Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi) continued their dominant start to the 2026 Absa Cape Epic, winning Stage 2 in Montagu on Tuesday. The victory marks three in a row for the duo after claiming both the Prologue and Stage 1.
In the men’s race, former World XC champion Sam Gaze (New Zealand) and Germany’s Luca Schwarzbauer sprinted to victory over the 102km stage. The Canyon duo finished in 3 hours 54 minutes and 55 seconds, narrowly beating out Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria), with overall leaders Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) following in third.
The women’s race, contested over 80km with 1750m of climbing, saw Lill and Keller prove their strength once again, extending their lead in the general classification.
Lill and Keller Stay in Control
The women’s race ignited with a sharp climb out of the gates followed by the long Ouberg Pass. Early on, Kate Courtney and Greta Seiwald (She Sends Foundation) pushed the pace, reducing the lead group to just themselves and the orange jersey wearers, Lill and Keller.
Further back, there was significant drama for the third-placed team of Rosa Van Doorn and Vera Looser (Buff-BH Efficient Infiniti). Van Doorn suffered a puncture shortly after the first climb and was forced to ride on a soft tyre insert to the next tech zone. Their troubles were compounded when they discovered their men’s backup team had mistakenly taken Van Doorn’s spare wheel. They eventually struggled to a ninth-place finish, losing 23 minutes on the day and sliding to fifth overall.
Up front, Courtney and Seiwald applied constant pressure for the majority of the stage. However, with 9km remaining, Lill and Keller launched an acceleration on a small climb that the challengers could not match.
“Once we had established a gap, we pushed pretty hard to the finish,” Keller said. “We wanted to put in as much time as we could.”
They crossed the line in 3 hours 30 minutes, with Courtney and Seiwald finishing 37 seconds behind, a result that firmed up the latter’s second place in the overall standings.
Gaze and Schwarzbauer Deliver Late Charge
In the men’s race, the bulk of the climbing was packed into the first half of the 102km stage. After the field crossed the Ouberg Pass, a lead group of eight teams remained, with Beers and Nortje controlling the tempo.
The tactical battle intensified with 25km to go. David Valero Serrano pushed the pace before Schwarzbauer and Gaze launched a series of explosive surges. These moves split the front group, leaving seven teams to battle into the final 10km.
The Canyon riders, looking to recover from mechanical issues on Stage 1, drove the pace into the final bends. They held off the charging Wilier-Vittoria and Toyota Specialized Imbuko teams in a sprint finish.
“The fun level was high but the suffer level was even higher,” Schwarzbauer said. “We attacked twice, and luckily the second one worked. The finish today was like a short track race.”
The victory moves the Canyon team up to sixth overall, 4 minutes 58 seconds behind the leaders. Meanwhile, Beers and Nortje maintain their yellow jerseys, though their advantage has been slashed to just two seconds over Wilier-Vittoria.
“There are still five days left and this is the Cape Epic,” said Gaze.
Stage 3 Preview
On Wednesday, the race leaves Montagu for Greyton. The men face the longest stage of the 2026 event, covering 134km with 1750m of climbing. The women’s elite race will tackle a 108km route with 1450m of climbing.
