Absa Cape Epic 2026 | Stage 3

Stage 3 saw riders take on a massive day from Montagu to Greyton, covering 140 kilometres with 1,750 metres of climbing. Mike and Max break down all the action, including a thrilling stage win for Felix Sthelli and Marc Pritzen of Team Honeycomb 226ers.

In the women’s race, Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller continued their dominance, holding off second-placed Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda, who rode aggressively throughout the stage.

The show wraps up with a panel discussion featuring the race directors of the Swiss Epic and Andorra Epic.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:10

So welcome to Grayton as we finish uh stage number three, day number four of the 2026 Apicate Epic. And uh strangely enough, we're describing it, and we're here in this very beautiful little farm area near Grayton, and it's rainy and slightly cool, which is not often you what you say when it comes to the ABSA Cape Epic, isn't it? It's been a rainy, muddy day.

SPEAKER_05 0:32

Yes, absolutely, and thankfully so. You know, uh we it it's a bit difficult to identify the riders as they come across the finish line, but it certainly has been refreshing to have the coolness today. And a big shout out to the the team here at ABSA for letting us use their uh their VIP area to do the podcast because it's a little bit wet outside.

SPEAKER_04 0:49

Yeah, we're normally on the finishing line and uh out there kind of uh in the open, but we've got a bit of a cover over with us today. So I mean, what was amazing about today, a couple of factors to mention. First of all, we talked about the start of the stage being quite fast. There was a gasp horror, there was tar. So there were sections when there was tar, there were sections when there was log gravel sections as well. That was just the condition of the surface they were riding on, but the weather conditions also changed radically from the start to the finish.

SPEAKER_05 1:16

Yeah, starting in in in sort of overcast cool weather, dry, going through into the rain and quite sticky and quite muddy at one stage. Um, what was nice about having the rain is that it kept the dust down. And then the last couple of kilometers, when I say last couple, 10 to 15 kilometers towards the finish, a big tailwind and just pristine champagne gravel, fast flowing. Uh, chatted to Matt Beers afterwards, he just said he couldn't believe how fast the last 15Ks were. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:44

Well, let's go through the results because if you're watching uh either the live stream or you've been watching any of the social media, you'll know who won. But the winners today were the Honeycomb 226s, the team of Mark Pritson from South Africa and Felix Steele, the uh the um Swiss runner rider, who actually spends a lot of time in South Africa. That's right. I almost feel him like he's a South African, but he actually is Swiss. And they got away uh with about 40 kilometers to go. They they they they saw a gap, they saw there was a bit of a lull in proceedings as the chase group was, uh the front group was going along, and they thought, well, we're gonna just use our instinct and go for it. They got the gap, they got out to a minute quite quickly. They got that initial 10-second break, which meant there was some separation, but they moved it out to a minute, and then at some point it looked like, oh, they're they're looking like they're suffering, they're gonna come back, but then it went out again, and eventually they got away and they were on the stage. It was a it was a fantastic bit of classic, almost old school road style racing, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_05 2:36

A massive effort. One minute 14 seconds, the the damage at the end of the day. The first time ever that a 32-inch bicycle has been involved in a stage when at the Absicap Epic. So history made today.

SPEAKER_04 2:47

Well, let's just explain what that is. Important. What is a 32-inch bicycle? So, for those of you who are new to mountain biking or not quite sure of what wheel sizes are, we when we first started doing the Absicap Epic many, many years ago, the guys were riding 26-inch, which was the diamond diamond to the wheel. Exactly. It was like a Maury biscuit. Um, and it was and they were hardtails with no rear suspension. Then we kind of moved up to dual suspension on 26s, then the 29er came through, which was a bigger tire, a bigger wheel, therefore could roll over stuff. Now we've got a 32-inch, which is a bigger wheel than that.

SPEAKER_05 3:19

Which is which is double. So 26 to 29 is three. Then remember there was that 27.5, that 650B that came in, and now the 32. And and it looks massive because Mark is a lot taller than Felix, and you see Felix on it, and then you look at the geometry, and you know that there was a very clever NASA uh scientist who put together the geometry on that bike. But incredible to see the rolling resistance. Um, Mark Britson, uh, the South African marathon champion, we know what he's capable of. But also remember, coming out of stage two yesterday, they are way behind on the GC. They were not a threat to the general classification, and that's perhaps why they let them go. Um, thinking possibly that they could pull them back, but the tailwind today is the story. Once you get away like that, to bring that back when you've got someone like Mark Pritson on the front, you know it's going to be tough.

