Two wild days of upheaval crown Cape Epic champions
Proving that stage racing is never over until it's over
Photo by:
Nick Muzik/Cape Epic
Cape Epic is always an exciting race but the 2023 edition may have set a new bar for late-race drama. There were four lead changes in three days across the men’s and women’s pro race as riders battled fatigue, weather and mechanical issues after a long week of racing.
In the end, it is Christopher Blevins and Matt Beers (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne) that surged to victory in the men’s race. After trailing all week, it was Kim le Court and Vera Looser (Efficient Infinity Insure) earning the women’s title.
Canadians in the Cape
After fighting stomach issues mid-week, Pivot Cycles-OTE’s team of Felix Belhumeur and Marc-André Fortier worked up several spots to move back into the top 30 by the end of Stage 7. The Quebec duo’s perseverance earned them a 28th-place overall finish.
A chaotic men’s finale
On stage five, Orbea-Leatt-Speed Company’s defending champions, Georg Egger and Lukas Baum started to see their patient strategy pay off. The German duo surged ahead of Nino Schurter and Andri Frischknecht (Scott SRAM) to take the leader’s jerseys going into Stage 6.
Then, disaster struck. Cape Epic is truly an “untamed” race and an untamed piece of wire from a farmer’s fence grabbed at, then wrecked Lukas Baum’s drivetrain during Stage 6 racing. The German pair battled on, hobbling to the line on time to hold on to third overall. Matthew Beers and Christopher Blevins won the stage, but it was Scott-SRAM re-taking the leader’s jerseys with one stage of racing remaining.
While the race was almost over, the drama was not. On Stage 7, it was Scott-SRAM’s turn to suffer mechanical misfortune. Baum and Egger surged to take the final stage win of the 2023 Cape Epic. The Germans could not, though, shake the Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne team. Blevins and Beers finish second on the stage, 10 seconds back from Orbea-Leatt-Speed Company. That result is enough to give the U.S.-South African duo the 2023 Cape Epic victory. It is Blevins’ first Cape Epic title and the second for Beers.
For the Germans, the finale victory is a bitter-sweet consolation.
“We are disappointed at not winning the overall,” Baum admitted after the race, “Unfortunately, with a big mechanical it wasn’t possible. We are happy with our performance and happy we were able to start as I had some back problems before the race. We will come back next year.”
“I’m proud of our performance,” Egger added, “It’s very special to do something like this with family and friends – including my best friend. Congratulations to everyone here. It’s an incredible event and, yes, we will be back.”
Scott-SRAM slid from being race leaders at the start of the stage to a third-place overall result.
Speed and consistency win women’s race
Kim le Court and Vera Looser trailed early Cape Epic leaders Candice Lill and Amy Wakefield all week. Until it mattered. On Stage 6, the Efficient Infinity Insure team earned a stage win and the race lead, as the e-Fort.netSeattleCoffeeCo pair of South Africans struggled with mechanical issues. Looser and le Court would wear the leader’s jersey for the first time in the final stage.
Having finally grabbed the lead, the Efficient Infinity Insure team was not letting go. The pair put another seven minutes and 30 seconds into Lill and Wakefield, earning the 2023 Cape Epic women’s title.
It was Greete Steinburg and Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez (Cannondale Vas Arabay) taking the Stage 7 win, though. The pair’s first Cape Epic stage win helped them to fourth overall.
Lill and Wakefield hold on to second overall behind le Court and Looser. Defending Cape Epic champion Sofia Gomez Villafane finished third overall with new NinteyOne-Songo-Specialized partner, Katerina Nash.
