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Beers and Nortje Show Fighting Spirit as Alleman and Stosek Win Stage 1

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on Beers and Nortje Show Fighting Spirit as Alleman and Stosek Win Stage 1

After suffering a rear wheel puncture just before halfway, yellow jersey leaders Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) fought back from what looked to be an unassailable deficit to finish with the lead bunch and retain the overall lead after Stage 1 of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic in Montagu on Monday.

Belgian Wout Alleman and Czech Martin Stosek (Buff-BH) won the stage after fighting off five other teams in a chaotic final few kilometres that came down to a finish line sprint. Alleman crossed the line first and Stosek third to take the win in 3 hours 38 minutes and 42 seconds. Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria) grabbed second with Beers and Nortje third, just two seconds behind.

Beers and Nortje still lead overall, four seconds ahead of the all-Italian Wilier-Vittoria team with David Valero Serrano and Marc Stutzmann (Klimatiza Orbea) third on the GC, 20 seconds off the pace.

The 90km stage included 2150m of climbing over rocky, dusty terrain. The last time the race visited Montagu was in 2007 

In the women’s race – over a shorter 66km route with 1800m of climbing – Prologue winners Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi) slowly turned up the heat after halfway to pull away from their closest rivals and win the stage by 1 minute 35 seconds ahead of Rosa Van Doorn and Vera Looser (Buff-Bh Efficient Infiniti) with Kate Courtney and Greta Seiwald (She Sends Foundation) finishing in third, 1:56 behind.

Men’s Race

The men’s race started half an hour earlier to accommodate expected high temperatures in the area. SA champion Marc Pritzen (Honeycomb 226ers) set the early pace only to find his partner Feliz Stehli struggling at the back which forced him to pull back.

The Canyon team of Luca Schwarzbauer and former World Marathon champion Sam Gaze made a brief flurry at the front, eager to put the pressure on. But a mechanical issue forced them to stop and then chase back, finishing 12th. But they will be a team to watch for stage wins over the next few days.

The Klimatiza Orbea suffered a similar fate with an ill-timed puncture just over 10km from the finish, forcing them to also chase back to the lead group.

But it was Beers and Nortje’s puncture that looked set to relegate them down the GC after they struggled to plug the hole and had to wait for their back-up team to swap wheels and continue.

“When I saw that the gap was 3:40 I thought, oh dear, that’s a proper one and I wasn’t sure we’d get that back,” Beers, a three-time winner, said. “But we just kept the speed on the corners high and flowed and sometimes you can ride a lot faster than the group that way. You learn over the years where to spend your effort and, in the end, we had a great ride.”

Nortje was thankful that he had come to ride the trails around Montagu in February, so he had a good idea of the terrain.

“I knew what was coming, where the descents were fast and open and where we had to push,” the 24-year-old said.

The two eventually returned to the lead pack with 15km to go, and despite some further attacks, the local pairing were able to match the pace and retain their overall lead.

But the victory belonged to Alleman and Stosek, who outmaneuvered the big bunch to put themselves in a perfect position to win the stage in a twisty, tight finish “It was super rocky and quite rough,” Alleman said. “We tried to make a gap on some of the climbs towards the end, but they were too short so we decided we would try and win the sprint. I got into a good position in the last bit of single track and Martin was also just behind so it worked out well.”

Women’s Race

The women’s elite race started off much like a shorter XC race as the group raced up the initial 7km Abrikooskloof climb from the gun. But the early effort took its toll on many of the teams, and it was soon Lill and Keller, along with Courtney and Seiwald and Van Doorn and Looser that pulled ahead.

Just halfway through, Courtney and Seiwald ran out of water and Lill and Keller slowly started putting the squeeze on the lead group.

“It was really hard from the start up that first Pass,” said Lill. “But it made the racing cool and more exciting. We started to notice that a few of the teams were starting to struggle just before halfway and so we just pushed a little harder and pulled out a gap.”

For Keller, the current World Short Course champion, completing her first full Absa Cape Epic stage was an eye-opener.

 “The suffering is still the same but it’s just a little bit longer,” Keller she smiled.

On Tuesday, the main race will take 102km with 2250m of climbing while the women’s elite race will be contested over 80km with 1750m of climbing.