SPEAKER_04 4:08

Well, the average speed today, and this is kind of unheard average speeds, was 32.33 kilometres an hour on a mountain bike Cape Epic stage, which is just phenomenal. So that's the kind of pace they were going. And it was there, particularly on the gravel sections and along the road sections, obviously, they made up a lot of time. Um, so that's why the time was there. The team that finished in second place, the official uh timing up, as you've already mentioned, 1.14. Buff BH was second, Vart Allemann and Martin Stosek, they were the team that won the first stage. And then Willie Vittoria, Luca Braido and Simone Avendetto. Now, of course, there were changes there as well because the yellow jersey went onto the shoulders of the Italians, Brido and Avendetta, today, because unfortunately, the team of a specialised, a Teola specialised in Buca, Matt Beers and Tristan O'Kea, again having technical problems.

SPEAKER_05 4:55

Yeah, so interesting. Uh incredible to see that sprint finish for second and third between Buff and William, both on the same time in seconds, and the hundredth of a second separated them. So that was an interesting one. Canyon, who won the stage yesterday, snuck across the line in four. So Sam Gaines and Lucas Washbauer, and Matthew Beers and Tristan Orkea, Toto specialise in Buco, had to fight back again. It seems like there was something that happened at one of the water tables where perhaps they lost each other for a couple of seconds. One thought that they were behind the other, etc., etc. And then they had work to do. Um, and we saw very exciting racing today. It wasn't exciting, it was very, very exciting. We saw some amazing stuff, we saw some super talent. We also saw some of the fatigue from the first few days. And remember, Mike, we're only halfway. At the end of today, we've still got four stages to go. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 5:44

So that that was the situation. And of course, Matt Bears afterwards saying that uh they had this technical issue and they they really couldn't chase because, as you mentioned, the tailwind, the the the mechanics of it are if you have a tailwind, everybody's getting pushed. So if you have a headwind, you can work together as a group and you can go faster. But a tailwind means everybody's going at speed. So the effect of being in a group is actually less. And therefore, trying to chase down a group ahead of you in a tailwind is particularly difficult. And as Matt Bears discovered, when he had to change down on stage number one when they had the mechanical, he they was riding into a headwind for a lot of that time, so they were able to do it. But today they just couldn't. And they you could see the fatigue was in both their eyes. You can see it in their eyes when they finished that it was a tough day out there.

SPEAKER_05 6:23

So if you think of the side of sort of racing down a river in a canoe, you know, if you're on a dam and the water's flat, um it the power and the strength of the team and the and the rhythm of the team and the stroke of the team lets them be either faster or slower. But if you put them in a river and the river's moving at 22 kilometers an hour and everyone's moving on the river at 22 kilometers an hour, it's very difficult to make up that time. So, yeah, exciting racing for sure. Um, no one thought that it would unfold the way it did today. 140 kilometers was the transfer. And Mike, I think it's important to say that they came in over 30 minutes ahead of the projected finish time, showing just how fast they were today. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 7:03

Well, let's uh just play you an interview that we did with uh Mark Pritson, who was the member of the winning team today, and uh you can see how much it meant to him to win his first stage of the Absicapia pick.

SPEAKER_03 7:14

So tell us uh how you feel the feelings that you're having at the moment after that stage. Uh it's an incredible feeling. I mean, like I said, pinnacle of mountain biking. It's uh the biggest uh mountain bike event in the world, and to get a result here is uh is special, but to actually go and win a stage is uh yeah, after the last couple of days we've already had it's yeah, it's it's all we could have asked for.

SPEAKER_04 7:34

Did you was that was it a pre-conceived idea when you were gonna go, or was that just a feeling you had during the race?

SPEAKER_03 7:39

No, it was we were racing instinctively. I mean, we had to we had to uh read the racing, and I mean the opportunity presented itself. Uh there was a little bit of a hesitation in the group and there was a split behind. So I decided, okay, well, just that hesitation might just give us that uh 10 seconds, and it did. And uh yeah, from there on outside, okay, if I if I could commit to this now, and there was no reason for me not to. I mean, we're not at the GC, so tomorrow we can come fast for like here. So I went all in on that uh on the pull to the line, and yeah, I knew if I was doing that much of what it's just the guys behind are gonna are gonna hurt to close it.

SPEAKER_04 8:14

You kind of felt that you took advantage of your skills versus a road cyclist and also fight. Did you feel that played a role today? It was a it was like it was a road cycling. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

I mean, uh if if you look at time travelling, there's a there's an art to it, and it's an art that I struggled with when I when I started uh with the road. And I started mastering it towards the end of my road career. And uh yeah, it's where to apply power and also you know in a in an aero position. I mean, you can be as aero as a brick and not go anywhere and put down all the ones, you know, it makes no difference. So yeah, at the end of the day, to be able to put down the ones and the aero and like you know go fast. That's what the road has taught me, you know, like just this little stressing the little things on the bike and all that.

