Beers and Blevins win Cape Epic, Looser and Le Court claim women's title

Matt Beers and Christopher Blevins (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne) won the 2023 Absa Cape Epic at Val de Vie Estate in Paarl on Sunday. In the women’s category, Vera Looser and Kim le Court (Efficient Infiniti Insure) are the 2023 champions. 

The Men’s race on Stage 7 of the Cape Epic - the Grand Finale - was won by Lukas Baum and Georg Egger (ORBEA x Leatt x Speed Company). In the Cm.com Women’s race, Greete Steinburg and Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez (Cannondale Vas Arabay) took stage honours. 

The 2023 Absa Cape Epic champions, Matt Beers and Christopher Blevins (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne). They made up an 8-minute deficit after Stage 1 to win the event. pic.twitter.com/iSbaSJHzRT

All eyes, though, were on the overall standings when the final day of racing began at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West.

Nino Schurter and Andri Frischknecht (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing) started Stage 7 in the yellow leader jerseys, 90 seconds ahead of the second-placed Blevins and Beers and five-and-a-half minutes ahead of 2022 winners, Egger and Baum. 

Frischknecht has had to dig deep all week on the brutal climbs of The Untamed African Mountain Bike Race, so it was no surprise that the early attack from the chasing teams came on the very first “Saddle” climb out of Lourensford.

Schurter countered, but SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing had no answer to the power of Beers and Blevins as the South Africa-United States combo powered away. From that moment on, SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing continued to fall back.

Beers and Blevins rode alone for much of the first 20km, with Baum, Egger and Singer Racing (Martin Frey and Simon Stiebjahn) joining the lead bunch before the climb up Botmaskop.

Also in attendance was lone Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne 2 rider,