Twelve years after claiming his first Absa Cape Epic title Karl Platt today became only the second person to win the event five times when he and Urs Huber (Bulls) calmly sealed a dominant victory. And in a gripping race for the Women’s category, Ariane Kleinhans and Annika Langvad (Spur-Specialized) sealed their third successive title […]
Cape Epic Stage win for Periklis Ilias and Tiago Ferreira
Periklis Ilias and Tiago Ferreira notched up a thrilling debut Absa Cape Epic stage win on the trails of Stellenbosch today as Sabine Spitz and Yana Belomoina fired another shot across the bows of the women leaders. Greece’s Ilias and Portuguese teammate Ferreira (Dolomiti Superbike) became the fourth team to claim a stage win at […]
Team Bulls’ Wild Edge Cape Epic bikes
Understanding what bike to take to an important race isn’t a science – but it’s very important. And as the saying goes – you don’t take a knife to a gun fight. While some readers expressed their surprise that Fanny Bourdon would race the Cape Epic on a hardtail, it’s also what she is used […]
Spitz and Belomoina take Cape Epic stage victory
Mountain bike legend and Olympic gold medallist Sabine Spitz of Germany seems to be taking a liking to the Absa Cape Epic and today she and teammate Yana Belomoina swept to an impressive win in the race’s Queen Stage. Spitz and her Ukranian partner punched the air as they finished the 93km Stage 5 nearly two […]
Cape Epic win for Trek-Selle San Marco
Day 5 and stage 4 of the Absa Cape Epic was another of disaster and delight. For Team Topeak-Ergon It was a day of disasteras one of the race favourites when Kristian Hynek of the Czech Republic pulled out early on Stage 4 of the Absa Cape Epic after injuring his arm in a crash […]
Drama strikes stage 3 of the Cape Epic
The third stage of the 2016 Absa Cape Epic brought drama and delight – it just depended what team you were in. Swede Jennie Stenerhag, second overall in the women’s category with South African Robyn de Groot (Team Ascendis Health), collapsed over the finish line after a tough and very hot 104km ride. She was […]
Fanny Bourdon’s Look 989 Cape Epic bike
What bike should I take to the Cape Epic? It’s a pretty major question, and not one with a universal answer. While the course does demand something tough, reliable, and hopefully with some sort of rear suspension – riders still race on hardtails. A hardtail will give lower weight and potentially greater reliability thanks to […]
Kleinhans and Langvad snare the lead at Cape Epic
The second stage of the 2016 Absa Cape Epic was also the 100th stage in the history of the event. As one would expect, it was held in another hot, windless day in Tulbagh. The racing in both the Men’s and Women’s categories was as intense as the heat and the course. The leading men’s Team […]
Bulls grab the Absa Cape Epic by the horns
While the Cape Epic Prologue was exciting, it was Stage 1 of the 2016 Absa Cape Epic on Monday set up a thrilling race for both the elite men’s and woman’s categories. Birthday boy Karl Platt, riding for Team Bulls with Swiss Bull Urs Huber, is on track for a record-equalling fifth win after winning Stage 1 […]
Bulls take charge of Cape Epic
Four-time Absa Cape Epic winner Karl Platt of Germany and Swiss partner Urs Huber (Bulls) laid down a marker for the week ahead by blitzing the course to win Sunday’s prologue. And in the Women’s category South African Robyn de Groot and her Swedish teammate Jennie Stenerhag (Ascendis Health) gave notice that they will be […]