SPEAKER_04 8:53

Yeah, and what is it is this a dream for you to win an epic stage and one of those backless things? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 8:59

I mean, uh yeah, we we all want to win uh a race, that's why we train and that's why we why we wake up every morning and uh put on the put on our helmets. So yeah, it's it's to finally go and do it. You know, it makes all those sacrifices, all the early early nights and uh early mornings are really, really worth it. And uh yeah, no, I'm I'm gonna enjoy this one. Well that's true, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:20

So that was a very emotional from uh response from uh Mark Pritson and it it really shows for a guy who is uh he's won the Cape Town Cycle Tour, he's won the National Marathon Champions, as you've already mentioned, one of our most decorated young athletes. And he's definitely focusing more on the mountain biking these days, which kind of is kind of sad because he's a really good road cyclist as well. But uh you him and him and uh Steele were absolutely fantastic today, and I hope we're gonna see them win another stage this week.

SPEAKER_05 9:44

Absolutely right. I mean, uh so good to see also new winners, you know, someone mixing it up at the front, and and that bodes well as we make our way towards Salembosch in the next four days.

SPEAKER_04 9:54

So this is the GC after stage number three, day number four. Willia Vittoria of Luca Braido and Simona Aventetto. They are the leaders in that uh Zebrich striped yellow jersey. Second place is still Toyota specialized in Buca, so it's not all over by any means. One minute 13 is the gap between them and the leaders at the moment. Clemetizo or Beya, who've always stuck in that top three position.

SPEAKER_05 10:16

Valero and Stutzman, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:18

I mean, we talked about Valero and Stutzman actually having a particularly Serrano. Uh uh Valero actually had a bit of a problem today. He wasn't as strong as he was absolutely. But he's but they always have bad days and good days, and I'm sure he'll be back. And then Buff BH, what Aleman and Martin Stussik, they've also snuck up because they've had a couple of things. Yeah, so they're into fourth place. And of course, the winners from yesterday, Kanye and Lucas Schwarzbauer, and Sam Gaze. I I love watching them because they they want to win stages, but by winning stages, they're also kind of moving up their GCs, and they still kind of had this hope that they can still be in contention for the win.

SPEAKER_05 10:51

And I we know that a lot can happen over the next few days. We look at that, and and just five minutes now separating uh the teams after four days. And we spoke about this earlier. It's seconds in the first four to five days, and then it becomes minutes, and then it just gets bigger and bigger because the algorithm is against you. You know, you're not gonna get the same people performing day in and day out, and and that's what was proved today with that incredible win from the honeycomb 2 to 6's team.

SPEAKER_04 11:16

Well, let's listen to the uh the zebra yellow jersey leaders, uh Simone Avendetta, along with the Luca Breider.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

Did everything go according to plan today? Yeah, Went uh Yeah, we didn't really have the plan, but uh yeah, we are happy uh with uh with Wend.

SPEAKER_04 11:34

Just tell us about the stage, how did we go for you?

SPEAKER_02 11:37

It was pretty hard, it was uh super fast stage. We also had quite a lot of rain in the middle of the race, and uh yeah, then uh the Kenjam get nice attack and open a gap, and so from there was just only until the finish line.

SPEAKER_04 11:51

Does it feel like you've been just being very patient and now you've got the reward?

SPEAKER_02 11:56

Yeah, the yeah, we just try to stay in the front groups always and uh try not to have uh any mechanicals, and uh yeah, today we saw an opportunity and uh we get it.

SPEAKER_04 12:09

Right, so there we have our leaders in the men's elite race, and uh they they really have been quite, I wouldn't say they've been quiet, well I suppose they have been because they haven't been winning stages, but they've just kind of stuck in it. As you hear, they're just being conservative, they don't really have a plan, they just want to make sure quite simply they're in the front group and making sure they're always in contact if something goes away. And uh they've quietly moved into this league, into the position and at the head of the field.

SPEAKER_05 12:33

It's like in life, consistency is key. Second, second, second, third. Again, not making any major moves, not putting themselves right at the front, making sure that they're Josh Link for position at the right time, getting into the single track at the right time, at the sharp end of the race to minimize the risk. And this is what makes a clever rider at the Absalcape Epic. So, all due to them, they learned a lot last year, I'm sure, being here. Remember, Philip Colombo and uh Anino Scherter just really, really brought it home last year, but certainly a massive learning curve for Simone and uh Luca on their very first Absicape Epic last year.

SPEAKER_04 13:06

Yeah, so I I would say at the moment, the way they're looking at the moment, they must be odds-on favorites for the title. But uh, you know, as you say, we know anything can happen out there. Let's move on to the elite women's category. And it is becoming quite clear that there are two teams that are some way ahead of the rest. But those T teams are on they're only separated by not a lot, enough to one puncture could change everything. But again, it was the team of Candice Little, Alessandra Keller, the Thomas Max and Sabi Sabi team who won the stage today, just under four hours of riding for them over the shorter distance. And uh they put out 121 over the second place team, she sense foundation of the world marathon champion Kate Courtney and Greta Seville. But that story, that result really doesn't tell a story of a She Senn's Foundation team that were really quite aggressive today and really try to burt the hurt on the the the orange jersey holders.

