The UCI elite riders might term Stage 4 of the Absa Cape Epic a ‘romp’. It was a short, punchy day of cross-country racing over 80km with 1950m of elevation gain. Wilier-Vittoria’ Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (pictured above) won the stage – again just one second ahead of Yellow Jersey overall leaders, Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing).
In the Aramex UCI Women’s Category, Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane (Toyota | Specialized) won the stage ahead of Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda (Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM), extending their general classification lead to 14 minutes and 49 seconds.
The UCI Men’s Category race on Stage 4 started with an explosive burst out of the start chute from Matt Beers (Outride | Toyota | Songo), as the defending champion roared to the front to remind the field that, while sitting way back in the general classification, he still has the legs to push the pace. Sadly for Beers’s title defence, partner Keagan Swenson has been out of sorts since the Prologue.
Contenders for the stage win emerged 40km into the day – after the first water point at the Taal Monument – with Wilier-Vittoria, Scott-SRAM MTB Racing, BUFF MEGAMO 1 (Wout Alleman and Martin Stosek) and Imbuko ChemChamp A (Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje) all moving to the front. Joubert and Nortje then took control in the front, soaring along the Paarl trails they are so intimately acquainted with. Looking at home in the berms and dust, the South African riders did their best to pull away from the chasers. Going into the final 3km of the stage, it was a four-horse race between Wilier-Vittoria, Scott-SRAM MTB Racing, BUFF MEGAMO 1 and Imbuko ChemChamp A.
With the race village in sight, Nortje made a desperate break for the stage win, dropping both chasing teams and his race partner. Joubert just didn’t have the power to respond. Nortje crossed the line first, but the first team over the line was Wilier-Vittoria.
“It was a very tactical race once it got down to the four teams,” said stage winner, Luca Braidot. “It was a good day of trail riding on great trails. As a team, me and Simone had a good ride and we are still close to first place on the overall standings.”
Overall race leader Nino Schurter said the racing was fierce in the final kilometres. “It was very tactical. Everyone was sticking together. It came down to a sprint and the Wilier-Vittoria boys just had the edge. We are still in the Yellow Jersey and that’s the place to be!”
Nortje, Absa African Special Jersey leader and third overall in the general classification, said he and partner Joubert hoped to use local knowledge to make an impact on the racing. “Marco let me go early at the end – that was the tactic. We wanted to get the speed up to make some time on the GC, but the other guys have such a good kick. We tried to use our local knowledge to get ahead and get first into the singletrack after 15km. We tried to keep the pace high throughout the day to put pressure on the team, but they finished so well!”
In the Aramex UCI Women’s Category Langvad and Villafane controlled the pace from the start. Langvad displayed little or no discomfort after two heavy falls on Wednesday’s Stage 3 and was able to match Villafane pedal stroke for pedal stroke on Stage 4. At times Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda (Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM) were able to catch the Orange Jersey leaders, but the Toyota | Specialized duo simply upped the tempo and pulled away.
“We didn’t know how we would feel this morning after a few knocks yesterday,” said Villafane. “So our plan for the stage was to ride conservatively. We kept the day at a nice steady pace and then took it easy on the descents. This is not the stage of the race where you want to make a silly mistake.”
Langvad said while the trails were enjoyable, the dust and the terrain influenced their strategy. “When it’s so loose, anything can happen – like it did yesterday. Our goal today was to recover a bit on the stage. I am definitely feeling better now and very happy that we have added more time to our overall lead.”
In the women’s race of the Absa African Special Jersey, Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen (TitanRacing SE Honeycomb) continued their excellent run of form at the 2025 Absa Cape Epic. The pair only came together as a team a few days before the race, with Preen only speaking to Haw for the first time earlier in the year. Unbothered by such minor trivialities, Haw and Preen are racing like a seasoned team, finishing each stage with smiles and laughter.
“Me and Hayley have similar racing styles,” said Haw. “We just go until we blow!”
Stage 4 Results
UCI Men’s Category
- 1 Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto – Wilier-Vittoria – 3:06:34
- 2 Nino Schurter and Filippo Viero Colombo – Scott-SRAM MTB Racing – 3:06:35 (+1)
- 3 Wout Alleman and Martin Stosek – BUFF MEGAMO 1 – 3:06:36 (+2)
- 4 Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje – Imbuko ChemChamp A – 3:06:38 (+4)
- 5 Jakob Dorigoni and Gioele de Cosmo – Torpado Kenda – FSA 2 – 3:07:22 (+48)
UCI Men’s Category GC
- 1 Nino Schurter and Filippo Viero Colombo – Scott-SRAM MTB Racing – 13:34:00
- 2 Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto – Wilier-Vittoria – 13:43:42 (+42)
- 3 Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje – Imbuko ChemChamp A – 13:43:52 (+9:52)
- 4 Samuele Porro and Marc Stutzmann – Klimatiza Orbea – 13:47:30 (+13:30)
- 5 Wout Alleman and Martin Stosek – BUFF MEGAMO 1 – 13:49:24 (+15:24)
Aramex UCI Women’s Category
- 1 Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 3:50:45
- 2 Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM – 3:51:35 (+50)
- 3 Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 3:52:14 (+1:29)
- 4 Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – CANNONDALE ISB SPORT – 3:57:27 (+6:42)
- 5 Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 3:58:11 (+7:26)
Aramex UCI Women’s Category GC
- 1 Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 16:45:00
- 2 Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM – 16:59:49 (+14:49)
- 3 Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 17:12:30 (+27:30)
- 4 Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 17:31:38 (+46:38)
- 5 Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – CANNONDALE ISB SPORT – 17:36:51 (+51:51)
Other Categories & Special Jerseys GC
- Toyota Mixed Category: Riaan Weideman and Samantha Sanders – Toyota Gazoo Racing – 17:36:56
- NTT DATA Masters Men’s Category: Pavel Gonda and Tobias Lüthi – Czech Rocket&Swiss Diesel – 15:18:56
- Masters Women’s Category: Nicolle Weir and Janine Muller – BOUNCE- 21:48:59
- GIC Grand Masters Men’s Category: Ibon Zugasti and Kaare Aagaard – Orbea Factory Team – 16:18:48
- Grand Masters Women’s Category: Jenny Rönngren and Martha Koekemoer – UAG Epic – 21:58:33
- Great Grand Masters Category: Barti Bucher and Peter Vesel – Meerendal Etis – 18:14:47
- Absa African Men’s Special Jersey: Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje – Imbuko ChemChamp A – 13:43:52
- Absa African Women’s Special Jersey: Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 17:12:30
- Exxaro Men’s Special Jersey – Damon Terblanche and Ziandro Jordaan – Fairtree DP World Can1 – 16:57:17
- Exxaro Women’s Special Jersey – Tsholofelo Nkosi and Bontle Phepiso – Exarro Academy Ladies 1 – 28:14:17
To follow the fierce racing as it unfolds, mountain biking fans can tune in to the live broadcast on the Epic Series’ YouTube channel. The live coverage begins on Friday, 21 March, at 07:00 (SAST | UTC +2) and a reminder to watch the race can be set by clicking here.
For more behind the scenes stories from the race follow @capeepic on Instagram, download the Epic Series APP or like the Cape Epic Facebook page.
