Cape Epic prologue results
The Absa Cape Epic opened with a 20‑km prologue stage today — full elite team and prologue stage results are posted by Pinkbike for anyone tracking GC contenders and early time gaps web. The preview also flagged last‑minute team changes and a modified elite women’s route for the event this year web.
Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller topped the elite women’s prologue in 51:24.6, opening a 56.8‑second lead over Kate Courtney and Greta Seiwald. pinkbike.com Matthew Beers and Tristan Nortje set the fastest elite men’s time at 44:37.4, with Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto just 6.3 seconds behind. pinkbike.com Jenny Rissveds and Simon Andreassen’s mixed team holds the overnight lead by “almost four minutes” after the prologue. pinkbike.com American star Keegan Swenson withdrew before the race after scans confirmed a fractured iliac crest sustained in a training “dooring” incident, and Matt Beers was re‑teamed with Tristan Nortje as a late replacement pairing. bikemag.com Organisers shortened the elite women’s course this year to pursue time parity rather than identical distances, with the women’s total listed at 545 km and the men’s at 707 km for the 2026 edition. pinkbike.com Felix Stehli and Team Honeycomb 226ers brought the first production 32‑inch Stoll P32 wheels to Cape Epic competition this week, marking a notable equipment debut. pinkbike.com Stage 1 moves to Montagu on March 16 for a longer test — organisers list Stage 1 at roughly 90 km with about 2,150 m of climbing, including the technical Dead Man’s Descent sector. en.brujulabike.com