SPEAKER_05 13:58

Yeah, protagonists from the get-go and uh and Kate Courtney, you know, living up to the team name, sending it, absolutely sending it. And and I think when you when you're putting yourself out there and you're representing a foundation like this and you become a role model for women around the world, then you need to lead from the front. And and and Kate's proved that that's exactly what she's capable of. And Greta says, pick me, pick me.

SPEAKER_04 14:20

Yeah, I mean, we we we focused a bit on Greta yesterday because we spoke to her after the stage yesterday, and she they're always so positive. And uh, you know, the gap, you know, is moving out close to five minutes now, and you think, well, you know, in in cycling terms, that's a lot, but uh one puncture could change absolutely everything. So the gaps they it's just a little bit every single day that the that the team of Lil and Keller get ahead, but they're certainly non-dominant. And uh Kate Courtney just seems to have this never say die attitude.

SPEAKER_05 14:46

Yeah, it's not over until the finish line in Stanbosch. And then we look at that third, fourth, and fifth, all very, very close together. You know, they all went sprint finish 4.03 today. Um, and and the win coming and the confidence, which is great for Rosa Van Dur and Andrea Losa from the Buffer BH Efficient Infinity team, because yesterday was an absolute disaster for them losing 26 minutes with all those technicals. But again, the uh Camp Champ Honeycomb team, the two Haleys, really good, uh consistent. They have probably been the most consistent out of these three teams, and then Topado uh taking the energy of their podium from yesterday at the stage, Georgia and and uh Katezina having another good day. So I think that battle for third is going to be a very, very exciting one. And also any one of those teams could take a stage win if we see Thomas Maxim and uh She Sands Foundation getting caught up in the racing.

SPEAKER_04 15:36

Yeah, so let's just look at the the GC because it is quite interesting reading. So it is the team of Lil and Keller, obviously on the top 11 hours and 22 minutes of riding so far. Then it is Courtney and Steavalt. They are 452 down, so almost five minutes. Then, as you talked about, this this fight for third place is becoming quite intriguing. Chemcomb, Chim Camp, Honeycomb, Preen and Smith, 11 hours and 52 minutes, 24 seconds. And they are only just over a minute ahead of Buff, BH, Fun Dun, and uh Looser, who had that bad day yesterday. Buff BH, of course, third place today, so they've already made a bit of time, but they were only like literally half a second behind, and that's been finished. So that third place is really looking exciting, and I think it's going to be one of the most intriguing um uh battles to be seen over the next couple of days.

SPEAKER_05 16:21

Yeah, 100%. Again, today the the women's start um uh just uh at water table one uh seems to be finding its rhythm, finding its place now, and and certainly exciting to be able to call up all ten of the leading uh women's teams on the general classification into that starts. And um, you know, there's a sense of pride, there's a sense of belonging, there's a sense of ownership, and and certainly the racing is very, very good indeed.

SPEAKER_04 16:47

Right, uh let's have a chat to um our winners today, Candace Lil, who was uh arrived at the finish thing quite uh quite cold and they were trying to rush it off. But I mean Maxie got a great interview with her. We kind of piggybacked on that um to try and get some words out of her. And uh, as you can hear, she had she had a pretty good day, despite the fact that they were under uh under some pressure.

SPEAKER_05 17:06

Candace and Asandra had a good day today. 118 on the day, and uh now just on five minutes on the overall, uh some sticky stuff out there today, but one force towards the end.

SPEAKER_01 17:16

It was a pretty crazy day, like it really escalated so fast from like a dry, nice truck to like complete mud vest. Um yeah, it was a bit tricky and yeah, uh came through a really nice attack like at one point. It was pretty cool, like having the chase, and yeah, feeling just so cool to uh have someone's racing like this. Um, and then yeah, towards the end we made another gap.

SPEAKER_04 17:39

Right, uh so let's uh move on to our my favorite insert in our podcast this week. Carl Platt, who's uh watching this event. If you if you watch the podcast already, you will know this already. But he's sitting in Germany, he can't make it this year for the first time in the 21-year history of the 22 years of the Absor Cape Epic, but he's still watching. Um we we thought we we're gonna tap into his knowledge. Um, so we asked Carl Platt every day what is his team of the day? And uh, this is what he said today.

SPEAKER_06 18:07

Hey guys, what a stage. Uh unbelievable. That was proper, proper old Cape Epic stuff. I felt myself in the race like I was racing before. So it was uh unexpected, that dramatic, and that exciting because people thought maybe 140 kilometers and maybe it's been finished. It was nothing like it's been finished. It's very important to save energy everywhere you can, everywhere until the end. I tell you, in the beginning it's seconds, and then the end it's minutes after the five and six, then it counts who has much or more left than the other. It's staying exciting.

