South Africa’s Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje delivered a sensational performance on Stage 6 of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic, powering back into contention ahead of Sunday’s final stage.
The Toyota Specialized Imbuko pair finished second on the penultimate stage in Stellenbosch, cutting 1 minute 37 seconds off the lead of Italians Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto.
With just one stage remaining, Beers and Nortje now sit only 13 seconds behind the overall leaders, setting up a thrilling battle for the title.
Grit and Determination on the Climbs
The 76km stage, featuring 2450m of climbing, proved decisive as riders tackled one of the toughest routes of the race.
Beers and Nortje made their move with 16km to go, attacking on a long climb towards The Doctor trail. Despite both riders showing signs of fatigue, the South African duo pushed hard to close the gap on the leaders.
“We could see that Luca was suffering, but Tristan was also hurting,” said Beers. “But he’s a tough kid and doesn’t give up.”
Nortje admitted it was a challenging day but refused to give in.
“This was my bad day… but I kept believing and didn’t want to be the first to give up,” he said.
Stage Win for Buff-BH
Up ahead, Wout Alleman and Martin Stosek (Buff-BH) claimed the stage victory, crossing the line 18 seconds ahead of Beers and Nortje.
The Belgian-Czech pairing showed strong form on the final singletrack to secure their second stage win of the week.
Behind them, the yellow jersey team of Braidot and Avondetto endured a difficult day, finishing fifth — their first time off the podium in the race.
Lill and Keller Extend Control
In the women’s race, Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi) continued their dominance, securing their fifth stage win.
The race was impacted early when Greta Seiwald withdrew due to illness, leaving her partner Kate Courtney to ride solo.
Lill and Keller took control of the stage early and extended their lead as the race progressed, finishing comfortably ahead of their rivals.
“It was really sad about Greta this morning and we never want to see our competitors have to pull out like that,” said Lill. “But we had a really nice day today.”
Stage 7
The 2026 Absa Cape Epic now heads into its final stage on Sunday, where riders will tackle 58km with 2150m of climbing. With just 13 seconds separating the top teams in the men’s race, the Grand Finale promises a dramatic conclusion.
