDOZA (24:49.43)

NTT Data Masters Women

1. IGLU THERAPY CHEMCHAMP RACING Juanita Rose MACKENZIE Rouxda GROBLER (31.19.04)

NTT Data Masters Men

1. CZECHROCKETS&SWISSDIESEL Pavel GONDA Tobias Luthi (23:40.55)

Exxaro Women’s Jersey

1. EXXARO MANGANESE LADIES 1: Tsholofelo NKOSI & Bontle PHEPISO (40:01.06)

Exxaro Men’s Jersey

1. FAIRTREE DP WORLD CANNONDALE 2: Ethan MICHAELS & Damon TERBLANCHE (25:25.20)

To follow the Absa Cape Epic action live, mountain biking fans are encouraged to tune into the Absa Cape Epic’s live broadcast on the Epic SeriesYouTube Channel here. Daily highlights from the race can also be viewed on the YouTube Channel, and the excitement from the trails of Western Cape will be shared on the Absa Cape Epic Facebook page and @capeepic on Instagram. To find out more, visit https://www.epic-series.com/races/capeepic .