SPEAKER_04 20:04

Right. So welcome back to our podcast, stage number three, as we've already discussed uh what's happened in the stage so far today. But we have got some very special guests here.

SPEAKER_05 20:13

Very, very, very special.

SPEAKER_04 20:14

Well, very special because you know them better than I do. Correct. So I'm actually gonna ask you to introduce them because uh because you know them better than I do.

SPEAKER_05 20:21

So to your right, we have uh Karina. Karina is the race director of the Spar Swiss Epic, and to her right, we have Alish, and he is the race director of the Andorra Epic, where we conquer the Pyrenees.

SPEAKER_04 20:35

All right, so Karina, I'm gonna ask you to pick up the microphone first because of budget cuts, as we said yesterday, we've only got one extra microphone. It's not actually true, but we just didn't bring four. So uh tell tell us what the when did the Swiss epic actually start?

SPEAKER_00 20:49

2014. So long time. Yeah, it started then. Um actually Nino should have been racing then. We've been in a different region in Switzerland, and yeah, now I can't even count anymore. 2026, is the Haufmanns? You are good in numbers, no? 13th, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:07

13th, yeah. Yeah. So 13th year, okay. And if you had to give me like a two-sentence description of the Swiss epic, maybe could you could you do that? Is it is it possible to give us if you're trying to tell somebody about the race and why they should do it, what would you say in two sentences of what the Swiss epic is about?

SPEAKER_00 21:26

I mean, it's riding your mountain bike at the most beautiful place on earth. Simple as that. One sentence is also enough, right?

SPEAKER_04 21:35

And I've heard, and I've never done the Swiss Epic. Have you done the Swiss Epic? I've been to the Swiss episode. You've been to it, okay. So you know. It's basically up or down. Is that is that true? We're basically either climbing or you're descending. Was that is that a good description?

SPEAKER_00 21:48

Yeah, that comes with the Alps.

SPEAKER_04 21:50

That's true. You gotta love the Alps. And and the stages, I mean, we we hear it at the Albus have the Abyssic Cape Epic, but it's a different kind of mountain biking, isn't it? Because the stages aren't as Just give us a rough. How many days have you got to the Swiss Epic? Five days. Five days. And then and how long are the stages on average?

SPEAKER_00 22:07

We are between 50 and 100 km. So 100 km has been the longest stage in the history of Swiss Epic.

SPEAKER_04 22:14

Okay. And that's that's because, and then the climbing, and you are you climbing more than the people do here at the Abse Cape Epic on a stage per meters per kilometer? For sure.

SPEAKER_05 22:24

Definitely.

SPEAKER_04 22:25

And I mean, if if I was a mountain bike and I'd done the Absic Cape Epic, would somebody that's done Cape Epic be able to handle an event like the Swiss Epic or is it a different sort of event?

SPEAKER_00 22:35

Completely different sort of event. Like all our events are completely different. I mean, here I think it's more about endurance. It's fairly rather simple mountain biking where at the Sparswise Epic you need the technical skills. You need to be able to climb, you need to be able to go in the downhills. You need to get used to the altitude. I mean, we have the altitude, you have the heat here. So yeah, it's uh depends on what you like more. But yeah, that's kind of the comparison between the two races.

SPEAKER_04 23:09

And and and weather-wise, I mean, is it is generally much cooler there, or do you, when you have the U race, is it as humid as it is today?

SPEAKER_00 23:17

No, humid it's not really. I mean, we can have everything. We can have, to be honest, between 10 degrees snow and 30 degrees hot sun.

SPEAKER_04 23:27

Yeah, yeah. So it can be as hot as it is at the epic and right in the mountains.

SPEAKER_00 23:33

It can be, but obviously the days are not that long, therefore, you're not getting that hot.

SPEAKER_05 23:37

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. What what would you say is the one thing that the Swiss epic, the sparse epic has that no other of the epic series has? You can't say the mountains. But what would the other thing be? Would it be an incredible all the volunteers are incredible? So what is it that that makes you guys stand out? Do you feel within the portfolio of the Epic series?

SPEAKER_00 24:02

Why are you taking the most special thing away? Like, I mean, the Alps, the mountains, that's cowbells. Cowbells?

SPEAKER_04 24:09

For sure.

SPEAKER_05 24:09

Real cowbells and real cows.

SPEAKER_00 24:11

Yeah, no, like yeah, they're good.

SPEAKER_04 24:12

Do the cowbells actually ring the cows. Do the cows actually ring the cowbells? Is that around their necks as they walk? No, yeah, they're taking into their ending.

