spectators : 161 videos

8 days. 647 kilometres. 15 550 metres of vertical ascent. Rugged mountain dual tracks and rocky singletracks through pristine fynbos. Sandy farm road between manicured orchards. Bone-rattling descents off ancient mountain ranges. This is the 2020 Absa Cape Epic route. Wild and untamed. The pinnacle of mountain bike stage racing. The Race That Measures All. From the iconic slopes of Table Mountain National Park to the luxury of Val de Vie Estate, the route for the seventeenth edition will chal...

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...

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...

With 70km and 1 800m of vertical gain standing between Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing and overall victory on the Champs-Élysées of mountain biking at Val de Vie Estate, you could’ve forgiven them for playing it safe and cruising to the finish. Nino Schurter and Lars Forster went into the final stage from Stellenbosch University to Val de Vie Estate with a comfortable eight-minute lead over second-placed Cannondale Factory Racing.

With 70km and 1 800m of vertical gain standing between Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing and overall victory on the Champs-Élysées of mountain biking at Val de Vie Estate, you could’ve forgiven them for playing it safe and cruising to the finish. Nino Schurter and Lars Forster went into the final stage from Stellenbosch University to Val de Vie Estate with a comfortable eight-minute lead over second-placed Cannondale Factory Racing.

With 70km and 1 800m of vertical gain standing between Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing and overall victory on the Champs-Élysées of mountain biking at Val de Vie Estate, you could’ve forgiven them for playing it safe and cruising to the finish. Nino Schurter and Lars Forster went into the final stage from Stellenbosch University to Val de Vie Estate with a comfortable eight-minute lead over second-placed Cannondale Factory Racing.

Special moment after eight tough stages trough the Western Cape for these two participants crossing the finishing line: Father and son, Gustav & Retief Joyce are the last finishers of this year’s Absa Cape Epic.

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.

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.

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.

Creative way to fix your bike: Simon Schneller (GER) from BULLS youngsters Team had to deal with a broken back axle during the race. His solution was to take what nature gives you and stabilise with some wooden sticks he found on the ground. Later he wrapped some tape around the crucial spot in order to finish stage 6 of the Absa Cape Epic.

Renaissance men Matthys Beukes and Philip Buys shrugged off a disastrous first five days to win The Queen Stage of the Absa Cape Epic from Oak Valley Estate to Stellenbosch University. The PYGA Euro Steel pair is the first South African team to stand on the top step of an Absa Cape Epic stage podium since they performed the same feat way back in 2015.

Renaissance men Matthys Beukes and Philip Buys shrugged off a disastrous first five days to win The Queen Stage of the Absa Cape Epic from Oak Valley Estate to Stellenbosch University. The PYGA Euro Steel pair is the first South African team to stand on the top step of an Absa Cape Epic stage podium since they performed the same feat way back in 2015.

Renaissance men Matthys Beukes and Philip Buys shrugged off a disastrous first five days to win The Queen Stage of the Absa Cape Epic from Oak Valley Estate to Stellenbosch University. The PYGA Euro Steel pair is the first South African team to stand on the top step of an Absa Cape Epic stage podium since they performed the same feat way back in 2015.

Dax Jaikel of 7C Wilier portages down the Gantouw Pass during stage 5 of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race held from Oak Valley Estate in Elgin to the University of Stellenbosch Sports Fields in Stellenbosch.

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.

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.

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.

Nino Schurter (SUI) and Lars Forster (SUI) lost their leading position in the overall ranking and they haven’t made it back up yet. But after the flat tire yesterday, they were able to secure the win in the time trial of Stage 4. The excitement of the riders was easy to spot while the swiss duo showed of some tricky air jumps in front of the crowd.

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...

Tough moment for Matt Beers and Alan Hatherly of SpecializedFoundationNAD – the leaders in the Absa African Men ranking. Beers crashed early in the race and had to overcome the pain while finishing the race. You never know what the road will throw at you and you’ve always got to remain tough. Matt Beers proved that today.

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...

The all-Swiss pairing of Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing won the 111km Stage 1 of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic in emphatic fashion on Monday 18 March. Nino Schurter and Lars Forster finished in a time of 04:24:04 to extend their overnight lead to 3.33 over Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini of Cannondale Factory Racing, who finished second. The Team BULLS Legends outfit of Alban Lakata and five-time champion Karl Platt, rounded out the podium. There was a tacit admission from their nearest rivals that the m...

The all-Swiss pairing of Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing won the 111km Stage 1 of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic in emphatic fashion on Monday 18 March. Nino Schurter and Lars Forster finished in a time of 04:24:04 to extend their overnight lead to 3.33 over Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini of Cannondale Factory Racing, who finished second. The Team BULLS Legends outfit of Alban Lakata and five-time champion Karl Platt, rounded out the podium. There was a tacit admission from their nearest rivals that the m...

The all-Swiss pairing of Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing won the 111km Stage 1 of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic in emphatic fashion on Monday 18 March. Nino Schurter and Lars Forster finished in a time of 04:24:04 to extend their overnight lead to 3.33 over Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini of Cannondale Factory Racing, who finished second. The Team BULLS Legends outfit of Alban Lakata and five-time champion Karl Platt, rounded out the podium. There was a tacit admission from their nearest rivals that the m...

The all-Swiss pairing of Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing won the 111km Stage 1 of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic in emphatic fashion on Monday 18 March. Nino Schurter and Lars Forster finished in a time of 04:24:04 to extend their overnight lead to 3.33 over Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini of Cannondale Factory Racing, who finished second. The Team BULLS Legends outfit of Alban Lakata and five-time champion Karl Platt, rounded out the podium. There was a tacit admission from their nearest rivals that the m...

Crucial moment for team Investec-songo-Specialized: At around 74kms Sam Gaze washed out his wheel in a sandy section and went down hard. He was able to recover the rejoin the chase, but by then though Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing and Cannondale Factory Racing had already opened a gap on the chasing teams. In the overall standings still placed third, Jaroslav Kulhavy (CZE) and his partner Sam Gaze (NZL) continue their journey at the Cape Epic with a more than six minutes big gap in regards to the ove...

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...

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...

Following the leaders Forster / Schurter for most of the five time checks closely, when the disaster struck less than two kilometres from the finish, in the form of a puncture.The setback saw them eventually finish fifth overall, behind Cannondale Factory, KROSS-SPUR and 7C CBZ WILIER. “Bit of a lapse of concentration there,” said Matt Beers afterward. “We were going super hard and I hit a rock. It was close to home so we decided to just nurse it home for the final two kays,” he said. “Just b...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

After a solitary night in Worcester, the race transitioned to Wellington via a testing 113km/1800m course dubbed the Queen Stage. After relinquishing their lead and yellow jersey to Investec Songo Specialized, Cannondale Factory Racing were on a mission to rectify their tactical mistakes of Stage 3 on a course that suited the cross-country specialists. Alban Lakata and Kristian Hynek (Canyon Topeak) pushed the pace of the leading pack early in the stage in a ploy to hurt Howard Grotts of Inve...