Tune in for daily insights from inside the media team at the 2025 Absa Cape Epic with the Diverge Podcast’s vlogs. In the Stage 6 episode Seamus Allardice on the Queen Stage and looks ahead at what could be a very exciting penultimate stage. Going into the 88 kilometre, 2 550 metres of climbing, Stage 6 the general classification battles might be crystalised – but there are opportunities for stage honours.
In the UCI Men’s race Scott SRAM’s stage win, by 1 minute 10, more than doubled their general classification advantage over Willier Vittoria after Stage 5. Having distanced Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto on the final climb, Nino Schurter and Filipo Colombo rode to their biggest victory of the race to seemingly secure the 2025 title. Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje were aggressive throughout the stage and went all in, hunting for stage honours. Sadly, the Imbuko ChemChamp pair came up short, on The Neck climb, but they hung on to finish the day in 3rd and gain time on their rivals for that final podium position.
Going into the penultimate day, then, Scott SRAM lead Willier Vittoria by 1:52, with Imbuko ChemChamp at 12:55 in 3rd. Joubert and Nortje’s buffer on Klimatiza ORBEA, in 4th, expanded to 7 minutes and 14 seconds. Buff Megamo are 5th at 22:16.
In the UCI Women’s race the stage saw crashes and implosions, on the final climb which became too muddy to ride as it was churned up by hundreds of tyres. Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM were the team who struggled the most there, when Alexis Skarda’s Santa Cruz bicycle got clogged with mud and her chain repeated got stuck. She and Looser went from fighting for second and chasing Toyota Specialized to losing the sprint for third against Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen. Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane won the day by just 13 seconds over Cannondale ISB Sport’s Monica Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas.
On the general classification Langvad and Gomez Villafane now lead Looser and Skarda by 22 minutes and 30 seconds. Haw and Preen are 3rd with a 16:57 advantage over Calderon Martinez and Kortekaas. Torpado Kenda FSA are 5 minutes further back.
Read the daily stories from the race on www.diverge.info.