SPEAKER_00 24:21

And we have a super special thing, like always on the highest point. There are super big horns. They called Alporns.

SPEAKER_05 24:30

Alporns.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

And they like they give you goosebumps because like depends on how the wind is blowing, but you're climbing the big climb, and like you already can hear it, like who it's massive.

SPEAKER_05 24:43

And there was a person there this year, I forget his name, but he's been blowing an Alphorn for 60 years. He's the most experienced Alphorn blower in the world.

SPEAKER_04 24:52

Yeah, I mean, how old has this guy been blowing his Alp Horn?

SPEAKER_00 24:55

I think he's it seems Max knows better than me.

SPEAKER_05 24:58

Yeah, I found this out at the function. We have this amazing function up on the hill. And uh I sat next to him for dinner. And uh, what an interesting guy. He didn't want to talk about himself because he didn't want to blow his own horn.

SPEAKER_04 25:10

True, but he but I got it out of him. So it's one of those big horns that kind of long. It sits on the ground and then it's not like a cup that comes beautifully. And you hear it across the valley, is it? So that's yeah, but that's one of the features of your race. You hear that horn. Is that is that at a water point where people kind of hear it from a long way off?

SPEAKER_00 25:25

Highest point or like very iconic point, yes. So, like you climb, climb, climb like a thousand meters, and you already can hear it, and you know at some point you get up there, and then yeah.

SPEAKER_05 25:37

Quick thing about the route, it changes every year. Um, obviously, Switzerland is littered with some of the best trails you can possibly find. So, tell us a bit about this year's route and and what is different from last year.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

So, this year we're going to start in Engadin, uh super beautiful valley, and then we're having having a time trial from the Bernina Pass, which is yeah, actually the highest start in the whole Epic series history. Uh yeah, it's it's like also next to the highest mountains from that region, Grav Winden, not from Switzerland, but almost. Um, yeah, and yeah, starting from there, off you go, next to the glaciers, next to these huge mountains, next to the lakes, which are like crystal clear. Yeah. And then yeah, uh, we're heading over to Davos for the finale.

SPEAKER_05 26:33

Oh, and listen, these guys know how to uh hospitality on another level.

SPEAKER_04 26:38

So you guys, I mean it's not like the epic where people are in in the tents here. They you stay in accommodation. Or you do have the tents here.

SPEAKER_00 26:44

No, no, okay. I mean, we have the tent for uh for the post-sex recovery meal, yes, but no, no, no, that's a big difference for sure. Um, yeah, besides the riding, like yeah, our riders stay sleeping in beautiful hotels, they're having dinner there, breakfast, and yeah, having like a proper bed. Don't need to be worried about wind, rain, anything. It's just sleeping like in a heaven.

SPEAKER_05 27:12

Alish, let's get across to you. So, Alish, let's talk about Andorra Epic. Let's talk about I mean, the one thing that amazed me about the Andorra Epic, you're right amongst the mountains. You're like in them. I mean, the sun goes to bed at like 4:30 in the afternoon because the shadow is just blacked out by the mountains. Uh, I mean, it's super special. The Catalan people are amazing. Um, tell us your involvement, tell us how long it's been going, and tell us a bit about it.

SPEAKER_07 27:39

So, uh, yeah, the good thing from Andorra, it's it's born from a scratch. So we we we created that even five five years ago in 2022. We are gonna run the sixth edition of the Andorra Epic. And yeah, as you said, Andorra is a super small country with mostly 80,000 citizens. Uh, and there's no flat sections in Andorra, it's super composed by four main valleys, super narrow valleys. So that means that in Andorra you are just able to descend or to climb. So there's maybe there's a few flat sections or of false climbing. But yeah, it's it's an amazing country. It's a paradise as all the epic series always are looking for unique and special and iconic places to ride mountain bikes. And the beauty of the epic series is different kinds of terrains. That it's true, it's Swiss Epic or Andorra Epic are host uh are hosted in the two main regions of Europe, so the Alps and the Pyrenees. So the beauty of the highest mountain is what we have. So special, so that means that you need to have a skills climbing, a skills uh descending. So um it's it's one thing that we have in common, both races. That's true.

SPEAKER_05 28:51

One of the things I love the most about it, what makes it unique is that every day the start is off site. So you've got a race village, a new race village coming this year. You can tell us a bit about that, a new home for the Andorra Epic. But the start is always a transfer and you ride to the finish. So you're starting in a new place every day, and that's pretty exciting.

