The defending champions of the Absa Cape Epic, Georg Egger and Lukas Baum (ORBEA x Leatt x Speed Company), raced to victory on the 102-kilometer Stage 5 on Friday in 4 hours, 13 minutes and 46.5 seconds, moving into the yellow leader jerseys at the same time.
Durangoan Christopher Blevins and his partner Matt Beers (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne) finished fourth on the stage (+3:04.1) and remained in third in the general classification (+7:08.9) with two stages remaining. Nino Schurter and Andri Frischknecht (SCOTT-SRAM MTB-Racing) slid to second in the GC (+1:29.2) with a third-place finish on the day.
In the CM.com women’s category, Vera Looser and Kim le Court (Efficient Infiniti Insure) claimed back-to-back stage victories, finishing 2:36.2 ahead of Amy Wakefield and Candice Lill (e-FORT. net/SeattleCoffeeCo). Le Court and Looser also jumped into second overall in the women’s race, passing Sophia Gomez Villafane and Katherine Nash (NinetyOne-songo-Specialized).
Wakefield and Lill remain in the orange leader jerseys after Stage 5, leading Looser and Le Court by over 14 minutes. Villafane and Nash finished 19 minutes back on Stage 5, putting them almost 30 minutes off the GC lead in third.
The bikers woke to gray skies, heavy rain and the prospect of a long, wet day in the saddle. In the men’s race, the riders battled intense downpours and a drenched course for the first 30 kilometers.
The German duo of Egger and Baum, who won the 2022 event on the final stage, made a decisive move to claim the overall lead. They attacked on the Tierkop climb and never looked back.
By 41 kilometers, they’d raced over Groelandberg and held a commanding 50-second lead over the chasers. As the race progressed, the lead continued to grow with neither SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing nor Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne able to respond.
Egger and Baum’s only misstep on the stage came when Baum hit a large puddle at full speed and disappeared underwater. Other than the unexpected swim, they were spot-on.
“That must be one of the most brutal days I’ve had on the bike,” Baum said. “I was suffering out there in the conditions. The ground was loose and with every climb we were riding through these little rivers. When I hit that puddle and went for a swim, I thought I was in the ocean. It was super deep.”
Looser and Le Court also made their move on a climb, attacking on the Groenlandberg climb and cruising past Wakefield and Lill in the process.