RESULTS

Elite Men Stage

1. BUFF-BH: Wout Alleman & Martin Stosek (3:38.43)

2. WILIER-VITTORIA: Luca BRAIDOT & Simone AVONDETTO (3:38.44 | +1)

3. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matthew BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (3:38.46 | +2)

4. ORIGINE-WILIER: Mathis AZZARO & Juri ZANOTTI (3:38.46 | +3)

5. KLIMATIZA ORBEA: David VALERO SERRANO & Marc STUTZMANN (3:38.53 | +10)

Elite Men GC

1. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matthew BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (4:23.23)

2. WILIER-VITTORIA: Luca BRAIDOT & Simone AVONDETTO (4:23.28 | +4)

3. KLIMATIZA ORBEA: David VALERO SERRANO & Marc STUTZMANN (4.23.43 | +20)

4.. ORIGINE-WILIER: Mathis AZZARO & Juri ZANOTTI (4:23.49 | +26)

5. TORPADO KENDA FSA: Fabian Rabensteiner & Casey South (4:25.01 | +1:38)

Elite Women Stage

1. THÖMUS MAXON SABI SABI: Candice LILL & Alessandra KELLER (3:01.52)

2. BUFF-BH | EFFICIENT INFINITI: Rosa VAN DOORN & Vera LOOSER (3:03.28 | +1:36)

3. SHE SENDS FOUNDATION: Kate COURTNEY & Greta SEIWALD (3:03.48 | +1:57)

4. SYMBTECH.NET: Margot MOSCHETTI & Claudia PERETTI (3:10.07 | +8:15)

5. CHEMCHAMP HONEYCOMB: Hayley PREEN & Haley SMITH (3:14.03 | +12:12)

Elite Women GC

1. THÖMUS MAXON SABI SABI: Candice LILL & Alessandra KELLER (3:53.16)

2. SHE SENDS FOUNDATION: Kate COURTNEY & Greta SEIWALD (3:56.10 | +2:53)

3. BUFF-BH | EFFICIENT INFINITI: Rosa VAN DOORN & Vera LOOSER (3:57.02 | +2:53)

3. SHE SENDS FOUNDATION: Kate COURTNEY & Greta SEIWALD (3:03.48 | +3:45)

4. SYMBTECH.NET: Margot MOSCHETTI & Claudia PERETTI (4:04.18 | +11:02)

5. CHEMCHAMP HONEYCOMB: Hayley PREEN & Haley SMITH (4:08.34 | +15:18)

 

 SPECIAL JERSEYS GC

 Toyota Mixed

1. TEAM 69: Jenny RISSVEDS & Simon ANDREASSEN (5:12.48)

 

Absa African Men

1. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matthew BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (4:23.23)

 

Absa African Women

1. SANI2C EFFICIENT INFINITI: Samantha SANDERS & Bianca HAW (3:18.49l)

 

Open Women:

1. JOY RIDE: Jennifer BURTNER & Callah ROBINSON (7:32.09)

 

Open Men:

1. COLIBRI CYCLING: Eimantas GUDISKIS & Vladas JURKEVICIUS (4:58.49)

 

Great Grand Masters Women

1. TEAM GEANCO: Rhonda GEISZLER & Tamara TABEEK (1:27:02.2)

 

Great Grand Masters Men

1. OTB: Pieter MULLER & Corrie MULLER (6:35.43)

 

GIC Grand Masters Women

1. UAG EPIC: Martha KOEKEMOER & Jenny RÖNNGREN (7:07.36)

 

GIC Grand Masters Men

1. ORBEA FOX FACTORY: Ibon ZUGASTI & Ernesto MENDOZA (5:14.49)

 

NTT Data Masters Women

1. USWE SA: Mari DU TOIT & Janine MULLER (6:43.24)

 

NTT Data Masters Men

1. WILIER-CHAOYANG: Uwe HOCHENWARTER & Karl MARKT (4:55.36)

 

Exxaro Women’s Jersey

1. EXXARO MANGANESE LADIES 1: Tsholofelo NKOSI & Bontle PHEPISO (8:15.13)

 

Exxaro Men’s Jersey

1. FAIRTREE DP WORLD CANNONDALE 2: Ethan MICHAELS & Damon TERBLANCHE (5:31.51)

 

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 Series

YouTube 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 . 

 

South Africans dominate top steps after sweltering Prologue

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on South Africans dominate top steps after sweltering Prologue

Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) overcome sweltering conditions and a world-class field to take the first step to making history on day one of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic at Meerendal, Durbanville on Sunday.

