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The Absa Cape Epic 2021 took amateurs and professional mountain bikers over some of the most magnificent mountain passes in the Western Cape, South Africa. The 2021 route started off at the iconic slopes of Table Mountain National Park and finished today with the Grand Finale at the Val de Vie Estate. The Cape Epic is classed as hors catégorie by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), known as the “Tour de France” in mountain biking.

Stage 6 marked the penultimate day of the 2021 Absa Cape Epic. Steep but mercifully short vineyard climbs started the day before the Wild Boar Rollercoaster provided singletrack thrills. District roads and farm dual tracks, through iconic wine farms demanded complete concentration. Upon exiting the reserve, the climbing began in earnest.

Stage 5 was short and brutally steep, a major physical and psychological hurdle for the riders on their trail to Val de Vie. The climbing started virtually instantaneously. Leaving Wellington, the only way was uphill on the lengthy Hawequa Climb. The descent from the summit started on dusty dual track, before slipping into the Brooklyn Bridge singletrack.

After three days of racing it was time for a transition stage from Saronsberg, in Tulbagh, to the Slanghoek valley. The early kilometres ticked past with unnerving ease, but once the surface began to roughen the challenges came. Brutally uneven dual tracks through a private game reserve provided a sudden shock.

With two converging mountain ranges to explore, Stage 3 of the 2021 Cape Epic was not short on climbing. Nestled in the nook between the Groot Winterhoek and the Witzenberg Ranges the Tulbagh Valley was not hasty to reveal its rewards.

The Witzenberg Valley was undoubtedly one of mountain biking’s most challenging playgrounds, making Stage 2 a fitting holder for the title of Queen Stage. Sheets of sandstone provided the ultimate testing ground for the riders. Crossing the Ceres Valley was the first step on the journey, followed then by the Old Gydo Pass. On the Bokkeveld plateau the dual track climb gave way to singletrack.

Stage 1 of the Cape Epic 2021 took the riders around Ceres today. Named after the Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility, Ceres has long been a mecca for South African mountain bikers. Amazingly though, the Absa Cape Epic has visited the region on numerous occasions and 2021 is only the second time the race has overnighted in the small Warmbokkeveld town.

After a pandemic-enforced hiatus, the Absa Cape Epic, widely regarded as the world’s premier mountain bike stage race, returned to action in fine style in Cape Town today with the 20km Prologue ahead of seven days of marathon mountain biking. The Mother City didn’t quite get the memo that the show was back on, drenching the riders with a series of rain squalls throughout the morning.

After having bad luck in the first two stages, the 2019 winners and top seeds Manuel Fumic from Germany and Henrique Avancini from Brazil manged to win the third and last & final fourth stage. Their stage wins had no impact in the general classification as the Cannondale Factory Racing One Team already lost 30minutes at stage one due to Fumic’s mechanical. The best and most constant team throughout the last four days was the BULLS Heroes Team, Simon Stiebjahn (GER) and Urs Huber (SUI). With...

After having bad luck in the first two stages, the 2019 winners and top seeds Manuel Fumic from Germany and Henrique Avancini from Brazil manged to win the third and last & final fourth stage. Their stage wins had no impact in the general classification as the Cannondale Factory Racing One Team already lost 30minutes at stage one due to Fumic’s mechanical. The best and most constant team throughout the last four days was the BULLS Heroes Team, Simon Stiebjahn (GER) and Urs Huber (SUI). With...

Stage 3 of the 2020 Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, saw the race’s sixth new pairs of stage winners crowned. The Queen Stage, which took in the iconic Merino Monster climb on Saturday, could prove decisive in the final general classification reckoning. Cannondale Factory Racing and dormakaba blue raced to the King and Queen of the Mountain titles, respectively, before securing stage wins too. Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini’s stage win will have no impact on the...

Stage 3 of the 2020 Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, saw the race’s sixth new pairs of stage winners crowned. The Queen Stage, which took in the iconic Merino Monster climb on Saturday, could prove decisive in the final general classification reckoning. Cannondale Factory Racing and dormakaba blue raced to the King and Queen of the Mountain titles, respectively, before securing stage wins too. Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini’s stage win will have no impact on the...

