Dramatic shake-up in the standings as Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller extends their winning streak.
New Leaders Emerge After Longest Stage
Stage 3 of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic delivered a major shift in the men’s race as the yellow jerseys changed hands on the longest stage of the event. South African Marc Pritzen and Swiss partner Felix Stehli (Honeycomb 226ers) powered to victory over the 140km route from Montagu to Greyton, while Italy’s Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria) moved into the overall lead.
In the women’s race, Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi) continued their dominance, claiming their fourth consecutive stage win over the 108km route.
Bold Move Decides the Race
On a fast, rain-affected course with muddy sections and relatively little climbing, the men’s race looked set for a sprint finish as a large lead group stayed together through much of the day.
But with 40km to go, Pritzen and Stehli saw an opportunity and launched a decisive attack. The pair quickly opened a gap of over a minute, taking advantage of hesitation in the chasing group and a strong tailwind towards Greyton.
Behind them, the chasing pack — including Stage 1 winners Wout Alleman and Martin Stosek (Buff-BH) and overall contenders Braidot and Avondetto — worked to close the gap, but could not reel them in.
Pritzen and Stehli crossed the line in 4 hours 19 minutes 52 seconds, securing their first Absa Cape Epic stage win. Alleman and Stosek led the chase group home 1 minute 10 seconds behind, with Braidot and Avondetto among them.
“It’s an incredible feeling to get a result here. It’s all we could have asked for,” said Pritzen. “We didn’t plan anything and were just racing instinctively.”
Yellow Jerseys Change Hands
Overnight leaders Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) were forced onto the back foot after an early puncture and spent much of the stage chasing.
Despite fighting back, they finished 2 minutes 26 seconds behind the winners and lost the overall lead. Braidot and Avondetto now lead the general classification by 1 minute 14 seconds.
“We always want to stay with the front group and avoid problems,” said Avondetto. “It feels good to be in yellow now.”
Lill and Keller Stay Unstoppable
In the women’s race, Lill and Keller once again proved the strongest pairing despite determined attacks from Kate Courtney and Greta Seiwald (She Sends Foundation).
The race remained tightly contested through the first half, with Courtney and Seiwald briefly opening a gap. But the overall leaders responded to every move and eventually made their own decisive push in the final 10km.
They secured their fourth consecutive stage win, extending their overall lead to 4 minutes 53 seconds over their nearest rivals.
“It was a pretty crazy day out there today,” said Lill. “Kate and Greta threw in some nice attacks, and we had to chase a few times. But we had the legs to pull it back.”
Further back, Jenny Rissveds and Simon Andreassen continued their unbeaten run in the Mixed category, leading the standings by 23 minutes 27 seconds.
Stage 4
On Thursday, riders take on Stage 4 over 87km with 1750m of climbing. The women’s elite race will cover 61km with 1450m of climbing as the race continues.
