Publications
Partners
- Simon Schneller and Urs Huber won Stage 7, but Matt Beers and Howard Grotts claimed the overall victory at the 2024 Absa Cape Epic men's race.
- Anne Terpstra and Nicole Koller secured the Absa Cape Epic title in the Aramex Women's Category by winning every stage of the race.
- Candice Lill and Mona Mitterwallner of Cannondale Factory Racing praised their competitors and expressed their determination to return for another attempt.
- For more sports news, please visit News24 Sport's front page.
Simon Schneller and Urs Huber (BULLS Mavericks) won Stage 7 - the Grand Finale - of the Absa Cape Epic men's race, but it was Matt Beers and Howard Grotts of Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne claimed the overall title at the 2024 event.
In the Aramex Women's Category, Anne Terpstra and Nicole Koller (GHOST Factory Racing) won an eighth stage in a row on their way to the 2024 Absa Cape Epic title. By winning every stage of the 2024 race (the Prologue and seven stages), the Dutch-Swiss combo matched the performance of Laura Stigger and Sina Frei, who also won eight stages on their way to the 2021 title.
With some tired bodies and minds among the elite riders - leader Matt Beers admitting to lack of sleep and stomach issues on the finish line - the early pace on the 67km Stellenbosch Stage 7 loop was sedate by the past week's standards.
As riders approached the famous Jonkershoek trails of Stellenbosch, a familiar pattern soon emerged, though - Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne in front, with BUFF - MEGAMO (Hans Becking and Wout Alleman) and Canyon SIDI (Andreas Seewald and Marc Stutzmann) for company. BULLS Mavericks, who have been ‘taking it easy this week’ by their own admission, were also in the front bunch and quickly moved into pole position as the stage leaders.
As Schneller and Huber (the 2016 Cape Epic champion) cracked on the pace, the lead pack split further, with only Beers and Grotts keeping pace with the leaders. With a healthy gap of more than nine minutes over second place World Bicycle Relief (Nino Schurter and Sebastian Fini) at the start of the Grand Finale, overall leaders Beers and Grotts simply had to get to the finish in one piece. And so, they did.
On the second half of the stage, BULLS Mavericks moved further into the lead, with Fabian Rabensteiner and Samuele Porro (Wilier Vittoria Factory) eventually overtaking Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne to move into second on the day.
The Grand Finale men's race remained that way as 38-year-old Huber rolled back the years to match Schneller's pace and romp home for a stage win on the last day of the Absa Cape Epic. Wilier Vittoria Factory soon followed the winners across the line before the Yellow Jerseys of Beers and Grotts appeared on the grass of the Coetzenburg Sports Stadium to raucous cheers.
"It's all pretty crazy," said an obviously drained Beers. "To win three Absa Cape Epics. I am not really sure what to say. It feels like yesterday I won my first Epic. It's a total whirlwind. I have been lucky with good partners and really good people. All my partners have been amazing. I am very lucky to have these awesome people in my life.”
Grotts, a 2018 Absa Cape Epic winner alongside Jaroslav Kulhavy, was elated to take home another title. "Today was awesome, just really fun. We played it safe all the way; that was the strategy. Matt is a great partner, and we work so well together. We don't push each other beyond what is reasonable. I think we have the same approach to life, and that's what made this week a tough but fun experience."
Debut delight for
GHOST Factory Racing
In the Aramex Women's Category, the Grand Finale was animated by an early attack from 2023 champion Vera Looser and her partner Alexis Skarda (Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM). GHOST Factory Racing's Anne Terpstra and Nicole Koller couldn't be spooked, though, and they calmly made their way back to the front of the women's race.
As has been the case all week, Terpstra and Koller were joined at the front by Candice Lill and marathon world champion Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing).
Lill, in fine form throughout the week, pushed the pace to apply some pressure on the GHOST riders, but true to form, Terpstra and Koller were able to respond and ultimately ride away from Cannondale Factory Racing on the second half of the stage.
Mitterwallner admitted at the end of the race that she had been battling illness all week. For Terpstra and Koller, though, the week couldn't have gone any better.