Stage 2 of the Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek presented by Biogen saw the UCI men’s and women’s lead change hands. CST PostNL Bafang and Faces CST started the day in the yellow and pink First Ascent leaders’ jerseys on Friday morning. Four hours later the Bulls Heroes and Fairtree were in possession of the coveted garments after a dramatic 84 kilometres of racing. Having lost nearly 30 minutes on the opening stage, with a broken chainring, Cannondale Factory Racing were eager to make ame...

Stage 2 of the Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek presented by Biogen saw the UCI men’s and women’s lead change hands. CST PostNL Bafang and Faces CST started the day in the yellow and pink First Ascent leaders’ jerseys on Friday morning. Four hours later the Bulls Heroes and Fairtree were in possession of the coveted garments after a dramatic 84 kilometres of racing. Having lost nearly 30 minutes on the opening stage, with a broken chainring, Cannondale Factory Racing were eager to make ame...

The Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek presented by Biogen is truly a ride like no other. South Africa’s premier four-day stage race takes place from 6-9 February 2020 as one of the first UCI events of the season. With breath-taking trails through the Bokkeveld and winding routes in the Witzenburg area, this race features some of the most unique scenery South Africa has to offer. With a total distance of 285.5 kilometres and 5.750m of climbing some of the world’s best mountainbikers as well...

7C CBZ WILIER soloed to victory on the penultimate stage of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic on Saturday. Louis Meijato and Johnny Cattaneo seized the initiative after Trek Selle San Marco suffered a disastrous mechanical, to win the brutal 89-kilometre challenge around Stellenbosch, in a time of 03:49:21.

After a flat tire in yesterday’s race, the dominant Scott-SRAM MTB-RACING duo is back on top. Nino Schurter (SUI) and Lars Forster (SUI) annihilated the course in a time of 01:38:41 to eat nearly 90 seconds into Cannondale Factory Racing’s overnight lead. They now sit poised some 1:13 behind Henrique Avancini (BRA) and Manuel Fumic (GER), potentially setting up one of the closest ever Absa Cape Epic finishes.

It’s not over until it’s over. A disastrous rear-wheel puncture saw Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing concede the Yellow Jerseys to Cannondale Factory Racing on Wednesday, proving once again that the Absa Cape Epic is won only when you cross the finish line at Val de Vie Estate during the Grand Finale. Cannondale Factory Racing put on a tactical clinic for the rest of the field on Wednesday’s brutal 107-kilometre Stage 3 and ended up not only taking the stage win, but also moved firmly into first on the...

Team Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing won the Prologue of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic on the slopes of Table Mountain ahead of Cannondale Factory Racing and KROSS-SPUR on Sunday 17 March. Cross country specialists, Nino Schurter and Lars Forster finished in a time of 00:43:41.5, some 41 seconds ahead of Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini to claim the Yellow Leader’s Jersey. Conditions on the day were cloudy and cool with some rain early on, making for fast racing (the winning time was two minutes faster tha...

With 69km and 2000m of vertical gain standing between riders and a finisher’s medal at Val de Vie Estate, this year’s Grand Finale was arguably the toughest in the Absa Cape Epic 15-year history. With four beastly climbs punctuating the course, even the sharp end of the field would feel every metre. Despite their eight minute cushion over Cannondale Factory Racing’s Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini, Investec Songop Specialized would have to mark every attack and pray for a mechanical-free d...

The trails in and around Wellington on Stage 6 would offer a superb mix of singletrack but with 2000m of vertical ascent spread over 76km the racing was anything but easy, especially with a resurgent Cannondale Factory Racing outfit looking to reclaim their second place on the general classification over Canyon Topeak. Attacks would come early and at regular intervals. Cannondale Factory Racing’s Henrique Avancini made his early ambitions known when he and Mani Fumic sent the leading group...

