Haley Smith moves into second overall at Cape Epic

Haley Smith and Hayley Preen are thriving under the relentless pressure of this year’s Cape Epic. On Saturday, the penultimate stage of the South African UCI stage race, the duo moved into second overall in the women’s race.

Sunny skies and seven days seriously hard racing take their toll

Still feeling the effort of Friday’s brutal Queen stage, riders set out for another 2,000m of elevation gain on Saturday. Over a shorter distance and with more singletrack it was a big ask of tired legs. For Greta Seiwald, the ask came after a night of illness. Seiwald dressed for the start, but was forced to drop out almost immediately.

“It was a rough night. I had a fever and haven’t been able to eat at all,” Seiwald shared. “I got dressed for the start, you just hope…”

For Seiwald’s partner on the She Sends Foundation team, Kate Courtney, it’s the second Cape Epic partner she’s lost in as many weeks. Before the start, her original partner crashed out. The U.S. marathon world champion then teamed up with Seiwald. Despite the last minute arrangement, the duo were sitting second overall, even stealing a stage win from the dominant Thomus Maxon Sabi Sabi team of Alessandra Keller and Candice Lill.

“We’re heartbroken not to get to continue this adventure together, but what an adventure it was,” Courtney shared on social media, adding a thanks to Seiwald for starting the stage. That allowed for Courtney to continue racing the elite women, who have a different start area than the rest of the field in 2026. On the final stage, Courtney will have to start with the rest of the amateur as a “lonely leopard”  in the amateur field. She’ll join Vera Looser, whose teammate Rosa van Doorn was forced out of racing a couple day earlier, and other Cape Epic racers whose teammates didn’t make it through the demanding week.

The Ha(y)ley’s move up the podium

For Canada’s Haley Smith and her South African teammate, Hayley Preen, She Sends’ misfortunes mean they move another step up the overall podium. Surviving a week of racing healthy is a big part of the Cape Epic every year, and the two Ha(y)ley’s, racing as Cheemcamp Honeycomb, are staying calm under pressure and avoiding illness so far.

“I often start from the back and work our way up, that’s how i like to race this event,” Cape Epic veteran Hayley Preen shared…