"This is incredible," said a delighted Terpstra. "I don't know what to say! The Cannondale and Specialized teams put up such a hard fight this week. It was really exhausting, so it is amazing to be standing here as an Absa Cape Epic winner."
Koller was just as thrilled with the victory. “It's a dream come true - completely unbelievable. We honestly didn't expect this when we planned to race the Absa Cape Epic. We didn't think we would be finishing our first-ever Epic like this. It was a tough week, a great race. We worked hard, but we had fun as well. What a week."
An emotional Lill - smiling since day one - said she and Mitterwallner 'went through a lot this week’. "We made the best of every situation and fought hard. I think we formed a great partnership and friendship."
Mitterwallner was equally complimentary of her Absa Cape Epic partner and vowed to return to the Untamed African MTB Race for another crack. "Candice is the best athlete I have met; I really love her, and I hope we can try again in the future."
23 March 18:02
A damp, cool morning in Stellenbosch provided a welcome respite from a week of blistering temperatures for riders on the penultimate stage of the Absa Cape Epic on Saturday.
Stage 6 was a testing challenge over 87km with 2400 metres of climbing featuring some of the spectacular singletrack trail network in the Stellenbosch Winelands.
The route saw riders pass twice through Muratie Wine Estate in the Knorhoek Valley on the slopes of Simonsberg Mountain.
From there, it took in some of Dirtopia’s best riding, before heading for Stellenbosch along Morgenhof’s new singletracks.
The Idas Valley trails provided a last treat before the final test up the steep Botmaskop climb before they came home to the spectacular race village in the natural amphitheatre that is Coetzenberg.
Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne and GHOST Factory racing once again dominated their categories, winning the stage and extending their leads in the overall general classification at the same time, while there were loads of punctures and mechanicals behind them.
The attrition continued further back in the field proving just why this race is not over until you roll over the line at the Grand Finale.
"The day just worked out perfectly," said Grotts.
"We wanted to play it safe, minimise the risks and just ride a steady race today. The plan worked and towards the end, we were able to pull away for another stage win. This race is far from over though and we have to stay focussed going into the last day."
Another team that had another storming ride was Latvian Wannabe Pro Cycling.
The pair of Oskars Muiznieks and Lauris Purnins finished the Stage in 23rd overall and continued their clean sweep of stage wins in the men’s Amateur category.
Said Muiznieks, after the finish in Stellenbosch: "The trails were so awesome. And it is really special finishing here in Stellenbosch - there are so many spectators cheering us on!"
They will look forward to finishing in the White Leader Jerseys, made by Ciovita, on Sunday, as will many of these Category and Special.
22 March 14:19
Matt Beers and Howard Grotts romped to their first stage win of the Cape Epic when they pulled away from Andreas Seewald and Marc Stutzmann in the closing kilometres of the 70km Stage 5 in Wellington.
Grotts upped the tempo towards the finish, crossing the line 12 seconds ahead of the Canyon SIDI duo and, more importantly, almost a full minute ahead of Nino Schurter and Sebastian Fini.
In the women's category, it was business as usual with Anne Terpstra and Nicole Koller cruising home on Stage 5 to claim their sixth successive stage win (five stages plus the Prologue last Sunday).
With two stages to go, they'll have their eyes on the 2021 performance of Sina Frei and Laura Stigger, who won all eight days of the Absa Cape Epic on their way to overall victory.
Stage 6 of the Cape Epic is an 87km stage with 2400m of climbing that will start and finish in Stellenbosch.
21 March 11:50
Schurter, Fini win thrilling Stage 4; Terpstra, Koller march on for women
Nino Schurter and Sebastian Fini, riding for World Bicycle Relief, stormed to victory during Stage 4 of the Cape Epic on Thursday.
Matt Beers and Howard Grotts (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne) finished second, while Andreas Seewald and Marc Stutzmann (Canyon SIDI) came third.
In the women's category, overall race leaders Anne Terpstra and Nicole Koller (GHOST Factory Racing) won Stage 4, with Sofia Gomez Villafane and Samara Sheppard (Toyota-Specialized-Ninetyone) second and Candice Lill and Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) third.