With a brutal 39km/1430m to negotiate, there was no rest for Investec Songo Specialized, Cannondale Factory Racing and Canyon Topeak as the hunt for the yellow jersey intensified on Stage 5 in Wellington. On paper the course looked to favour the cross-country specialists – more specifically the Cannondale Factory Racing boys and Prologue winners, Centurion Vaude, but as it turned out that was not the case… Cannondale Factory Racing were the biggest losers of the day, a direct result of yeste...

The pressure that comes with wearing the yellow jersey was etched onto the faces of Cannondale Factory Racing’s Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini ahead of Stage 2 this morning – a demanding 106km/2000m course that would yet again favour the diesel engines of the marathon racers. A new-found sense of maturity is paying off for the exuberant duo who spent most of the day conserving energy and riding smart. Marathon incumbents and Prologue winners Nicola Rohrbach and Daniel Geismayr (Centurion...

On paper, Stage 1’s 110km/1900m course looked scripted for the marathon riders but as we discovered yesterday the Untamed African MTB Race is filled with surprises – and that’s exactly how the day played out. The racing set off at a blistering pace that was described as “dangerous” and “intense” by Karl Platt who struggled in early parts of the stage. Cross-country specialists Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini (Cannondale Factory Racing) entered the first water point in the lead followed cl...

On paper, Stage 1’s 110km/1900m course looked scripted for the marathon riders but as we discovered yesterday the Untamed African MTB Race is filled with surprises – and that’s exactly how the day played out. The racing set off at a blistering pace that was described as “dangerous” and “intense” by Karl Platt who struggled in early parts of the stage. Cross-country specialists Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini (Cannondale Factory Racing) entered the first water point in the lead followed cl...

On paper, Stage 1’s 110km/1900m course looked scripted for the marathon riders but as we discovered yesterday the Untamed African MTB Race is filled with surprises – and that’s exactly how the day played out. The racing set off at a blistering pace that was described as “dangerous” and “intense” by Karl Platt who struggled in early parts of the stage. Cross-country specialists Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini (Cannondale Factory Racing) entered the first water point in the lead followed cl...

You can’t win the Absa Cape Epic on the Prologue but you can prove a point – and that’s exactly what the Centurion Vaude combination of Daniel Geismayr and Nicola Rohrbach did by winning yellow. Conditions couldn’t have been any better as the 2018 Absa Cape Epic Prologue kicked off on Table Mountain National Park for the first time in two years. With a somewhat technical course featuring washed-out corners and steep, tricky climbs the 20km route has been touted to favour the cross-country spe...

10 reasons to watch UFC Fight Night 110, with a behemoth of a heavyweight headliner 10 reasons to watch UFC Fight Night 110, with a behemoth of a heavyweight headliner 10 reasons to watch UFC Fight Night 110, with a behemoth of a heavyweight headliner The majority of the UFC’s top heavyweight talent doesn’t come all that close to hitting the maximum allowable weight limit for the division. For instance, champion Stipe Miocic checked in at 246 pounds for his latest title defense, which came...

8 Days of Courage culminated at the Grand Finale of the 2016 Absa Cape Epic today! In the Men’s category Manual Fumic and Henrique Avancini took the final stage win with Karl Platt and Urs Huber winning overall. Yana Belomoina and Sabine Spitz enjoyed a Grand Finale win, but Ariane Kleinhans and Annika Langvad remained the overall leaders to take the Orange jersey.

German mountain-biking legend Sabine Spitz and her Ukranian partner Yana Belomoina were queens of Boschendal Wine Estate today when they won Stage 5 in a time of 4:51.06,5. just head of defending champions Annika Langvad and Ariane Kleinhans.

See the news from Stage 4 of the 2016 Absa Cape Epic. Kristian Hynek had a day of bad luck resulting in him pulling out of the race. Samuele Porro and Damiano Ferraro took the overall stage win and Annika Langvad won the stage in the Women’s category with Ariane Kleinhans, but only by five seconds!

