The penultimate day of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic saw Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje overturn the momentum against them and regain the initiative heading into the final day of the 22nd edition. The Toyota Specialized Imbuko combination may have crossed the Stellenbosch finish line second on the day, but more importantly, they beat the race leaders, Wilier Vittoria, home by 1 minute and 37 seconds. So while Buff BH celebrated the stage win, Beers and Nortje looked to the shift in momentum and looked ahead to the final stage, because Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto’s buffer will only be 13 seconds at the start of Stage 7.

In the Elite Women’s race, the withdrawal of Greta Seiwald put a dampener on Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller’s stage victory. Having battled the She Sends Foundation combination for six days, the Italian’s illness left Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi without a reason to race at their highest level. Seiwald had developed a fever overnight and only started, before stopping within 15 metres, to allow Kate Courtney to race the stage with the Elite Women, rather than being forced into C-Batch in the main field, like Vera Looser and Kelsey van Schoor, who lost their teammates earlier in the race. Symbtech.net’s Margot Moschetti and Claudia Peretti were the next best team on the day, finishing ahead of Hayley Preen and Haley Smith. The Chemchamp Honeycomb pair inherited second from She Sends Foundation, while Torpado FSA Kenda now holds third. Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Giorgia Marchet will start the final stage with a 7-minute and 9-second advantage over Moschetti and Peretti, in fourth.

 

 

 

The final stage of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic is all set to be a nailbiter. On Saturday’s penultimate stage, South Africans Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) powered back into contention on a stage won by the Buff-BH team of Wout Alleman and Martin Stosek in Stellenbosch.

Beers and Nortje finished second but, more importantly, pulled back 1 minute 37 seconds on the overall leaders, Italians Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto, and now lie just 13 seconds behind with only the Grand Finale stage on Sunday to go.

Cape Epic

The Elite Men’s podium Stage 6 of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic. Photo by Nick Muzik/Cape Epic.

It was a thrilling end to a stage that climbed more per metre than any other stage of this year’s race with 2450m of ascent over the 76km route. But unlike the rough trails from earlier in the week, it was a day to play for most of the riders as they raced around the manicured trails in near-perfect cool, calm weather.

In the women’s elite race, over 62km with 1850m of climbing, overall leaders Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller won their fifth stage with relative ease after the second-placed She Sends Foundation team was reduced to one when Italian Greta Seiwald withdrew through illness. Seiwald developed a fever overnight and withdrew shortly after the start, leaving World Marathon champion Kate Courtney from the US to continue on alone. The withdrawal meant that the Chemchamp Honeycomb team of Haley Preen and Haley Smith moved into second position after finishing third on the stage. Margot Moschetti and Claudia Peretti (Symbtech.Net) took second place on Saturday to move from fifth to fourth on the overall.

Buff BH

Martin Stosek (left) and Wout Alleman (right) won their second stage of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic on Saturday. Photo by Nick Muzik/Cape Epic.

Elite Men’s Race

After winning the Queen stage on Friday, Braidot and Avondetto looked favourites to win their first Absa Cape Epic title on Sunday. But early on it was clear that Braidot was feeling the effects of the long week. With 16km of the stage to go, the Beers and Nortje surged clear of the main bunch up the long climb towards the top of the The Doctor trail.

At time physically pushing Nortje, Beers powered up the steady climb cheered on by big local crowds. They first caught early leaders Sam Gaze and Luca Schwarzbauer of Canyon and were even starting to bring down the gap between the Buff-BH team who, with Canyon, had made the earlier break.

Cape Epic

Project Dream SA having fun on the Stoltz Jumps. Photo by Michael Chiaretta/Cape Epic.

But Alleman and Stosek, who had suffered numerous mechanicals earlier in the week, were flying down the final singletrack towards the finish and secured their second win of the week by 18 seconds.

“It was so much fun with the crowds screaming for us along the route,” Allenman said. “We just wanted to show that, after all our bad luck this week, that we were still in shape.”

Beers and Nortje followed just 18 seconds later followed by Canyon and the second Toyota Specialized Imbuko team of Marco Joubert and Travis Stedman. The yellow jersey ended fifth – the first time they had been off the podium all week.

After the stage Braidot quickly left the media interview area and it was left to Avondetto to comment on their dramatic day: “It was a tough day and Luca was on the limit in the last part, but we are still in it to fight for the yellow jersey. Thirteen seconds is nothing but it’s better to be in front than having to chase.”

Cape Epic

The punchy nature of the trails made maintaining speed difficult on a day with 32 metres of climbing per kilometre. Photo by Sam Clark/Cape Epic.

Beers and Nortje had their own struggles with Nortje struggling to hold the pace early on.

“We could see that Luca was suffering, but Tristan was also hurting,” Beers said. “But he’s a tough kid and doesn’t give up. I knew he would come around at some point, although it took a little longer than I expected.”

