On paper, there’s only one obvious favourite team for the Elite men’s title at the 2024 Absa Cape Epic. But there are a handful of other teams that can most definitely challenge for the title, including one containing a South African. Here’s a look at the limited list of favourites for the 20th edition of the Absa Cape Epic.
By Sean Badenhorst
After winning on their debut in 2022 and finishing second in 2023, the Orbea Leatt Speed Company duo of Georg Egger and Lukas Baum must be considered the favourites. Friends since childhood and teammates for the past three years, they know what they are capable of and how to arrive at the start of the demanding race prepared.
The German pair aren’t afraid to attack and really have made the race more engaging with their enthusiasm, both on and off the bike. To bet against them would be foolish as they have proved they can race well in all conditions. Their pre-race wishes will be for no bad luck.
The Toyota Specialized Ninety One team of South Africa’s Matt Beers and America’s Howard Grotts may or may not be formidable. Time will tell. After winning the race in 2018 (with Jaroslav Kulhavy), Grotts hasn’t been back since. In fact, he took a hiatus from racing to complete his studies and returned to competing in 2022. While the 29-year-old appears to be in good form after a year of racing some of the USA’s biggest races last year, some say that Beers should be partnered with local teammate, Alex Miller, for this Cape Epic. But the Specialized brains trust knows what it takes to win a Cape Epic and has gone with the experience of Grotts in an effort to secure Beers a third Cape Epic title and Specialized an eighth Men’s title.
With two titles, Beers is level with the late Burry Stander as the only South Africans to have won the Cape Epic overall. Stander won both of his titles with the same teammate, Christoph Sauser, while Beers has won his with Jordan Sarrou (2021) and Christopher Blevins (2023). Should Toyota Specialized Ninety One win this year, Beers will join Kulhavy, Stefan Sahm, Karl Platt and Sauser as the only other men with three wins (Platt and Sauser have five each) and essentially earn his place among Cape Epic royalty. Beers has shown in the past three years (he was third in 2022) that he’s most definitely capable, the burning question is, is Grotts?
The other team that’s sure to be challenging for the title, and likely to wear the first Yellow Jersey of the race, is the World Bicycle Relief pairing of Nino Schurter (SCOTT SRAM) and Sebastian Fini Carstensen (Lapierre Mavic Unity). Racing for the global charity because they represent different trade teams, the pair are undoubtedly fast. Schurter is the greatest XCO racer of all time and Fini is a regular XCO World Cup podium contender (nine podiums, including one win).
Schurter has won two of the seven Cape Epics he has completed (2017 and 2019) and he is always a protagonist at a race he thoroughly enjoys. But his challenge is finding a teammate that can match him and not break down when the pressure is high. Fini Carstensen isn’t a Cape Epic novice, but his only participation was in 2019 where he finished 15th. The Dane will have to be at his very best if World Bicycle Relief is to sustain their title quest from the first stage to the final one.
Had they still been teammates, the Canyon SIDI racers, Martin Stocek and Andreas Seewald would be fancied outsiders for the win. They led the race for five days in 2022 and were strong title contenders in 2021 until Seewald encountered illness. But they arrive for the 2024 edition on the same squad with new teammates. Seewald is paired up with Marc Stutzmann and Stocek will race with Petr Vakoc. The indicates one of them isn’t quite on form to challenge for the title. We’ll see over the next 10 days who that is. They may not be in title contention, but they are certain to be in the stage-win mix.
There are other strong international pairings that are definite contenders for stage wins, but are unlikely to challenge for the overall title, including Willier Vittoria Factory’s Fabian Rabensteiner and Samuele Porro, Buff Megamo’s Hans Becking and Wout Alleman and Singer Racing’s Simon Stiebjahn and Jakob Hartmann.
Other than Beers, no other South African (or African) is likely to be in title contention. But there is a good mix of teams that will vie for the Absa African Jersey and possible stage wins. This includes the Pyga Euro Steel duo of Phil Buys and Pieter du Toit, the Toyota Specialized pair of Alex Miller and Johan van Zyl, Imbuko Pro Cycling’s Wessel Botha and Marco Joubert and Team Honeycomb Racing’s Tristan Nortje and Marc Pritzen.
There will once again also be fierce age-division contests for the Master (40-49), Grand Master (50-59), and Great Grand Master (60+) as well as races within a race for superiority in the Mixed and Exxaro divisions, where South Africans will be well represented.
The 2024 Absa Cape Epic starts on Sunday 17 March and ends on Sunday 24 March. There are eight stages that cover a total of more than 600km with over 16000 metres of vertical ascent. The race will be broadcast live daily on the Absa Cape Epic YouTube Channel. For more information, download the Epic Series App or visit the race website here.
