Stage 1 out of Saronsberg Wine Estate around Tulbagh over 88km with a brutal 2450m of climbing was no short on drama. The stage featured four major climbs with Raptor Rise setting a tone of sweeping switchbacks through fynbos, continued by Boegoe and the Kliprivier Trails and finally Fanti’s Pass, the final two kilometres of which average a 14% gradient and peak at over 20%.
Hans Becking and Wout Alleman (BUFF-MEGAMO) won Stage 1 in the men’s elite race at the 2024 Absa Cape Epic, while Anne Terpstra and Nicole Koller (GHOST Factory Racing) were Stage 1 winners in the Aramex Women’s category at Saronsberg Cellar in Tulbagh. Both the men’s and the women’s races concluded with thrilling sprint finishes after a fair amount of cat and mouse in the closing kilometres.
The 2024 Absa Cape Epic roared into life on 17 March with some furious action on the foothills of the Hottentots Holland Mountains at Lourensford Wine Estate.
World Bicycle Relief and Ghost Factory Racing claimed the UCI Men’s and Aramex Women’s categories respectively at today’s Prologue in Somerset West.
We heard from excited riders as they attended rider registration for the 20th edition of the Untamed African MTB Race.
Lourensford Wine Estate, in Somerset West, played host to the 2024 Absa Cape Epic elite rider registration on Friday, 15 March. While performing pre-race media duties the top teams imparted some wisdom and offered insights into what they are expecting from the 20th edition.
The UCI Men’s category at the 2024 Absa Cape Epic is shaping up to be a fascinating race with former champions returning, new teammates aplenty and the resumption of a few old rivalries. This is who to watch, when the race gets underway in Lourensford Wine Estate, on Sunday 17 March.
The 2024 Absa Cape Epic is shaping up to be a fiercely competitive one in the UCI women’s race. In fact, it boasts, arguably, the strongest ever elite women’s field, headlined by the talents of Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM, Cannondale Factory Racing, Toyota Specialized NinetyOne, and Ghost Factory Racing.
Dimension Data has been a long-time sponsor of the Absa Cape Epic, partnering with the Untamed African Mountain Bike Race since 2014. As Dimension Data transitions to become NTT DATA, they also renew their relationship with the Absa Cape Epic as a headline partner.