Cape Epic 2023: MTB stage race in South Africa - sporting highlight at the start of the season
The Cape Epic is considered by many to be the "Tour de France" of mountain biking. Year after year, it attracts participants from all over the world to South Africa. The heat at the start of the season can be merciless. It is now late summer in South Africa. In addition to the sun, nature on earth is also showing its teeth - heavy rain showers sometimes turn the tracks into sticky mud pools and wild animals suddenly jump onto the track.
It is not for nothing that the Cape Epic is considered one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world. The distance is now rather routine for the professional teams. Mountain bike specialists prepare for the stage race all year round.
Cape Epic - Dust & sun, plus wild nature
In seven stages - plus the prologue - the 2023 race covered a distance of 648 kilometres with almost 15,500 metres of elevation gain. For comparison: the legendary BIKE Transalp has covered over 17,500 metres in altitude in its 25th anniversary year, spread over almost 500 kilometres. In South Africa, too, the route leads through rough terrain, rugged nature and an impressive landscape. The race demands everything from the participants - the bike is even shouldered in places to climb the rugged mountain ranges.
The cycling nation of South Africa, on the other hand, loves and celebrates mountain bikers. The day's stages are broadcast on TV, the images from the helicopters and from camera-equipped MTBs are spectacular and have characterised the coverage of MTB stage races. The race is compared to the Tour de France in road cycling precisely because of the huge publicity and has also triggered media hype in this country. With one big difference: while on the road the last stage to Paris is more of a cosy exhibition race, for mountain bikers it's usually all to play for until the end. Who will take the overall victory is sometimes only decided in the final sprint. This year was no exception.
The men's winners of the Cape Epic 2023
On the last day of the race, the Swiss duo of Nino Schurter and Andri Frischknecht started in the yellow jersey, as they did on the other five days. After a crash caused by a passing antelope, the ten-time cross-country world champion quickly got back on his feet. After all, he had to defend his top position. However, the high speed required to do so took its toll. In the end, Frischknecht had to struggle with physical problems and even had to be pushed by his team-mate for support. In the end, it was only enough for third place.
South African Matthew Beers and his American colleague Christopher Belvins from Team Toyota-Specialised-NinetyOne took home victory in the men's race. Despite losing time in the first stages, their spectacular chase finally ended with first place.
Absolute top class: The German Last year's winner Lukas Baum and Georg Egger from the ORBEA x Leat x Spee Company team were able to secure an incredible second place in the overall standings, following in the footsteps of great German mountain bikers such as Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm.
The women's winners of the Cape Epic 2023
On stage 6, a spectacular event shook up the women's rankings and cost the previous leaders Candice Lill and Amy Wakefield their victory. A pothole caused Amy Wakefield to suffer a flat tyre and a broken rim, meaning the duo lost valuable time and could only finish second in the overall standings.
Kim Le from Mauritius and Vera Looser from Namibia climbed to the top of the women's podium with an overall time of 29:08:28.7. They were followed by the South African duo Lill/Wakefield. Third place went to the NintyOne-Sogo-Specialised team of Sofia Gomez Villafane and Kateria Nash.
Cape Epic - the hype
The Cape Epic team stage race has gained more and more prestige over the years and is now generating real media hype, comparable to the Tour de France. The harsh and merciless nature of South Africa demands everything from the athletes and not only from them, but also from the bikes. Again and again there are minor breakdowns or even major crashes. Repairs have to be carried out either on the track by the team partners themselves or in the tech centres. Support teams keep the A-listers' backs free - or sometimes help with their own wheels or the whole bike.
What makes the Cape Epic so special is the unique and breathtaking landscape of the Western Cape in South Africa. Even in the early days, the myth of the Cape Epic was created around the race - with extensive media coverage and spectacular images from the helicopter or even on-board footage.
The Cape Epic has been running for almost 20 years now. In addition to professional teams, ambitious amateur teams are also allowed to take part. The race route varies from year to year and is only announced shortly before the start.
All stages can be viewed at www.cape-series.com can be followed again. Each day's race offers comprehensive coverage with impressive images and background information.
How does the Cape Epic benefit the sport of mountain biking?
Recently, the bicycle industry has suffered more and more from the effects of rising energy costs - stocks are full and tills are empty. The Bike boom has levelled off and the former bottlenecks are almost a thing of the past. Perhaps the media hype and publicity generated by bike races like the Cape Epic will help the cycling industry to recover somewhat and counteract the slump.
It can help the sport and its acceptance in society. Recent attacks against cycling in German forests surprised everyone who had believed that there would be a significant increase in tolerance on the trails. But it was supposedly just a big misunderstanding. In any case, the coverage of the Cape Epic was well received on TV. ARD and ZDF, among others, reported on the stage race in South Africa.
