Absa Cape Epic, the most well-known mountain bike stage event in the world, will begin in less than 30 days, and the 2023 route promises to be among the most breathtaking yet.
THE RENOWNED Absa Cape Epic, the most well-known mountain bike stage event in the world, will begin in less than 30 days.
The hors catégorie-classified race will be one of the key attractions on the world calendar on March 19, when mountain biking’s elite riders line up alongside eager amateurs to take on the adventure through 658km of wonderful, untamed landscape and about 16,000m of climbing.
The 2023 route promises to be among the most breathtaking yet.
Expanded divisions provide amateurs from around the world with even more reasons to participate while giving professionals opportunities to attack, test their competitors’ resolve, and fight back.
This year will be no different from previous years, as hundreds of stars will enter this amazing competition.
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Former Australian road cycling champions Mitchell Docker and Lachlan Morton, former Tour de France stage winner Dave Millar, his sister Fran Millar, CEO of Belstaff, Grand Tour legend Vincenzo Nibali, former Dutch road giant Niki Terpstra, and Spanish football legend Luis Enrique are just a few of the well-known athletes illuminating the Epic, where spectators can relax at the renowned wineries overlooking the singletracks.
Prior to going southeast to Hermanus, where the event will be held over two stages, riders will begin with a brief and intense prologue (19 March) on the trails of Meerendal Wine Estate (20 and 21 March). The first transition stage of 2023 begins in Hermanus on March 22 and challenges teams to go inland to Oak Valley Estate, where a mid-week time trial on the Paul Cluver and Oak Valley trails awaits (March 23).
When Stage 5, the Queen Stage (24 March), is finished, it will defend the entrance to the Lourensford Wine Estate, where Stage 6 (25 March) is waiting. All that stands between teams earning their place in The Book of Legend from there is the Trail (March 26) to Val de Vie.
The champions from the previous year, Georg Egger and Lukas Baum of Speed Company Racing, who surprised everyone by winning the championship, are among the well-known drivers vying for the crown.
This year, when everyone will be trying to unseat the current monarchs of the Epic, it will be a different tale.
SCOTT-SRAM Racing, which would love nothing more than to take the No.1 boards off Egger and Baum’s bikes on March 26, will be at the front of the chasing group.
Nino Schurter, a two-time Absa Cape Epic champion for SCOTT-SRAM, will attempt to make a victorious comeback to Hermanus, which has served as the world’s best mountain biker’s happy hunting ground. He has joined forces with Andri Frischknecht this time as he pursues glory once more.
The Absa Cape Epic has a history of being an innovative race, and this year is no exception.
The inclusion of an Exxaro women’s jersey beginning in 2023 is a clear indication of the event’s goals to increase the number of black women participating in mountain biking.
The Exxaro Jersey has provided more than 100 young, black, and historically underprivileged South African cyclists with a target since its launch in 2012. But for the majority of underprivileged black South African girls under the age of 26, participating in a costly sport and contesting the most prestigious stage race in the world are worlds apart. The Absa Cape Epic’s Exxaro Jersey for women tries to remedy that.
According to Marc Erasmus, Absa Cape Epic Partnership Manager, “it was a logical development to offer an Exxaro jersey for women, therefore encouraging and motivating more historically under-represented South African women to join Engaged.”
The race’s growth from its modest beginnings in the Cape Winelands in 2004 to a full worldwide series of events in Croatia, Australia, Switzerland, and the Pyrenees may be attributed to this level of dedication.
But the Absa Cape Epic still stands as the top event for every rider and fan, and it will in 2023 as well.
