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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After eight days of continuous riding, just under 600km covered across the hills of Durbanville, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Somerset West while climbing for more than 16,000m, the 21st edition of the Cape Epic ended on Sunday.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swiss duo Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing) claimed the win at the finish line at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West after coming in at a cumulative two hours, 12 minutes and 39 seconds.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was one minute and 31 seconds faster than Italians Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria).</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Schurter and Colombo led the overall Epic standings from stage one all the way to stage seven.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the women’s section, Denmark’s Annika Langvad claimed her sixth Cape Epic title and teammate, Argentinian Sofia Gomez Villafane (Toyota|Specialized), her second, as the pair led the race from the first pedal at the prologue at Meerendal Wine Estate until the final one entering Lourensford.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2646316\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ACE25_S4_NickMuzik_4709-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Cape Epic\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" /> Filippo Colombo and Nino Schurter during Stage 4 of the 2025 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race held at Fairview, Paarl, Cape Town, South Africa on the 20th March 2025. (Photo by Nick Muzik/Cape Epic)</p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Langvad’s victory (she has won all six of her appearances at the event) makes her the most successful rider in the history of the race, surpassing the five shared by Karl Platt and Christoph Sauser.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Langvad retired from the sport to have a child and has been working full-time as a dentist before roaring back to triumph at this year’s Cape Epic, 21 minutes and 32 seconds faster than the second-placed team.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Namibia’s Vera Looser and American teammate Alexis Skarda (Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM) finished behind the champions. </span>\r\n<h4><b>Challenges</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Cape Epic is known for being a gruelling trek, with thousands of kilometres of elevation to climb, but the weather throughout the eight-day effort made the challenge even tougher.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With temperatures nearing 40°C in Paarl during the first few stages, the race organisers were forced to shorten stage three, as riders were taken to hospital owing to the heat.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then, stage seven was shortened and the route adjusted due to overnight rain, while the start times for cyclists were delayed.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2646276\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/12916732.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1797\" height=\"1126\" /> <em>Switzerland’s Nino Schurter (left) and Filippo Colombo celebrate after stage 7, winning the 2025 Cape Epic, on 23 March 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2646278\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/12916542.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1715\" height=\"1208\" /> <em>Nino Schurter (right) and Filippo Colombo from team Scott-Sram MTB Racing celebrate their Cape Epic victory. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2646398\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Epic25_S7_DomBarnardt-3369-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" /> <em>Denmark’s Annika Langvad (left) claimed her sixth Absa Cape Epic title and teammate, Argentinian, Sofia Gomez Villafana her (Toyota|Specialized) her second in the women's race. (Photo: Dom Barnardt / Cape Epic)</em></p>\r\n<h4><b>Local talent</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After riding valiantly for six days, South Africans Tristan Nortje and Marco Joubert (Imbuko ChemChamp A) finally got a stage win on the penultimate day seven, and finished third overall as the best-placed local team at the Cape Epic.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nortje and Joubert dominated stage six on their way to victory ahead of Braidot and Avondetto.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having tried all week for a stage win, the pair were overcome with emotion.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We just never gave up,” Nortje said at the finish line. “And [Saturday] it came. That stage was so intense though, it was wild.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“There was mud, rain, trails, everything. I felt good. I felt bad. At one stage I didn’t think I would even finish the stage. I have never suffered so much on a bike. It was so sketchy out there and so stressful trying to keep it all together, but we did it.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reigning champion of 2023 and 2024, Matt Beers, was back in 2025 and this time with a different American partner, Keegan Swenson. Unfortunately for Beers, he couldn’t repeat his feat for a third time in succession and fourth overall as he finished 12th overall alongside Swenson. </span><b>DM</b>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2646312\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ACE25_S6_NickMuzik_6063-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" /> <em>Nino Schurter during stage 6 of the Cape Epic on 22 March 2025. (Photo: Nick Muzik / Cape Epic)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2646275\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/12916547.