Beers and Nortje won the opening Prologue stage over 20km, with 650m of climbing, to take the first yellow jersey by six seconds ahead of Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria) with David Valero and Marc Stutzmann (Klimatiza Orbea) a further six seconds back. Beers and Nortje are bidding to become the first all-South African pairing to win the Absa Cape Epic despite only forming their partnership 10 days ago when Beers’ initial partner, Keegan Swenson, was forced to withdraw with injury.

In the women’s race, Capetonian Candice Lill, who has finished second five times in six starts, won the women’s Prologue with partner, XCC Short Track World Champion Alessandra Keller. The Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi team finished 56 seconds ahead of Kate Courtney and Greta Seiwald (She Sends Foundation) and the Buff-BH Efficient Infiniti team of Rosa Van Doorn and Vera Looser.

In temperatures that reached 40 degrees Celsius on parts of the course, it was a tough day out for both the elite and the 1400 amateur riders that lined up.

“Obviously, the heat was gnarly today. A lot of prep goes into this, but it was still damn hot,” Beers said.

Nortje admitted that once the riders turned with the wind on their backs, conditions got tough. “When we were riding into the wind, it was heaven, but once we had a tailwind, there was no cooling. The last climb was brutal,” the 24-year-old Nortje said. “But we plan and train for the heat. It is part of Epic.”

After winning the Absa African jersey last year with partner Marco Joubert, Nortje was delighted to wear his first overall leaders’ yellow jersey.

“I didn’t expect to win the Prologue,” Nortje said. “Even an hour is too short for me, and this was 40 minutes so I’m not sure how we did that.”

 The South African combination led the Prologue from start to finish even though their gap was always slender ahead of the Wilier-Vittoria team. Beers goes into the 2026 event as a three-time Absa Cape Epic champion.

Lill and Keller On Fire

It was the same story for Lill and Keller, who were marginal favorites going into the stage. Both are world-class XC racers who compete on the World Cup circuit during the European season.

“We had a good team chat beforehand and we were well aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Lill said. “It makes me excited for the next seven days. The Prologue doesn’t win the race, but it puts us on the front foot and now others must chase.”

Keller was upbeat about their chances after a near-flawless performance that saw them the fastest at all checkpoints.

“We had a plan and a strategy, and we fully committed to it. Our communication was good and now we must make sure we play our cards right over the next seven days,” Keller said.

Stage 1 of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic takes place in Montagu on Monday over 90km with 2150m of climbing.

RESULTS

Elite Men

1. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matthew BEERS & Tristan NORTJE(44:37.4)​

2. WILIER-VITTORIA: Luca BRAIDOT & Simone AVONDETTO (44:43.7 | +6.3)

3. KLIMATIZA ORBEA: David VALERO SERRANO & Marc STUTZMANN (44:50.2 | +12.8)

4. ORIGINE-WILIER: Mathis AZZARO & Juri ZANOTTI (45:03.0 | +25.6)

5. CANYON: Luca SCHWARZBAUER & Sam GAZE (45:35.6 | +58.2)

Elite Women

1. THÖMUS MAXON SABI SABI: Candice LILL & Alessandra KELLER (51:24.6)

2. SHE SENDS FOUNDATION: Kate COURTNEY & Greta SEIWALD (52:21.4 | +56.8)

3. BUFF-BH | EFFICIENT INFINITI​: Rosa VAN DOORN & Vera LOOSER (53:33.9| +2:09.3)

4. SYMBTECH.NET: Margot MOSCHETTI & Claudia PERETTI (54:11.8 | +2:47.2)

5. CHEMCHAMP HONEYCOMB: Hayley PREEN & Haley SMITH (54:30.6 | +3:06.0)

Toyota Mixed

1. TEAM 69: Jenny RISSVEDS & Simon ANDREASSEN (52:20.6)

2. SCOTT BRASIL: Gabriela FEROLLA & Hugo PRADO NETO (56:19.5 | +3:58.9)

3. KXNGS / PUMP FOR PEACE: Nicholas ROCHE & Marta TORÀ MILÀ (56:23.3 | +4:02.7)

Absa African Men

1. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matthew BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (44:37.4)

2. INSECT SCIECE | SAFARI ESSENCE: Wessel BOTHA & Johan VAN ZYL (46:17.6 | +1:40.2 | 10th)

3. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO 2: Marco JOUBERT & Travis STEDMAN (46:45.1 | +2:07.7 | 15th)

