Nicola Taffarel and Massimo Rosa, of Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team 1, backed up a strong Prologue performance with a superb ride on Stage 1 to seize the yellow CIOVITA jerseys from the pre-race favourites ORBEA Leatt Speed Company. In the UCI Women’s race BUFF MEGAMO’s Janina Wust and Rosa van Doorn claimed their second successive stage win, extending their advantage to 3 minutes and 26 seconds in the process.
Defending champions, ORBEA Leatt Speed Company, got their 4Islands MTB Croatia campaign off to a winning start on Tuesday, 16 April 2024. Lukas Baum and Georg Egger won the 12-kilometre Prologue by just 6 seconds to take the first yellow CIOVITA jerseys of the race. While in the UCI Women’s competition, Janina Wust and Rosa van Doorn were 14 seconds quicker, for BUFF MEGAMO Women, than the CANNONDALE ISB SPORT combination.
The highly anticipated early bird entries for the 2025 Absa Cape Epic sold out as soon as they became available. Since its inception in 2004, the Absa Cape Epic has consistently sold out, and this Monday was no exception. Many eager participants were poised and counting the seconds until registration opened at 3 pm.
Coetzenberg Stadium in Stellenbosch played host to a fitting final stage of the 20th Absa Cape Epic. The stage over 67km with 2000m of climbing saw dynamic, aggressive racing in all the categories and featured the coldest conditions of the week. The contrast to the heat of the week was fitting and indicative of what it takes to complete this race. Every rider who crossed the line at the Grand Finale after 603km and nearly 16 050m of climbing has a very special place in The Book of Legend.
After a week of tactical racing, the undisputed powerhouses of 2024 however, was the team of Matthew Beers and Howard Grotts (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne) winning two stages to lay claim to the Yellow Leader Jerseys and adding to the Specialized legacy and trophy cabinet.
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 who 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 amongst 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.
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