Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje powered to victory in the men’s Prologue at the 2026 Absa Cape Epic at Meerendal, claiming the first yellow jerseys in scorching conditions.
In the women’s race, Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller delivered a dominant performance to win the Prologue and take an early lead in the week-long challenge.
A blazing start to the Epic
On Sunday, 15 March 2026, sweltering temperatures and a world-class field set the scene for a dramatic opening day of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic at Meerendal in Durbanville. In testing conditions that saw temperatures climb to 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the course, South Africans Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) delivered a standout performance to win the 20km Prologue and claim the first yellow jerseys of the race.
The opening stage featured 650 metres of climbing and provided an early glimpse of the battles that are likely to unfold over the next week of racing.
Beers and Nortje completed the Prologue six seconds ahead of Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria), while David Valero and Marc Stutzmann (Klimatiza Orbea) finished a further six seconds back in third.
The result gives the South African pairing an early advantage as they pursue a historic goal — becoming the first all-South African team to win the Absa Cape Epic.
A partnership formed days before the start
The victory is particularly notable given how recently the partnership was formed. Beers and Nortje only teamed up 10 days before the race after Beers’ original partner, Keegan Swenson, withdrew due to injury.
Despite the short preparation time together, the duo led the Prologue from start to finish, maintaining a narrow but consistent lead over the Wilier-Vittoria team.
The conditions were among the toughest challenges of the day, with riders facing intense heat across the course.
“Obviously, the heat was gnarly today. A lot of prep goes into this, but it was still damn hot,” Beers said after the stage.
Nortje added that the wind direction made sections of the course particularly demanding.
“When we were riding into the wind, it was heaven, but once we had a tailwind, there was no cooling. The last climb was brutal,” the 24-year-old said. “But we plan and train for the heat. It is part of Epic.”
For Nortje, the result also marked a personal milestone. After winning the Absa African jersey last year with partner Marco Joubert, he now wears the overall leader’s yellow jersey for the first time.
“I didn’t expect to win the Prologue,” Nortje said. “Even an hour is too short for me, and this was 40 minutes so I’m not sure how we did that.”
Beers enters the 2026 race as a three-time Absa Cape Epic champion.
Lill and Keller set the pace in women’s race
The women’s race produced another strong performance from local rider Candice Lill, who partnered with XCC Short Track World Champion Alessandra Keller for the Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi team.
The pair won the women’s Prologue by 56 seconds, finishing ahead of Kate Courtney and Greta Seiwald (She Sends Foundation). Rosa Van Doorn and Vera Looser of Buff-BH Efficient Infiniti secured third place.
For Lill, a Capetonian who has finished second five times in six starts at the event, the strong start provides momentum heading into the week ahead.
“We had a good team chat beforehand and we were well aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Lill said. “It makes me excited for the next seven days. The Prologue doesn’t win the race, but it puts us on the front foot and now others must chase.”
Keller echoed her teammate’s confidence following a performance that saw them set the fastest times at all checkpoints.
“We had a plan and a strategy, and we fully committed to it. Our communication was good and now we must make sure we play our cards right over the next seven days,” Keller said.
The race continues
The 2026 Absa Cape Epic moves to Montagu on Monday for Stage 1, where riders will tackle a demanding 90km route featuring 2 150 metres of climbing as the race continues to unfold.
