Absa Cape Epic 2023 - Grand Finale - News

The 19th edition of the ABSA Cape Epic finished today with the Grand Finale (Stage 7) in Val the Vie Estate. The untamed eight-day African mountain bike stage race is often referred as the "Tour de France” of mountain biking. Hosted by South Africa’s Western Cape the ABSA Cape Epic is the most prestigious mountain bike stage race in the world. 724 teams of two, from 55 nations, among them multiple World, Olympic, and National Champions tackled 650 kilometer course climbing and more than 15 thousand vertical meters. It’s been seven tough days of riding as Stage 7 took the athletes from Lourensford Wine Estate to Val de Vie Estate. In the men’s race team ORBEA x Leatt x Speed Company’s Georg Egger (GER) and Lukas Baum (GER) won the final Stage 7. Matthew Beers (RSA) and Christopher Blevins (USA) of team Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne came into second to claim the 2023 Absa Cape Epic titles. They made up an 8-minute deficit after Stage 1 to win the event. It is the second ABSA Cape Epic victory for Beers after 2021 and he is the second South African to win this race. Blevins won the ABSA Cape Epic for the very first time in his career. Third placed Simon Stiebjahn (GER) saw his partner Martin Frey (GER) with a spectacular crash on the final meters. Nino Schurter (SUI) and Andri Frischknecht (SUI) were leading in the General Classification before the final stage. The SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing team crossed the finish line only in fifth place and fall back to third place in the GC. In the women’s race Greete Steinburg (EST) and Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez (COL) of team Cannondale Vas Arabay win Stage 7 , their first ever stage win at the race. Kim le Court (MRI) and Vera Looser (NAM) of team Efficient Infiniti Insure finish second on Stage 7 and win the 2023 ABSA Cape Epic. Amy Wakefield (RSA) and Candice Lill (RSA) finish in third and end up in second place in the GC.