The Wilier-Vittoria team wins a thrilling sprint against SCOTT SRAM and stage 3 turns the General classification of the Absa Cape Epic 2025 upside down

Stage 3 of the Absa Cape Epic 2025 has been marked by extreme heat, leading the organization to shorten the route and advance the start time to protect the riders. This, combined with the grueling pace set at the front of the race, has resulted in significant changes in the Men's General Classification. The stage victory went to Wilier-Vittoria after an agonizing sprint with SCOTT SRAM.

The women's race has also seen major changes in the General Classification, but the stage victory once again went to Toyota - Specialized with Annika Langvad and Sofía Gómez Villafañe, further extending their lead as favorites for the overall victory.

Wilier Vittoria wins the sprint against SCOTT SRAM, and Imbuko ChemChamp surprises by making it onto the podium in both the stage and the General Classification

The stage was reduced to 70 km with almost 2500 meters of elevation gain, but the heat was still evident from dawn and claimed many victims in the General Classification.

From the start, the group of favorites rode together, but the toughness of the course soon began to split the race. The climb of Dryland, at the 20 km mark, marked the first selection point, leaving several important teams out of the front group, including Orbea Leatt Speed Company with Lukas Baum and Georg Egger.

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Buff Megamo, with Wout Alleman and Martin Stošek, winners of the previous day's time trial, launched an aggressive attack shortly after, further reducing the lead group to just five pairs: Scott-SRAM MTB Racing (Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo), Wilier-Vittoria (Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto), Klimatiza Orbea (Samuele Porro and Marc Stutzmann), Imbuko ChemChamp A (Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje), and Buff Megamo themselves.

However, the heat and the high pace began to take their toll. Buff Megamo, who had been prominent until that moment, was the first to fall back in the second half of the race. Shortly after, Klimatiza Orbea also lost contact with the group, leaving the battle for victory between Scott-SRAM MTB Racing, Wilier-Vittoria, and Imbuko ChemChamp.

The stage was decided in an agonizing final sprint, where Wilier-Vittoria, with Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto, narrowly beat Scott-SRAM MTB Racing. Imbuko ChemChamp completed the podium for the day, and with their great performance today, they are now in contention for the overall podium.

The first Spanish team to finish was Pablo Rodríguez with his teammate José Dias from BUFF MEGAMO 2, who finished in 8th position and jumped into the Top 10 of the General Classification.

In the General Classification, the most significant movement was made by the local team Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje from Imbuko ChemChamp, who climbed 3 positions to third place, and by Samuele Porro and Marc Stutzmann from Klimatiza Orbea, who moved up 5 positions to fourth place.

David Valero and Tiago Ferreira salvaged the day by finishing in 13th position, 10 minutes behind the leaders. They remain in the Top 10 of the General Classification, now in ninth place.

Stage 3 Classification - Absa Cape Epic 2025 Men's Elite

1. Wilier-Vittoria - Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto 3:22:44
2. Scott-SRAM MTB Racing - Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo 3:22:45 (+1s)
3. Imbuko ChemChamp A - Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje 3:22:56 (+12s)
4. Klimatiza Orbea - Samuele Porro and Marc Stutzmann 3:25:15 (+2:31)
5. Honeycomb 226ers - Marc Pritzen and Wessel Botha 3:27:31 (+4:47)
6. BUFF MEGAMO 1 - Wout Alleman and Martin Stošek 3:28:01 (+5:17)
7. Torpado x Singer - Fabian Rabensteiner and Simon Stiebjahn 3:28:02 (+5:18)
8. BUFF MEGAMO 2 - José Dias and Pablo Rodríguez Guede 3:30:59 (+8:15)
9. Toyota Specialized - Johan Van Zyl and Travis Stedman 3:31:11 (+8:27)
10. Klimatiza Orbea 2 - Miguel Muñoz Moreno and Luis Francisco Pérez Martínez 3:31:41 (+8:57)