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1785\" height=\"1143\" /> <em>Nino Schurter (left) and Filippo Colombo celebrate winning the Cape Epic on 23 March 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)</em></p>\r\n<h4><b>UCI men’s category stage results </b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Georg Egger and Lukas Baum – ORBEA Leatt Speed Company – 1:33:22</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo – Scott-SRAM MTB Racing – 1:34:01 (+39)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 Matt Beers and Keegan Swenson – Outride | Toyota | Songo – 1:34:20 (+58) </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 Craig Oliver and Ben Oliver – MitoQ NZ Cycling Project – 1:34:37 (+1:15)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 Miguel Munoz Moreno and Luis Francisco Perez Martinez – Klimatiza Orbea 2 – 1:34:55</span>\r\n<h4><b>UCI men GC overall results</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo – SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing – 23:12:39</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto – Wilier-Vittoria – 23:14:10 (+1:32)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje – Imbuko ChemChamp A – 23:25:37 (+12:58)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 Samuele Porro and Marc Stutzmann – Klimatiza Orbea – 23:35:52 (+23:13)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 Lukas Baum and Georg Egger – ORBEA Leatt Speed Company – 23:54:34</span>\r\n<h4><b>Aramex UCI women’s category stage results</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – CANNONDALE ISB SPORT – 1:54:38 </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 1:55:11 (+33)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM – 1:58:01 (+3:23)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 1:58:06 (+3:28)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 Haley Smith and Ella Bloor – MAAP – 1:58:35 (+3:57)</span>\r\n<h4><b>Aramex UCI women’s category GC overall results </b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 29:03:10</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM – 29:24:42 (+21:32)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 29:41:17 (+38:07)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – CANNONDALE ISB SPORT – 29:43:16 (+40:06)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 30:04:29 (+1:01:19)</span>",
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"name": "Switzerland's Nino Schurter (L) and Filippo Colombo (R) from team Scott-Sram MTB Racing celebrate after stage 7 winning the 2025 ABSA Cape Epic Mountain Bike race, Cape Town, South Africa, 23 March 2025. This year's event saw 600 teams tackle 603km kilometers with 16,500m of climbing over eight days of riding. The race includes UCI pro riders and amateurs and its considered by many to be the 'Tour de France' of mountain biking. EPA-EFE/KIM LUDBROOK",
"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After eight days of continuous riding, just under 600km covered across the hills of Durbanville, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Somerset West while climbing for more than 16,000m, the 21st edition of the Cape Epic ended on Sunday.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swiss duo Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing) claimed the win at the finish line at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West after coming in at a cumulative two hours, 12 minutes and 39 seconds.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was one minute and 31 seconds faster than Italians Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria).</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Schurter and Colombo led the overall Epic standings from stage one all the way to stage seven.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the women’s section, Denmark’s Annika Langvad claimed her sixth Cape Epic title and teammate, Argentinian Sofia Gomez Villafane (Toyota|Specialized), her second, as the pair led the race from the first pedal at the prologue at Meerendal Wine Estate until the final one entering Lourensford.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2646316\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"2560\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2646316\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ACE25_S4_NickMuzik_4709-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Cape Epic\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" /> Filippo Colombo and Nino Schurter during Stage 4 of the 2025 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race held at Fairview, Paarl, Cape Town, South Africa on the 20th March 2025. (Photo by Nick Muzik/Cape Epic)[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Langvad’s victory (she has won all six of her appearances at the event) makes her the most successful rider in the history of the race, surpassing the five shared by Karl Platt and Christoph Sauser.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Langvad retired from the sport to have a child and has been working full-time as a dentist before roaring back to triumph at this year’s Cape Epic, 21 minutes and 32 seconds faster than the second-placed team.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Namibia’s Vera Looser and American teammate Alexis Skarda (Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM) finished behind the champions. </span>\r\n<h4><b>Challenges</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Cape Epic is known for being a gruelling trek, with thousands of kilometres of elevation to climb, but the weather throughout the eight-day effort made the challenge even tougher.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With temperatures nearing 40°C in Paarl during the first few stages, the race organisers were forced to shorten stage three, as riders were taken to hospital owing to the heat.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then, stage seven was shortened and the route adjusted due to overnight rain, while the start times for cyclists were delayed.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2646276\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1797\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2646276\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/12916732.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1797\" height=\"1126\" /> <em>Switzerland’s Nino Schurter (left) and Filippo Colombo celebrate after stage 7, winning the 2025 Cape Epic, on 23 March 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2646278\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1715\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2646278\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/12916542.