Absa African Women

1. SANI2C EFFICIENT INFINITI: Samantha SANDERS & Bianca HAW (54:41.0 | +3:16.4 to 1st overall)

2. FORTRESS TOYOTA: Ila STOW & Cherise WILLET (57:59.5 | +3:18.5 | 10th) 

3. PIRTEK HOLLARD: Kelsey VAN SCHOOR & Anri GREEFF ​(58:07.2 | +3:25.2 | 12th)

Open Women:

1. PUMP FOR PEACE – TOWNSVILLE GALS: Hilary BELL & Joanne TALLON (1:11:01.0)​

2. JOY RIDE: Jennifer BURTNER & Callah ROBINSON (1:15:13.6 | +4:12.6)

3. SHEUNTAMED NAMIBIA: Jacky SHIPENA & Jana VON BACKSTROM (1:16:30.4 | +5:29.4)

Open Men:

1. ASAP CYCLING: Jean-Pierre DU PLESSIS & Cronje BEUKES (47:25.2)​

2. TEAM TITAN FX: Kohei YAMAMOTO & Riyadh Hakim BIN LUKMAN (50:12.6 | +2:47.4)

3. DANSTE RACING: Tristan DE LANGE & Martin FREYER (51:01.2 | +3:36.0)

Great Grand Masters Women

1. TEAM GEANCO: Rhonda GEISZLER & Tamara TABEEK (1:27:02.2)

Great Grand Masters Men

1. NO RIDE AROUND: Jon GOULD & Amir MATITYAHU (1:04:08.8)

2. OTB: Pieter MULLER & Corrie MULLER​ (1:04:34.1 | +25.3)

3. SMALL TORQUE: Robert SOBEY & Darrin HINES (1:08:19.5 | +4:10.7)

GIC Grand Masters Women

1. UAG EPIC: Martha KOEKEMOER & Jenny RÖNNGREN (1:05:17.1)

2. ABSA GRAND MASTERS: Hannele STEYN & Lisa CZEPEK (1:10:14.8 | +4:57.7)

3. PEDAL 4 HEAVEN: Brigitta SCHMIDLIN​& Simone EVANS (1:11:01.1 | +5:44.0)

GIC Grand Masters Men

1. ORBEA FOX FACTORY: Ibon ZUGASTI & Ernesto MENDOZA (53:16.6)

2. PICKFORDS: Burger BESTER & Hendrik BESTER​ (55:07.1 | +1:50.5)

3. PEDAL PROJECT: Oliver IMFELD & Simon WÜRMLI (55:50.6 | +2:34.0)

NTT Data Masters Women

1. USWE SA: Mari DU TOIT & Janine MULLER (1:05:56.9)

2. IGLU THERAPY CHEMCHAMP RACING: Juanita Rose MACKENZIE & Rouxda GROBLER (1:06:47.1 | +50.2)

3. SIZWE AMANZI: Maureen JORDAAN & Jenny CLOSE (1:09:52.5 | +3:55.6)

NTT Data Masters Men

1. WILIER-CHAOYANG: Uwe HOCHENWARTER & Karl MARKT (50:31.4)

2. CZECHROCKET&SWISSDIESEL: Pavel GONDA & Tobias LÜTHI (51:27.2 | +55.8)

3. BELLS CYCLING: Nico BELL & Gabriel COMBRINCK (51:30.9 | +59.5)

Exxaro Women’s Jersey

1. EXXARO MANGANESE LADIES 1: Tsholofelo NKOSI & Bontle PHEPISO (1:17:46.1)

2. FAIRTREE DP WORLD CANNONDALE 4: Winile MAJAVU & Yomelela MFAZWE(1:23:15.0 | +5:28.9)

3. EXXARO LADIES 2: Sinesipho DUBO & Ntokozo MOKOENA (1:42:46.8 | +25:00.7)

Exxaro Men’s Jersey

1. FAIRTREE DP WORLD CANNONDALE 2: Ethan MICHAELS & Damon TERBLANCHE (52:14.6)

2. FAIRTREE DP WORLD CANNONDALE 1: Luyanda THOBIGUNYA & Ziandro JORDAAN (54:20.2 | +2:05.6)

3. VELOKHAYA: Kuhle NGCANI & Othando SITOZA (56:09.7 | +3:05.1)

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 Series

YouTube 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 .