SPEAKER_07 29:10

So, yeah, we have the lucky thing of being in a hosted in a small country that it lets us move the riders around, so have remote stars, and in terms of logistics, always the same uh race village. So, in terms for the riders, they are gonna be hosted in the same accommodation as soon as they arrive. We are super close from Barcelona, two hours and a half. So that in that site it's quite comfortable. It's a four-day race, and we move them because maybe the the longest transfer is 40 minutes, and then it means that sometimes even that it's a tough, it's a it's tough to write in the in the Pyrenees because due to the altitude as the Alps has. But we always try to do it to give them more descents than climbing. It's not it don't mean that it's easy because it's demanding. So 30 kilometers in Andorra maybe means 70 here at the Western Cape, but we play with that because it's easy for us to move and then let them show and join the most iconic and local uh trails.

SPEAKER_04 30:13

Brilliant. And the number one question, of course, is which event is tougher?

SPEAKER_05 30:18

Oh, I think too different.

SPEAKER_07 30:21

So uh, with all my respect to the endurance that uh the chat the endurance challenge that is to ride Cape, for me, at least as an amateur rider, Swiss is tough than Cape because two things. So if you divide the amount of kilometers that you are riding between the climbing that you have, the gradient means more stars for Swiss, and also the downhills are longer. I'm not gonna say more technical because they're also shaped trails, but there is uh a lot of natural trails. So for this big amount of epic series riders that came from South Africa, it's always challenging the Alps or Andorra. In terms of skills, we could talk about that. Maybe Andorra is the most demanding in terms of skills, that's true. Uh, we take care of that. We we usually uh when we are designing the route, one of the main things it's how it must be a challenge, every technical section, but it must be random for the 95% of the riders. Because for a route director, it's always easy because they go through that technical section thousand times, but we need to let the our riders go at first sight, choose the right line, uh at least for the 95% of them. But it's true. So Andorra is challenging in terms of skills, as Swiss is challenging in terms of skills and performance. And I'm gonna not gonna tell that Andorra is challenging in terms of performance, but it is, so you feel the attitude. And but what is true? It's if we could define Andorra, it's it's spicy because in 30, 40, 50 kilometers in Andorra, maybe it took between three and four hours, and it's it's demanding.

SPEAKER_05 32:00

Very demanding. And and Switzerland, uh, I remember last year there was a downhill that was over 30 minutes long. The guys had to stop halfway down because of the arm pump on their arms, and and they came across the line. The biggest smiles you've seen in your whole life, and the vibe and the race village both were very, very good.

SPEAKER_07 32:19

So, for example, in Andorra, we are a downhill that you are descending 1300 uh meters. So that means it's it's huge, it's huge.

SPEAKER_04 32:28

Yeah, I mean, I I've I've had I've known a couple of people who have done the Susse Epic, and they always said the number one thing for the Susse Epic is always to make sure you've got a dropper post.

SPEAKER_07 32:37

And I'm assuming it's the same for the Andorra as well. 120, 120. So uh we could talk about brands because we are not gonna hate anybody. So I think that we were talking about with many riders here at the Phoenix Line. So to ride uh cape with us that kind of bike like super caliber, that trek or the specialized ones are super good because it's bikes that let you uh give a lot of bats at a lot of speed. But then for Corinne and myself are riding in a Sparky, so that means that's that that kind of bike that lets you enjoy uh Suisse and Andorra. So that means that bikes that are able to go to the drops, to the natural trails that you had, for example, in Andorra, the the stones, don't think about that. It's it's an XO World Cup, Andorra, but at the end we have natural trails, so it's quite different to write there than to write this long flat sections that you have at uh at Cape where you are able to find that kind of hardtail bike. I'm not gonna say hardtail, but that that kind of riding.

SPEAKER_05 33:41

Alish, lastly, a little punt on the dates this year. Uh, entries still open.

SPEAKER_07 33:45

Tell us a bit about that quickly. So, well, we are still open, we have many options, but at the end, for all the foreigners, what Andorra is a huge uh and massive ski resort country. So that means that there is a lot of offer in terms of hotels. But we in terms of accommodation, we give two options to reach and look for your own accommodation. So it's one of the maybe it's the only epic series that we let do that that stuff. And then we have the our official accommodation. So we are linking the the riders to the race village with uh with the non-stop shuttles, and it's quite easy. So the registration is still open. We we are not sold out yet, so I hope it will it will happen after after Cape.

SPEAKER_00 34:29

After your talk.

SPEAKER_07 34:29

After my talk. I'm a good seller.

SPEAKER_05 34:32

The dates for this year, the dates? What dates?

SPEAKER_07 34:33

The date is from 2 to 5 of July. Remember, for all who is taking long flights to join uh Cape Epic, you could stay longer and enjoy the World Cup that it just the week after after uh Andorra Epic.

SPEAKER_05 34:47

So the UCI, the UCI Mountain Back World Cup the week after the Andorra Epic. I remember that. Uh, Karini, quickly from your side, um dates for this year. Tell us a bit about the entry process and and quick logistics, things people should really know wanting to enter the Space Bas epic.

