Upheaval in the GC standings as Cape Epic passes mid-point
GC shake-up as attrition starts to play a major role in South African stage race
Photo by:
Nick Muzik/Cape Epic
Racers passed the mid-way point of this year’s Cape Epic on Thursday with a short, by the standards of the South African stage race, 70 kilometre transfer stage. While the stage was unassuming on paper, the racing – and results – were dramatic. The men’s race saw a major change in the overall standings and new winners while the women’s race, still dominated by NinetyOne-Specialized-Songo, witnessed a battle for the positions heat up.
Attrition and new winners
Thursday’s shake-up of the men’s GC standings started before the race clock did. Canyon Northwave, winner’s of Stage 3 and second overall behind Jordan Sarrou and Matt Beers, were forced to withdraw from the event. Martin Stosek fell ill with a stomach bug, leaving teammate Andreas Seewald to continue solo, but out of the official results.
That wasn’t the only change at the front of the men’s race. Dutch-Portuguese duo Hans Becking and Jose Dias (Buff Scott MTB) landed their first stage win of the 2021 Cape Epic on Thursday. They were followed across the line by race leaders Sarrou and Beers, with Bulls #2 team taking the final podium spot. Martin Frey and Simon Stiebjhn finish third on the day but move into second overall. Their rise up at the ranks came at the cost of teammates on Bulls #1, Simon Schneller and Urs Huber who started the day third overall. Schneller fought through his own illness, but Bulls #1 still sacrificed 21 minutes over the day’s 70km of racing.
Stigger and Frei stay on the offensive
In the women’s race, Sina Frei and Laura Stigger (NinetyOne-Songo-Specialized) continue to extend their lead while Faces CST and Salusmed battle it out for podium positions. While the world-class duo are undefeated so far at Cape Epic, Canyon Northwave and Bulls #1 team’s misfortunes show that no lead is safe in South Africa.
Still, the Swiss-Austrian duo now lead Ariane Luthi and Robyn de Groot (Salusmed) by 17 minutes. The Salusmed duo were under pressure from in front and behind, with Candice Lill and Mariske Strauss (Faces CST) finishing second Thursday and cutting into Salusmed’s advantage.
Wallace and Boyes creep forward with consistency
Canadian endurance specialist Cory Wallace continues to improve the harder the Cape Epic gets. With South African teammate Craig Boyes, the Kona rider has progressed up the standings and into 18th overall. Boyes and Wallace were 20th on Thursday’s stage and keep riding consistently while the teams around them struggle with conditions.
The Cape Epic is the latest in a busy fall schedule for Wallace. After doubling up at SBT Gravel and Leadville 100, the Jasper, Alt. racer did back-to-back stage races in B.C.’s Okanagan, winning BCBR Gravel Explorer then finishing in the top-10 at the BC Bike Race.
Wallace’s next test will be the Cape Epic’s 84-km Stage 5. While not much longer than today’s racing, organizers have crammed a staggering 2,900m of elevation gain into that distance. The day starts with a climb simply called “Heavy Legs.” Oof.
