Andorra Epic: Buff Megamo Storm into Orange on Stage 2

With afternoon thundershowers predicted, the start time for Stage 2 of the Andorra Epic had to be brought forward by half an hour on Friday, 4 July. Regardless of how much it may rain later, Buff Megamo’s storming performance on the trails is likely to eclipse the weather as they seized the UCI Women’s race lead from Efficient Safari Essence. In the UCI Men’s category, a closely contested stage was won by Singer KTM Racing, while Klimatiza Orbea finished third, 2 seconds back, to maintain their general classification lead.

The UCI Men’s race ended in a three-team sprint finish on Stage 2. Photo by Gabri Amoros/Andorra Epic.

Stage 2 of the 2025 Andorra Epic produced two very different races in the UCI Men’s and Women’s competitions. The 46-kilometre-long second day of the race featured an earlier start due to incoming inclement weather, and the top teams raced like they wanted to avoid the rain at all costs. Buff Megamo’s Rosa van Doorn and Janina Wüst dominated the trails from Pal/Arinsal to La Massana putting 6 minutes and 29 seconds into Efficient Safari Essence, turning a 3:42 deficit into a 2:47 lead. Marc Stutzmann and Sebastian Gesche were more tactical in their approach, shadowing Jose Dias and Pablo Rodriguez Guede throughout the day, while Singer KTM Racing’s Simon Stiebjahn and Martin Frey sprinted to stage victory.

The second stage of the race started 700 meters up the mountain from the La Massana race village, in the Pal/Arinsal Bike Park. A pre-stage gondola ride reduced the meters of elevation gain on the menu for the day and ensured that the course featured 1 950 metres of descending and just 1 300 metres of climbing. It was not all easy, however, from the start at Pal/Arinsal the route climbed to 2 327 meters above sea level and the summit of Coll de Cabús. A second, more gradual ascent of Collada Muntaner then led into a thrilling 7 kilometre/1 000 meter descent on the Super Sispony T-Section. The last climb of the day topped out with 10 kilometres to go and ensured a rapid finish along La Ruta del Ferro back to La Massana.

Buff Megamo coped better with the high altitude of the Pyrenees on Stage 2 and turned a deficit into a general classification advantage. Photo by Carles Iturbe/Andorra Epic.

Van Doorn and Wüst turned the UCI Women’s race on its head from the off, attacking out of the start chute on the ascent to the Coll de la Botella. By the first time check, 12.5 kilometres in, they held a 2 minutes and 37 seconds advantage over Looser and Du Toit. 8 kilometres later, having summited Coll de Cabús, they had ridden their way into the general classification lead on the trails. In the 5 remaining kilometres over 2 000 meters above sea level, they added a further 2 minutes to their advantage, then held the 6:30 buffer through the singletrack descent and lower elevation riding to the finish.

“Yesterday we lost quite a bit of time with a mechanical, so today we said no risk, no fun,” Wüst observed. “We made a gap on the first climb already, and then from then on just pushed our own tempo to try to gain as much time as possible.”

Janina Wüst and Rosa van Doorn won Stage 2 by over 6 minutes. Photo by Gabri Amoros/Andorra Epic.

“We didn’t know what the gap was though, so we had to keep pushing,” Van Doorn added. “As we saw yesterday, you need time in hand in case of a mechanical, especially tomorrow because it’s the toughest stage of the race.”

The result means that Buff Megamo now holds the orange CIOVITA jerseys by 2 minutes and 47 seconds from Efficient Safari Essence. Worryingly for the former race leaders, the Queen Stage, on Saturday, includes the highest point of the 2025 race, the climb to Tossa de Llosada at 2 560 meters above sea level. Behind the battle for first, Antonia Daubermann and Naama Noyman of 1VISION were third on the stage and remain third on the general classification. Ila Stow and Laura Stark also appeared to struggle with the altitude and slipped out of the battle for a podium place, instead finding themselves sprinting for fourth with Cristina Morán Roza and Noemi Moreno Castañeda.

Vera Looser and Danielle Strydom endured a difficult day, losing their orange jerseys to Buff Megamo. Photo by Carles Iturbe/Andorra Epic.

Unlike in the UCI Women’s race, none of the top UCI Men’s teams were able to make significant time on their rivals. Singer KTM Racing and TRINITY Racing pushed the tempo throughout the stage, but Buff Megamo 2 and the men in yellow, Klimatiza Orbea were always able to regain parity with the day’s leaders. “The first climb was more or less a controlled effort,” Stiebjahn explained. “We attacked over the top to get into the first downhill in the lead, but we were unable to make a gap.”