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1715\" height=\"1208\" /> <em>Nino Schurter (right) and Filippo Colombo from team Scott-Sram MTB Racing celebrate their Cape Epic victory. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2646398\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"2560\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2646398\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Epic25_S7_DomBarnardt-3369-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" /> <em>Denmark’s Annika Langvad (left) claimed her sixth Absa Cape Epic title and teammate, Argentinian, Sofia Gomez Villafana her (Toyota|Specialized) her second in the women's race. (Photo: Dom Barnardt / Cape Epic)</em>[/caption]\r\n<h4><b>Local talent</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After riding valiantly for six days, South Africans Tristan Nortje and Marco Joubert (Imbuko ChemChamp A) finally got a stage win on the penultimate day seven, and finished third overall as the best-placed local team at the Cape Epic.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nortje and Joubert dominated stage six on their way to victory ahead of Braidot and Avondetto.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having tried all week for a stage win, the pair were overcome with emotion.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We just never gave up,” Nortje said at the finish line. “And [Saturday] it came. That stage was so intense though, it was wild.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“There was mud, rain, trails, everything. I felt good. I felt bad. At one stage I didn’t think I would even finish the stage. I have never suffered so much on a bike. It was so sketchy out there and so stressful trying to keep it all together, but we did it.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reigning champion of 2023 and 2024, Matt Beers, was back in 2025 and this time with a different American partner, Keegan Swenson. Unfortunately for Beers, he couldn’t repeat his feat for a third time in succession and fourth overall as he finished 12th overall alongside Swenson. </span><b>DM</b>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2646312\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"2560\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2646312\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ACE25_S6_NickMuzik_6063-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" /> <em>Nino Schurter during stage 6 of the Cape Epic on 22 March 2025. (Photo: Nick Muzik / Cape Epic)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2646275\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1785\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2646275\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/12916547.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1785\" height=\"1143\" /> <em>Nino Schurter (left) and Filippo Colombo celebrate winning the Cape Epic on 23 March 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)</em>[/caption]\r\n<h4><b>UCI men’s category stage results </b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Georg Egger and Lukas Baum – ORBEA Leatt Speed Company – 1:33:22</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo – Scott-SRAM MTB Racing – 1:34:01 (+39)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 Matt Beers and Keegan Swenson – Outride | Toyota | Songo – 1:34:20 (+58) </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 Craig Oliver and Ben Oliver – MitoQ NZ Cycling Project – 1:34:37 (+1:15)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 Miguel Munoz Moreno and Luis Francisco Perez Martinez – Klimatiza Orbea 2 – 1:34:55</span>\r\n<h4><b>UCI men GC overall results</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo – SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing – 23:12:39</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto – Wilier-Vittoria – 23:14:10 (+1:32)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje – Imbuko ChemChamp A – 23:25:37 (+12:58)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 Samuele Porro and Marc Stutzmann – Klimatiza Orbea – 23:35:52 (+23:13)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 Lukas Baum and Georg Egger – ORBEA Leatt Speed Company – 23:54:34</span>\r\n<h4><b>Aramex UCI women’s category stage results</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – CANNONDALE ISB SPORT – 1:54:38 </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 1:55:11 (+33)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM – 1:58:01 (+3:23)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 1:58:06 (+3:28)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 Haley Smith and Ella Bloor – MAAP – 1:58:35 (+3:57)</span>\r\n<h4><b>Aramex UCI women’s category GC overall results </b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 29:03:10</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM – 29:24:42 (+21:32)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 29:41:17 (+38:07)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – CANNONDALE ISB SPORT – 29:43:16 (+40:06)</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 30:04:29 (+1:01:19)</span>",
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"summary": "Swiss cycling pair Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo claimed the men’s win while Annika Langvad came out of retirement alongside Sofia Gomez Villafane to claim the women’s section of the Cape Epic.",
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Filippo Colombo and Nino Schurter during Stage 4 of the 2025 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race held at Fairview, Paarl, Cape Town, South Africa on the 20th March 2025. (Photo by Nick Muzik/Cape Epic)
Switzerland’s Nino Schurter (left) and Filippo Colombo celebrate after stage 7, winning the 2025 Cape Epic, on 23 March 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)
Nino Schurter (right) and Filippo Colombo from team Scott-Sram MTB Racing celebrate their Cape Epic victory. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)
Denmark’s Annika Langvad (left) claimed her sixth Absa Cape Epic title and teammate, Argentinian, Sofia Gomez Villafana her (Toyota|Specialized) her second in the women's race. (Photo: Dom Barnardt / Cape Epic)
Nino Schurter during stage 6 of the Cape Epic on 22 March 2025. (Photo: Nick Muzik / Cape Epic)
Nino Schurter (left) and Filippo Colombo celebrate winning the Cape Epic on 23 March 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)