► Facebook: http://goo.gl/plspsr It's no surprise that Platt and Huber are dominating the Absa Cape Epic this year. With a third stage win, this time the 104km Stage 3 from Tulbagh to Wellington, Platt and Huber have moved nine minutes ahead of their nearest rivals, another German-Swiss team in the shape of Centurion Vaude by Meerendal 2’s Matthias Pfrommer and Nicola Rohrbach. The 2016 Stage 3 win is also Platt’s 17th stage victory in 12 Absa Cape Epic’s.

Stage 2 of the 2016 Absa Cape Epic, the 100th stage in the history of the event, was held in another hot, windless day in Tulbagh. The racing in both the Men’s and Women’s categories was fiery too...

The 2009 Freeride World Tour came to an end with an amazing fourth stage and final in Verbier (Switzerland)! Xavier DE LE RUE is the 2009 Freeride World Champion while taking incredible victory on the mythical Bec des Rosses face! Xavier DE LE RUE leading before the stage in Verbier, honoured his Golden Bib with an amazing run on the windblown Bec des Rosses face with 55° areas. As the day wasn?t good enough, Xavier?s line got voted best line of the season and for the second year in the row...

At the beginning of this season, Brynild Vulin, Alex Evequoz, Gabriel Bessy and the photographer Mat Georges went to Kaprun (Austria) for a short snowboard trip. They found some good powder the first day but they had to go back to urban sessions the next 2 days because of bad weather conditions. Jibbing was very good until Alex found ?his? dreamed spot? nobody agreed to ride the spot with him? strange? check out the video to understand !

- 25 janvier 2008 - C'est sous le soleil radieux de Chamrousse que s'est déroulée ce dimanche, la deuxième étape du ROSSIGNOL AIR TOUR. Toutes les conditions étaient réunies pour assurer le grand spectacle, neige fraiche tombée en abondance la veille, soleil inespéré et un snowpark digne des X-Games ( Bravo Xavier ). Cette dernière manche qualificative pour la grande finale a réuni plus de 110 riders, filles et garçons, skieurs et snowboarders, un record!!! Rendez-vous pour la grande fi...

Découvrez en avant première les skis de la gammes Seven Artistic Sins 2009-2010. Vernissage Rossignol SAS 9 janvier 2009, spacejunk à Grenoble.

Last season, Jeremy Jones visited turkey to find the origin of snowboarding. You might have read it already on his blog or in various snowboard mag eithe rin nor america or europe. What people didn't realize is that not only Jeremy did some cultural discovery during his trip, he had the chance to charge couple sick line. The video attached comes from an helmet cam and give you a nice view on how fast and committed Jeremy can be. fasten your seatbelt and enjoy.

It was the second day that we were filming in southern Wallis next to the little town called Orcieres. I was out with my mate, professional freeskier Henrik Windstedt, on a photo shoot with Christopher Sjorström and Miriam Lang Willar and a mountain guide, for two days in the area near Orcières, close to my home in the border region between France and Switzerland. We had a helicopter that was able to bring us quickly upwards and to take shots from the air. After skiing four smaller lines, I l...

Sage comments : "This run was for Obama!!! Skiing at alta Ut with my housemate Jack Pilot, on election day. started hiking at 3:30pm, back in the car by 5. the snow was thin so we were treading lightly and skiing slow. The snow was suprisingly good. fairly springy, deep and soft. I hit a few rocks but at the slow speed they were mellow, mostly smooth Pow!!!! "

Last spring, French riders of the Rossignol team were looking for the endless winter. They were willing to keep on riding skis and snowboard instead wearing of board shorts! Hopefully Drew Robinson, an Aussie cameraman living in France, invited them to ride in the southern hemisphere.

For the first time ever 7 prominent board culture artists, some of them skateboard legends like Steve Cabellero and Andy Howell, have been asked to create original art for the new Rossignol twin tip ski line. The concept is simple 7 Skis, 7 Artists, and a mission to artistically express the 7 Deadly Sins. Curated by Spacejunk gallery, the Seven Artistic Sins project provides a canvas for the artists who's work drives the board culture movement. The art created for the Seven Artistic...