Belgian Wout Alleman and Czech Martin Stosek (Buff-BH) won the men’s race on Stage 1 of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic in Montagu on Monday, while Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi) claimed victory in the women’s race. The stage started and finished in Montagu, with the men racing 90km with 2150m of climbing and the women tackling a shorter 66km route with 1800m of climbing.
Puncture Scare for Race Leaders
Yellow jersey leaders Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) suffered a rear wheel puncture just before halfway, but managed to fight back to finish with the lead group and retain the overall lead.
Alleman and Stosek claimed the stage after holding off five other teams in a tightly contested finish. Alleman crossed the line first and Stosek third to secure the win in 3 hours 38 minutes and 42 seconds. Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria) finished second, with Beers and Nortje third, just two seconds behind.
Beers and Nortje still lead the overall standings, four seconds ahead of the Wilier-Vittoria team. David Valero Serrano and Marc Stutzmann (Klimatiza Orbea) sit third overall, 20 seconds off the pace.
The 90km stage included 2150m of climbing over rocky, dusty terrain around Montagu. The last time the race visited the town was in 2007.
Drama on the Trails
The men’s race started half an hour earlier to accommodate expected high temperatures. South African champion Marc Pritzen (Honeycomb 226ers) set an early pace before easing off when his partner Feliz Stehli began struggling.
The Canyon team of Luca Schwarzbauer and former World Marathon champion Sam Gaze briefly moved to the front before a mechanical issue forced them to stop and chase back, eventually finishing 12th.
The Klimatiza Orbea team also lost time after a puncture just over 10km from the finish.
But it was Beers and Nortje’s puncture that looked as though it might cost them their race lead. After struggling to plug the hole, they had to wait for their support team to provide a replacement wheel before continuing.
“When I saw that the gap was 3:40 I thought, oh dear, that’s a proper one and I wasn’t sure we’d get that back,” Beers said. “But we just kept the speed up and kept pushing.”
Nortje said riding the trails around Montagu earlier this year helped them regain ground.
“I knew what was coming, where the descents were fast and open and where we had to push,” he said.
The pair eventually rejoined the lead group with 15km to go and managed to stay with the leaders through the closing kilometres.
“It was super rocky and quite rough,” Alleman said. “We tried to make a gap on some of the climbs towards the end, but they were too short so we decided to try and win the sprint.”
Lill and Keller Continue Strong Start
In the women’s race, Prologue winners Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller increased the pace after halfway to pull away from their closest rivals and win the stage by 1 minute 35 seconds.
Rosa Van Doorn and Vera Looser (Buff-BH Efficient Infiniti) finished second, with Kate Courtney and Greta Seiwald (She Sends Foundation) in third, 1:56 behind.
The race began with a fast pace up the 7km Abrikooskloof climb before the leading three teams broke clear. Just after halfway, Courtney and Seiwald ran out of water and Lill and Keller increased their pace to create a gap.
“It was really hard from the start up that first Pass,” said Lill. “We noticed some teams starting to struggle before halfway, so we pushed a little harder.”
Stage 2
On Tuesday, the main race will take 102km with 2250m of climbing while the women’s elite race will be contested over 80km with 1750m of climbing.
