The 2023 Cape Epic starts this weekend, it will be the 19th edition of this famous race. It will see teams compete for the converted Cape Epic Trophy.
This year’s cape Epic includes 8 stages, one being a Prologue on the first day. Riders will tackle a gruelling 658km & 15775m of climbing over the 8 days! The cape epic is the only 8-day stage race classed as hors catégorie by the UCI, meaning it is a massive deal for stage race racers.
The race must be completed in pairs & both riders just finish each stage. This year there are 680 teams taking part.
Cape Epic Previous Winners
Male
2022 – Speed Company Racing (Georg Egger & Lukas Baum)
2021 – NinetyOne-songo-Specialized (Jordan Sarrou & Matt Beers)
2019 – SCOTT-SRAM (Nino Schurter & Lars Forster)
Female
2022 – NinetyOne-Songo-Specialized (Haley Batten & Sofia Gomez Villafane)
2021 – NinetyOne-Songo-Specialized (Sina Frei & Laura Stigger)
2019 – Investec-songo-Specialized ( Annika Langvad & Anna van der Breggen)
Teams To Watch
Men
Scott Sram – Nino Schurter & Andri Frischknecht
Orbea x Leatt x S.C – Andreas Seewald & Martin Stošek
Toyota-Specialized-Ninety One – Matt Beers & Chris Blevins
BH Coloma team – David Valero & Pablo Rodríguez Guede
Team Italian Friends – Vincenzo Nibali & Samuele Porro
The men’s race is always highly contested, We think it could be any of the top 3 teams, Scott Sram, Orbea x Leatt x S.C or Toyota-Specialized-Ninety One who takes the win.
Women
Ninety One-songo-Specialized – Sofia Gomez Villafane & Katerina Nash
Cannondale Vas Arabay – Greete Steinburg & Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez
e-FORT.net | SeattleCoffeeCo – Amy Wakefield & Candice Lill
Efficient Infiniti Insure – Kim le Court & Vera Looser
8capital – Janka Keseg Stevkova & Martina Krahulcova
Team Ninety One-Songo-Specialized is the team we think will win the 2023 cape epic due to their experience & the team’s track record.
The Stages
Prologue – Sunday 19th March
The prologue kicks off the 2023 Cape Epic with a shorter stage of just 27km but it’s sure to be fierce as teams battle for points & be the first to wear the converted leader’s jersey!
Distance: 27km Climbing: 750m
Stage 1 – Monday 20th March
The real racing begins with a gruelling stage well known for its 2019 visit due to the arid land & extreme heat which can be expected here.
Distance: 98km Climbing: 2550m
Stage 2 – Tuesday 21st March
This is the big one! Stage 2 sees the longest stage of this year’s edition, it starts on flatter easier lands until the middle 86km when it ramps up to take in 2 huge climbs – one after another! Riders will be pleased to know that the flatter lands await them on the way back to Hermanus.
Distance: 116km Climbing: 1850m
Stage 3 – Wednesday 22nd March
Stage 3 sees the first stage which goes from one town to another, a huge amount of climbing awaits riders – 2600m which is the most of any of the stages in 2023. Riders are sure to feel the pain after this one.
Distance: 108km Climbing: 2600m
Stage 4 – Thursday 23rd March
Stage 4 is a time trial, which weaves around the Oak Valley Estate on great singletrack. This stage is a more rolling course with no huge climbs
Distance: 47km Climbing: 875m
Stage 5 – Friday 24th March
This stage features the most feared & famous climb – Groenlandberg which sits over 1000m above sea level, the descent on the other side will give riders a rest before they tackle 2 more major climbs.
Distance: 102km Climbing: 2450m
Stage 6 – Saturday 25th March
The stage climbs its way around the Lourensford Wine Estate incorporating some hand-built single track to keep the riders on their toes.
Distance: 82km Climbing: 2300m
Stage 7 – Grand Finale – Sunday 26th March
The final stage – which will be a big relief for most riders! This stage climbs out of the Lourensford Wine Estate up to the top of the saddle – Fun singletrack awaits the riders on the rest of the stage including the Stellenbosch World Cup Course. Riders then have one more climb to the finish at Val de Vie Estate.
Distance: 78km Climbing: 2400m
Watch Live
You can watch every stage live on the Cape Epic Facebook page & YouTube channel. They start between 5:30 & 6:30 am UTC.
We will be posting a round-up after every stage on our website – Follow our socials below so you don’t miss out!
