The gruelling Absa Cape Epic mountain bike stage race (March 15-22) in South Africa will play out over eight days this year, accumulating 700 kilometres of racing and 16,000 metres of elevation gain through the rugged terrain of the Western Cape.
Every year Cape Epic proves to be an unrelenting test of endurance for even the most experienced and hardy in the field, with mechanicals, illness and crashes throwing another layer of challenge and unpredictability into the already formidable mix. What’s more, the pairs format means that it’s not enough to have one rider on a good day, as both riders need to ride within two minutes of each other the entire time.
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At the end, four new winners will be crowned across the pairs in the UCI men’s and UCI women’s elite categories. Last year it was the experienced hands who managed to snare the victories, with Annika Langvad returning from retirement to take out her sixth edition of the women’s race, that time in the Toyota-Specialized team with second-time winner Sofia Gómez Villafañe. In the men’s event there was a third title for the retiring Nino Schurter, who paired up with Filippo Colombo in the Scott-SRAM team.
Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria)
With no Schurter and Colombo on the start list for 2026, last year’s runners-up Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto will be hoping they can go one…
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