Cape Epic: Riders to watch
Stage race kicks on on March 16 and can be streamed on YouTube
The Cape Epic begins Sunday in South Africa, kicking off the 21st edition of what’s known as the Tour de France of mountain biking. The stage race is contested in teams of two which are scored together, meaning you have to stick together with your partner, and consistently attracts top names to make the flight to the Western Cape from around the world.
Recent winning teams include Matt Beers and Howard Grotts (2024), Matt Beers and Christopher Blevins (2023), Anne Terpstra and Nicole Keller (2024), Haley Batten and Sofia Gomez Villafane (2022), Sina Frei and Laura Stigger (2021), and Nino Schurter and Lars Forster (2019). Phew.
This year will see Schurter as well as 5x champion Annika Langvad return to the race. Here’s a run down of who to watch.
Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane
Langvad has won five editions of the Cape Epic and won a whopping 27 stages along with her teammates. This year she returns to off-road racing after a period of retirement and is teaming up with Specialized teammate Villafane, who won in 2022 and completed four editions of the Epic. As I’ve reported, Villafane has had a stellar start to the season as has Langvad who took the win at Santa Vall in Spain.
Rosa van Doorn and Janina Wüst
Van Doorn and Wüst are new to the Cape Epic, but they have won races in the Epic Series run by the same organizers. Van Doorn is a Dutch and European Marathon MTB Champion so the team is certainly not lacking firepower.
Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda
Two more national champions come into the fray in the team of Looser of Namibia and Skarda of the United States. Skarda is a one-time Epic rider while Looser has competed four times and won in 2023. Skarda crashed at BWR AZ but is currently in South Africa and appears to be just fine.
Haley Smith and Ella Bloor
Canadian Smith joins up with Australian Bloor under the MAAP banner. Both women are seasoned marathon racers to watch. Funny enough, there is a South African Hayley Smith also in the race.
Margot Moschetti and Samara Sheppard
Moschetti and Sheppard are both previous contenders, and the French Moschetti has won a stage in the past. With a 3rd place finish in 2024, New Zealander Sheppard is also used to racing at the pointy end.
Check out Ryan MTB’s interview with Sheppard here:
Matt Beers and Keegan Swenson
This team is by far the five star favorite. Combine Beers’ three wins with Swenson’s firepower, and the South African-American-Specialized-Santa Cruz duo will be feared by the rest of the field.
Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo
Two men that could be up to the task though are the Swiss team of Schurter and Colombo. Schurter is a veteran of the Epic, while Colombo has just one past finish under his belt. Will these XCO senders be able to best the marathon expertise of Beers and Swenson?
Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto
Additional XCO expertise comes with the Italian team of Wilier Vittoria’s Braidot and Avondetto. Both are Epic rookies but nonetheless are riders to keep your eye on.
Andrew L’Esperance and Rob Britton
Familiar names on the gravel circuit, L’Espy and Britton are teaming up for the race. L’Esperance had a good showing at RADL GRVL and Belgian Waffle Ride, while his Canadian compatriot and teammate Britton finished 18th.
Greg van Avermaet and Julian Siemons
Greg van Avermaet is racing Cape Epic? Yup, the Paris-Roubaix winner is indeed racing, alongside fellow Belgian Siemons, a fellow road racer as well. Neither have raced before, but they are certain to put on a show even if it’s not at the front of the race.
The Cape Epic can be viewed live on YouTube from March 16-22.