Former World XC champion Sam Gaze of New Zealand and short course specialist Luca Schwarzbauer of Germany put their racing skills on full display as they sprinted to a famous victory on Stage 2 of the Absa Cape Epic.
On a front-loaded course that favoured the fast men over the final 20km, the two finished ahead of the Wilier-Vittoria combination of Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto with overall leaders Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje finishing third.
In the women’s race Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller made it three stages in a row as they extended their lead in the overall classification.
Gaze, from New Zealand, and German Schwarzbauer won the dusty rocky stage in 3 hours 54 minutes 55 seconds ahead of Italian Wilier-Vittoria outfit Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto.
The Canyon team’s win moved them up to sixth on the General Classification while Beers and Nortje's overall lead was reduced to just two seconds ahead of the Italian team.
In the women’s race - over 80km with 1750m of climbing - South African champion Candice Lill and her Dutch partner Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi) extended their lead over Kate Courtney and Greta Seiwald (She Sends Foundation) after winning the stage in 3 hours 30 minutes.
But Courtney and Seiwald firmed up their second place overall, finishing just 37 seconds behind on the stage.
MEN'S RACE
In a stage packed with climbs in the first half, it was always going to be a fast finish for all those who had survived the earlier ascents. By the time the race had made it over the Ouberg Pass, eight teams were still in the lead group, as Beers and Nortje sat on the front, tapping out a steady pace.
But, with 25km to go, the XC specialists began to make their presence felt. First, it was the tall figure of powerful former Olympic XC bronze medalist David Serrano who pushed the pace up front before Schwarzbauer and Gaze began their surges.
The early attacks split the front group before a final selection of seven teams made their way into the last 10km.
Gaze and Schwarzbauer animated all the action, and it was clear that their powerful accelerations would be difficult to control as they neared the finish.
Predictably, the two rounded the final bend together with only Wilier-Vittoria and Toyota Specialized Imbuko in sight.
“The fun level was high but the suffer level was even higher,” a delighted Schwarzbauer said. “When you go on an all-out attack and it doesn't work it is the most terrible thing. We attacked like that two times, and luckily the second one worked. The finish today was like a short track race because it was all about positioning and we could use our abilities.”
On Stage 1, the two Canyon riders suffered chain and tyre issues and lost time on the overall classification but still feel they are in with a shout for the overall title as they lie in sixth 4:58 behind.
“There are still five days left and this is the Cape Epic,” said Gaze. “We had some bad luck yesterday but maybe we will benefit somewhere else.”
After winning the opening prologue and finishing third twice, the Toyota Specialized Imbuko team did most of the early pace setting before the late attacks split up the field.
“Today was a weird day. It was quite boring but still rough and rocky,” said Nortje. “Matt and I just rode at the front just to keep safe because there were rocks flying all around. But the XCO guys did some big kicks in the final 5km, so I was quite surprised that we still managed to follow them.”
WOMEN'S RACE
As it did on Stage 1, Stage 2 of the women’s elite race began with a short, sharp climb out of the gates and then on to the long Ouberg Pass.
By the time they had breached the second climb second-placed overall Courtney and Seiwald had split the group with only Lill and Keller, who were able to follow.
Behind them there was drama for the third-place team Rosa Van Doorn and Vera Looser (Buff-Bh Efficient Infiniti) when Van Doorn punctured just after the first climb and was unable to fix the puncture.
The Dutch woman was forced to ride on the soft tyre insert until the next tech zone but, to add their misery, their men’s team had taken Van Doorn’s spare wheel.
The team eventually managed to scramble to a ninth-place finish but lost 23 minutes to the overall leaders and now lie fifth on the GC.
Meanwhile, up front Seiwald and Courtney were still putting pressure on the orange jersey holders as they set the pace for most of the stage.
But they paid the price when Lill and Keller accelerated up a small climb with 9km to go and were unable to follow.
“Once we had established a gap, we pushed pretty hard to the finish,’ Keller said. “We wanted to put in as much time as we could.”
Margot Moschetti and Claudia Peretti (Symbtech.Net) moved on to the final step of the podium after finishing seventh on the stage. They now trail the overall leaders by 25 minutes.
On Wednesday, riders take on the longest stage of the 2026 event over 140km with 1750m of climbing. The women’s elite race will be over 108km with 1450m of climbing.
RESULTS
Elite Men Stage
1. CANYON: Luca SCHWARZBAUER & Sam GAZE (3:54.55)
2. WILIER-VITTORIA: Luca BRAIDOT & Simone AVONDETTO (3:54.56 | +2)
3. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matthew BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (3:54.59 | +4)
4. TORPADO KENDA FSA Fabian RABENSTEINER & Casey SOUTH (3:55.06 | +11)
5. ORIGINE-WILIER: Mathis AZZARO & Juri ZANOTTI (3:55.07 | +12)
Elite Men GC
1. TOYOTA SPECIALIZED IMBUKO: Matthew BEERS & Tristan NORTJE (8:18.22)
2. WILIER-VITTORIA: Luca BRAIDOT & Simone AVONDETTO (8:18.24 | +2)
3. KLIMATIZA ORBEA: David VALERO SERRANO & Marc STUTZMANN (8:18.51 | +29)
4. ORIGINE-WILIER: Mathis AZZARO & Juri ZANOTTI (8:18.56 | +34)
5. TORPADO KENDA FSA: Fabian Rabensteiner & Casey South (8:20.07 | +1:45)
Elite Women Stage
1. THÖMUS MAXON SABI SABI: Candice LILL & Alessandra KELLER (3:30.00)
2. SHE SENDS FOUNDATION: Kate COURTNEY & Greta SEIWALD (3:03.48 | +1:57)
3. TORPADO FSA KENDA Katazina SOSNA-PINELE & Giorgia MARCHET (3:40.43 | +10:43)
4. CHEMCHAMP HONEYCOMB Hayley PREEN & Hayley SMITH (3:40.44 | +10:43)
5. SANI2C EFFICIENT INFINITI Samantha SANDERS & Bianca HAW (3:42.49 | +12.49)
Elite Women GC
1. THÖMUS MAXON SABI SABI: Candice LILL & Alessandra KELLER (7:23.17)
2. SHE SENDS FOUNDATION: Kate COURTNEY & Greta SEIWALD (7:26.48 | +3:31)
3. SYMBTECH.NET: Margot MOSCHETTI & Claudia PERETTI (7:48.21 | +25:04)
4. CHEMCHAMP HONEYCOMB: Hayley PREEN & Haley SMITH (7:49.18 | +26:00)
5. BUFF-BH | EFFICIENT INFINITI Rosa VAN DOORN & Vera LOOSER (7:50.11 | +26:54)
PHOTO BY: © Nick Muzik Absa Cape Epic