A group of four teams went over the summit of the Coll de Cabús together and on the descent which followed Singer KTM and TRINITY were able to create a slight advantage. “We opened up a little gap with the TRINITY guys, but the other two teams were a little bit stronger on the climbs and were able to close the gap again before the finish, setting up a sprint between three teams: Buff Megamo, Klimatiza Orbea, and us. Martin [Frey] and I know we are really strong in a finish like this so we were confident going into the sprint, and we are really happy to take the win.”

TRINITY Racing and Singer KTM Racing took the fight to Buff Megamo and the men in yellow, Klimatiza Orbea on Stage 2. Photo by Carles Iturbe/Andorra Epic.

Stiebjahn and Frey held off Dias and Rodriguez Guede to take the stage win, while Stutzmann and Gesche finished third, 2 seconds back. Daniel English and Birk Ronnestad ceded a handful of seconds in the closing kilometres and finished the day in fourth, moving up from sixth on the general classification in the process. ORBEA x Leatt x Speed Company were fifth on the stage, also gaining places in the top ten overall, but remain behind Cannondale ISB Sport on the general classification.

“Even if we didn’t win, day by day we are understanding each other a little better,” Gesche reflected. “It’s nice to count on your partner and know exactly how he wants to race. Seeing how Marc [Stutzmann] moves in the peloton will be helpful for tomorrow, which is the Queen Stage. I believe we can really make a difference on Stage 3, based on our strengths, so we are looking forward to it!”

Buff Megamo and Klimatiza Orbea were inseparable on Stage 2. Photo by Gabri Amoros/Andorra Epic.

The Queen Stage is 63 kilometres in length and includes 2 390 meters of climbing, taking in the highest point of the 2025 Andorra Epic. The teams will be transported to Canillo, to the east of La Massana, for a start at 1 500 meters above sea level. The first 32 kilometers of the day are relentlessly uphill past El Tarter, Vall d’Incies, Soldeu, and Cubil Lake to Tossa de Llosada. After cresting the climb, it’s downhill on Mont Magic back through Canillio and onto the long grind over Coll de l’Estall, at 2 022 meters, into the Pal/Arinsal Bike Park. The T-Section for the stage, Beixalis Flow, takes the teams into the closing kilometres and back to La Massana for the penultimate time.

To follow the mountain biking action as it unfolds, like the Andorra Epic Facebook page or follow @andorra_epic on Instagram. Daily highlights from the race can be viewed on the Epic Series YouTube Channel. To find out more, visit www.epic-series.com/andorra.

2025 Andorra Epic Results:

UCI Men Stage 2:

Singer KTM Racing: Simon Stiebjahn & Martin Frey (2:02:23)
Buff Megamo 2: Jose Dias & Pablo Rodriguez Guede (2:02:23 | +0)
Klimatiza Orbea: Marc Stutzmann & Sebastian Gesche (2:02:25 | +2)
TRINITY Racing: Daniel English & Birk Ronnestad (2:02:59 | +36)
ORBEA x Leatt x Speed Company: Georg EGGER & Lukas BAUM (2:03:57 | +1:34)

UCI Women Stage 2:

Buff Megamo : Rosa van Doorn & Janina Wüst (2:32:01)
Efficient Safari Essences: Vera Looser & Danielle du Toit (2:38:30 | +6:29)
1VISION: Antonia Daubermann & Naama Noyman (2:40:35 | +8:34)
Fortress Real Estate Investment: Ila Stow & Laura Stark (2:50:45 | +18:44)
Scott BTB Sport: Cristina Morán Roza & Noemi Moreno Castañeda (2:50:46 | +18:45)

The Stage 3 UCI Men’s Podium, featuring Buff Megamo, Singer KTM Racing, and Klimatiza Orbea. Photo by Gabri Amoros/Andorra Epic.

UCI Men’s General Classification after Stage 2:

Klimatiza Orbea: Marc Stutzmann & Sebastian Gesche (4:04:49)
Buff Megamo 2: Jose Dias & Pablo Rodriguez Guede (4:05:03 | +14)
Singer KTM Racing: Simon Stiebjahn & Martin Frey (4:07:26 | +2:37)
TRINITY Racing: Daniel English & Birk Ronnestad (4:09:02| +4:13)
Cannondale ISB Sport: Riccardo Chiarini & Peeter Pruus (4:10:56 | +6:07)

UCI Women’s General Classification after Stage 2:

Buff Megamo : Rosa van Doorn & Janina Wüst (5:16:14)
Efficient Safari Essences: Vera Looser & Danielle du Toit (5:19:01 | +2:47)
1VISION: Antonia Daubermann & Naama Noyman (5:30:28 | +14:14)
Fortress Real Estate Investment: Ila Stow & Laura Stark (5:41:09 | +24:55)
Scott BTB Sport: Cristina Morán Roza & Noemi Moreno Castañeda (5:46:35 | +30:21)