4Islands MTB Croatia - Stage 2 – Highlights

The opening stage of the 4Islands Croatia on the Croatian island of Krk offered almost perfect conditions with 78 race kilometers. The action began seemingly immediately in the men’s race with the BUFF MEGAMO, resplendent in the yellow leader jerseys, and the charging Orbea x Leatt x Speed Company led the pack up the opening climbs and into the famous moon plateau. By service station 1, it was two teams alone going at it hammer and tongs to wear each other down. The paced proved too much for...

12 kilometres, 250 metres of climbing, coastal cliff trails, forested climbs, and rocky descents were the proving ground of the 2023 4Islands MTB Croatia Prologue in Baška, Krk, as over 200 teams lined up for their first challenge in their mission to Conquer The Rocks. In the Men’s category, BUFF MEGAMO’s Hugo Drechou and Hans Becking lived up to the pre-race expectations of having the number 1 bike boards as they raced to the win and into the yellow CIOVITA leader jerseys that honour them a...

Stage 6 marked the penultimate day of the ABSA Cape Epic 2023. For the first time in history, outside of a time trial, the entire stage was hosted by a single landowner. It was a dramatic day, as wind and rain was on the cards for the riders today. The trails were wet and soggy, which caused a dramatic shake up in the general classification. Matthew Beers (RSA) and Christopher Blevins (USA) won the penultimate stage 6 with a time of 3hours 26minutes 48seconds. SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing’s Nino Sch...

Stage 2 of the 2023 ABSA Cape Epic marked the longest stage of this year’s race. The riders looped around the beautiful trails of Hermanus. At 116 kilometers it had everything from long grinding climbs to hair-raising downhills and technical demanding single tracks. The men’s race saw a very fast and technical race with the best end for Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne’s Matthew Beers (RSA) and his partner Christopher Blevins (USA). The pair took the win of Stage 2 after they already won the Prol...

Stage 4 marked the second time trial of the race. It took the riders around the trails of Oak Valley Estate in a short but intense day of racing with 47km to go and 875m of climbing. The course was packed with singletrack, making it a test of skill as well as fitness. Maintaining a rhythm to climb twisting trails like Berg Adder and then descend down trails like Puff Adder, Vissie’s Magic and Sounds of Silence required absolute focus. Matthew Beers (RSA) and Christopher Blevins (USA) from tea...

Stage 1 of the ABSA Cape Epic was traditionally tough and tested the riders to their limits as it has been a real marathon stage. The bare numbers sat at 98 kilometers with 2,550 meters of climbing, the highest of this year’s route. After a relatively short Prologue, things were being turned up a notch as the race properly got under way. The route headed through the best of the Hemel en Aarde Valley singletracks and into the searing Overberg planes. The outbound loop trended relentlessly uphi...

The ABSA Cape Epic is back with the 19th edition of the untamed African mountain bike race. The eight-day race is often referred as the "Tour de France of mountain biking" and it‘s the most prestigious mountain bike stage race in the world. It attracts this year 724 teams from 55 nations including multiple World, Olympians, and National Champions next to aspiring amateurs testing themselves against the best. The teams of two riders tackle around 648 untamed kilometers and 15.475 meters of cli...

Stage 2 of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic marked the longest stage of this year’s race. The route took the teams from Lourensford Wine Estate into the heart of the hinterland in Greyton. It was a challenging day with a lot of wind and sun for the riders.