SPEAKER_00 35:02

August 19th to 23rd. Um most best time to ride your bike in the Alps. Um, yeah, get get signed up quickly because the entries selling also quickly, especially as we said after our talk. Um, yeah, and then for sure, like Europe is so small, so it also like when you come from from abroad, like if you get the travels in, then like why not staying for a bit longer, even Switzerland or Spain or Croatia or four islands, yeah. Like, whatever. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:38

Awesome. Yeah, brilliant. Well, that's I don't have any more questions. I think it's been fascinating talking to you guys because I think a lot of people who do the Absicape Epic, which is probably the most famous of all the events, and all these events have come through. I I guess you see a lot of people coming from these events, coming to your events too. Once they've done that, they think, well, I've got to try another challenge. Is that is that what you see? A lot of South Africans or even Europeans who do this first and then come to your event.

SPEAKER_00 36:01

Yes, we have lots of South Africans. We are also super international, but yeah, we're seeing like the riders doing our races, they do one and then like, oh yeah, maybe I should also go there.

SPEAKER_04 36:12

Yeah, yeah, it makes total sense.

SPEAKER_05 36:13

And then, of course, there's the uh Epic Legends medal, which means you've got to do the Epsilcade Pepic, and then two of the other races, and he is an epic legend. There we go.

SPEAKER_07 36:23

Seriously, oh my god, I think that are my must be with tears of my whole life. So what I've I was I became I'm so emotional, so sensitive, that's true. But yeah, so when you realize that you could feel in first person what it means to be an epic legend, I became an epic legend at Swiss. But at the end, it's true. So Cape Epic is the pinnacle of the epic series, it's the most important mountain bike, uh, even maybe in the world world. So uh just our legacy pro uh our loyalty program uh to become an epic legend brings a lot of South Africans. We were talking about of them, but at the end, it's maybe our most uh mostly the big percentage of our riders are from South Africa, that's true. And I why? Because the pinnacle even of our series and the pinnacle even of the mountain bike, it's it's hosted here in the Western Cape. So they came, they repeat. They it's a big challenge for them because as as soon as you are out from your comfort zone, from the kind of trails that you are yet to write, but it it's also challenging how if you write, if you are able to write all the events of the epic series, your skills are growing because you are able to write in in the in the stony sections uh of of Croatia, you are able to write that and never-ending uh trails in in Gravunden area, you're able to write that spicy trails in Andorra, and then it's it's trying in the world. And you just need butts and enjoy the the eight days of the Absa K.

SPEAKER_04 37:58

Brilliant, brilliant. Thanks so much, guys, and enjoy the rest of the week.

SPEAKER_07 38:02

Oh, thanks. Send to you right.

SPEAKER_04 38:05

So, what's coming up tomorrow? A slight, what can we say, a slightly easier stage?

SPEAKER_05 38:10

Yeah, if there ever is such a thing as well. Well, is there Pippi? Is there? And I mean let's look at it at stage stage four, although it is the fifth day of racing. Um, the men are doing 87 kilometers, 1,750 meters of climbing, loaded towards the end, which means the profile really jumps up towards the end. They've got the UFO climb, and then uh we've got the women going 61 kilometers, 1,450 meters of climbing. So a much shorter day, but exactly the same altitude as today. So the women 61 today they did 102, the men 87 today they did 140, but the altitude exactly the same on both.

SPEAKER_04 38:49

So meters of altitude per kilometer are much higher. Absolutely. Lots more climbing. Yeah, and certainly when you look at that profile, it is really like backloaded on that event. And I think we're probably gonna see some. We haven't actually had it so far in this year's race, but we've had that sort of backloaded structure. It's always been quite favorable to a fast finish. Now we should maybe see some attacks from some of the teams that haven't been attacking. Maybe they'll attack up those climbs.

SPEAKER_05 39:12

Yeah, and this Gratton area is amazing. You know, I mean this there's that that beautiful Lurekorp section, which is quite possibly the most scenic, picturesque piece of single track that the riders will do at the 2026 apps at Cape Epic. Um, UFO climb is there. Um, there's lots to be done. And remember, just because the race is shorter, it means they've got less time to make their minds up, less time to attack. So sometimes shorter is actually harder, and especially with that altitude gain uh over that shorter distance. I think tomorrow um is an easier day, but I certainly think things can happen tomorrow. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 39:48

Well, if you haven't been following the race, you can follow it on YouTube on the Epic Series live channel. That happens pretty much as the race starts every single morning. There are highlights on that channel where you can look at the previous day, of course, all of our podcasts that we've done on the Epic Series. You can also see our podcasts on your Spotify's and your Apple Podcasts as well. So uh listening on the on the one that we've done this week. And we've had some amazing guests this week already. Even if you're not listening to us ramble on about the race, the guests themselves are worth listening to. So, Max Clur, thanks very much for your time, and uh we'll see you all tomorrow.