“This was my bad day,” Nortje said. “Between Luca and me, it was about who was suffering more. But I kept believing and didn’t want to be the first to give up.”

Beers is a three-time Absa Cape Epic winner, while Nortje won the Absa African jersey in 2025 alongside Marco Joubert.

Cape Epic

Candice Lill driving for home on Stage 6 of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic. Photo by Michael Chiaretta/Cape Epic.

Elite Women’s Race

After the early withdrawal of Seiwald, it was clear that the class of Lill and Keller would be difficult to beat as Chemchamp Honeycomb and Symbtech fought it out for the podium.

By the 40km mark, the two had already cruised to a 1-minute lead and began to stretch it out as the local fans cheered on the pair.

“It was really sad about Greta this morning and we never want to see our competitors have to pull out like that. It’s been great racing them all week,” said Lill. “But we had a really nice day today. I enjoyed following Alessandra on the downhills, and I think I’m definitely improving my skills there thanks to her.”

Greta Seiwald

Greta Seiwald had a fever overnight which prevented her from racing on Stage 6. Photo by Michael Chiaretta/Cape Epic.

Preen and Smith proved that consistency is key as they moved into second on the GC.

“This is the way I like to race this race,” said Preen. “I always start further back and work my way up. But we can’t get too excited until the end of tomorrow.”

The final stage of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic takes place over 58km with 2150m of climbing. The course is the same for the women’s elite race.

Candice Lill

Alessandra Keller clearly enjoyed the trails on the penultimate day of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic. Photo by Sam Clark/Cape Epic.

2026 Absa Cape Epic Results

Elite Women’s Stage 6 Results:

  1. Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi: Candice Lill & Alessandra Keller (2:56:08)
  2. Symbtech.net: Margot Moschetti & Claudia Peretti (2:58:56 | +2:47)
  3. Chemchamp Honeycomb: Hayley Preen & Haley Smith (3:01:09 | +5:01)
  4. Massi ISB Sport: Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (3:01:53 | +5:44)
  5. Torpado FSA Kenda: Katazina Sosna-Pinele & Giorgia Marchet (3:05:43 | +9:35)

Elite Men Stage 6 Results:

  1. Buff BH: Wout Alleman & Martin Stosek (3:13:50)
  2. Toyota Specialized Imbuko: Matthew Beers & Tristan Nortje (3:14:08 | +18)
  3. Canyon: Luca Schwarzbauer & Sam Gaze (3:14:20 | +30)
  4. Toyota Specialized Imbuko 2: Marco Joubert & Travis Stedman (3:15:36 | + 1:46)
  5. Wilier-Vittoria: Luca Braidot & Simone Avondetto (3:15:45| +1:55)
Cape Epic

Symbetech.net were second on Stage 6, achieving their best result of the race. Photo by Michael Chiaretta/Cape Epic.

Elite Women’s General Classification after Stage 6:

  1. Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi: Candice Lill & Alessandra Keller (21:44:11)
  2. Chemchamp Honeycomb: Hayley Preen & Haley Smith (22:32:37 | +48:26)
  3. Torpado FSA Kenda: Katazina Sosna-Pinele & Giorgia Marchet (22:44:50| +1:00:39)
  4. Symbtech.net: Margot Moschetti & Claudia Peretti (22:51:59 | +1:07:48)
  5. Massi ISB Sport: Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (23:05:02 | +1:20:51)

Elite Men General Classification after Stage 6:

  1. Wilier-Vittoria: Luca Braidot & Simone Avondetto (24:34:36)
  2. Toyota Specialized Imbuko: Matthew Beers & Tristan Nortje (24:34:49 | +13)
  3. Canyon: Luca Schwarzbauer & Sam Gaze (24:39:31 | +4:55)
  4. Klimatiza Orbea: David Valero Serrano & Marc Stutzmann (24:44:39 | +10:04)
  5. Buff BH: Wout Alleman & Martin Stosek (24:48:15 | +13:39)
Wilier Vittoria

Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto will start the final stage in yellow, but hold a slender 13 second lead. Photo by Nick Muzik/Cape Epic.

Absa African Women’s General Classification after Stage 6:

  1. sani2c Efficient Infiniti: Samantha Sanders & Bianca Haw (23:12:43 | 6th)
  2. Fortress Toyota: Ila Stow & Cherise Willet (24:12:43| +57:55 | 8th)
  3. Graaf Fruit x De Grendel: Chloe Bishop & Nicolette Griffioen (24:42:08 | +1:29:26 | 11th)

Absa African Men’s General Classification after Stage 6:

  1. Toyota Specialized Imbuko: Matthew Beers & Tristan Nortje (24:34:49| 2nd)
  2. Toyota Specialized Imbuko 2: Marco Joubert & Travis Stedman (24:55:56 | +21:07 | 6th)
  3. CVNR Sports: Keegan Tullis & Herman Fourie (25:45:43 | +1:28:56 | 14th)

To view the full results from the 2026 Absa Cape Epic, please click here.