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 7 episode Seamus Allardice looks ahead at the Grand Finale, with at the time of recording was still set to start at 08:00. Within moments of recording the start had been postponed to 10:30 and the route amended to a 40 kilometre course in Lourensford. The absence of the climb to The Neck and the circumnavigation of the Helderberg will certainly limit the likes of Willier Vittoria and Cannondale ISB Sport’s ability to change the general classification outcome.
The updated stage features just 1 150 metres of climbing. This means that Nino Schurter and Filipo Colombo’s 32 second advantage will be easier, but not easy to defend. The muddy roads of Lourensford will be treacherous and the risk of punctures, dropped chains, and mechanicals will induce significant stress.
In the UCI Women’s race the victory is all-but assured for Toyota Specialized. Langvad and Gomez Villafane lead by 23 minutes and 26 seconds going into the final day. Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen will be thankful for the shortened route as their buffer to Cannondale ISB Sport’s Monica Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas had been cut to just 5:27 on Stage 6. Titan Racing SE Honeycomb will still need to race to their limits on Stage 7 to maintain their spot on the final general classification podium.
Read the daily stories from the race on www.diverge.info.
