The world’s fastest cross country racers are back in South Africa for the 19th running of the ABSA Cape Epic. Racing was fast and furious from the gun. The 648-km stage race started with a relatively short 27-km prologue and 98-km Stage 1 already seeing lead changes and different winning teams
Blevins and Beer trade leads with Scott-SRAM
While short, the opening prologue squeezed in 750-metres of elevation gain between start and finish. U.S. rising star, Christopher Blevins reunited with his 2022 Cape Epic partner Matthew Beer. The Toyota-Specialized-NintyOne team had no trouble sorting out their pace, setting the day’s fastest men’s time. They bested the Scott-SRAM team of Nino Schurter and Andri Frischknecht by a narrow seven seconds to take the leader’s jersey. 2022 Cape Epic winners, Georg Egger and Lukas Baum (Orbea x Leatt x Speed Company) lurk in third, 45 seconds off the Specialized racer’s pace.
On Stage 1, that lead was reversed. Willier Pirelli’s duo of Fabio Rabensteiner and Wout Alleman landed the stage win. But it was Schurter and Frischknecht taking over the men’s leader’s jersey. Beer and Blevins followed in third, but the 19-second deficit to Scott-SRAM see’s them give up their early lead.
Villafane finds early speed with Nash
Cape Epic women’s racing is looking equally competitive. Defending champion Sofia Gomez Villafane finding easy speed with her new NinetyOne-Songo-Specialized teammate, multiple-time World Cup winner Katerina Nash. The new pair landed an early win in the Prologue, giving Villafane and Nash the leader’s jerseys for Stage 1.
All-African pairing of Namibia’s Vera Looser and Mauritius’s Kim le Court (Efficient Infiniti Insure) followed in second with Amy Wakefield and Candice Lill (e-FORT.net SeattleCoffeeCo) followed in third.
On Stage 1, Lill and Wakefiled found their footing, and the top step of the podium. The e-FORT.net SeattleCoffeeCo team edged out Villafane and Nash for the win, but the five-second winning margin means the Specialized duo retain their leader’s jerseys going into Stage 2.
2023 Absa Cape Epic – Prologue Highlights
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