General Classification Men's Elite after Stage 3

1. Scott-SRAM MTB Racing - Nino Schurter & Filippo Colombo 10:27:25
2. Wilier-Vittoria - Luca Braidot & Simone Avondetto 10:28:08 (+43s)
3. Imbuko ChemChamp A - Marco Joubert & Tristan Nortje 10:37:14 (+9:49)
4. Klimatiza Orbea - Samuele Porro & Marc Stutzmann 10:40:03 (+12:38)
5. Torpado x Singer - Fabian Rabensteiner & Simon Stiebjahn 10:40:23 (+12:58)
6. BUFF MEGAMO 1 - Wout Alleman & Martin Stošek 10:42:48 (+15:23)
7. Honeycomb 226ers - Marc Pritzen & Wessel Botha 10:46:01 (+18:36)
8. Orbea Leatt Speed Company - Lukas Baum & Georg Egger 10:47:24 (+19:59)
9. BH Coloma - David Valero & Tiago Ferreira 10:47:46 (+20:21)
10. Torpado Kenda FSA 2 - Jakob Dorigoni & Gioele De Cosmo 10:50:27 (+23:02)

Toyota - Specialized continues to dominate the women's category

The women's race has also seen major changes in the general classification, but the stage victory once again went to Toyota - Specialized with Annika Langvad and Sofía Gómez Villafañe, who continue to extend their lead as the top contenders for the final victory.

The day started with the Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM team, composed of Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda, leading the race, always closely followed by Langvad and Gómez. It was in the first major climb of the day, 20 km from the start, when the overall leaders took the lead and began to open a gap with Looser and Skarda.

The kilometers, the heat, and the accumulated effort began to take their toll on some pairs, and one of the biggest losses of the day was for Cannondale ISB Sport with Monica Yuliana Calderón Martínez and Tessa Kortekaas, who, after their great performance the previous day where they finished second, today lost 29 minutes in the stage and finished ninth. This result drops them from the virtual podium in the general classification, falling to sixth place.

Despite suffering two serious falls, Annika Langvad and Sofía Gómez achieved their fourth consecutive victory, reaffirming their absolute dominance in this Absa Cape Epic 2025. In second place was the Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM team of Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda, while the podium for the day was completed by TitanRacing SE Honeycomb, with Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen.

Stage 3 Classification Women's Elite - Absa Cape Epic 2025

1. Toyota | Specialized - Annika Langvad & Sofía Gómez Villafañe 4:14:53
2. Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM - Vera Looser & Alexis Skarda 4:19:30 (+4:37)
3. TitanRacing SE Honeycomb - Bianca Haw & Hayley Preen 4:21:58 (+7:05)
4. Torpado Kenda FSA WMN - Katazina Sosna-Pinele & Claudia Peretti 4:29:04 (+14:11)
5. MAAP - Haley Smith & Ella Bloor 4:29:56 (+15:03)
6. BUFF MEGAMO - Rosa Van Doorn & Janina Wüst 4:34:25 (+19:32)
7. BULLS Swiss - Irina Lützelschwab & Alessia Nay 4:40:09 (+25:16)
8. Outsiterz D2mont Merida - Janka Keseg Stevková & Martina Krahulcová 4:42:12 (+27:19)
9. Cannondale ISB Sport - Monica Yuliana Calderón Martínez & Tessa Kortekaas 4:44:35 (+29:42)
10. Songo | Kolisi Foundation - Ila Stow & Cherise Willeit 4:45:52 (+30:59)

General Classification after Stage 3 - Women's Elite

1. Toyota | Specialized - Annika Langvad & Sofía Gómez Villafañe 12:54:15
2. Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM - Vera Looser & Alexis Skarda 13:08:14 (+13:59)
3. TitanRacing SE Honeycomb - Bianca Haw & Hayley Preen 13:20:16 (+26:01)
4. Torpado Kenda FSA WMN - Katazina Sosna-Pinele & Claudia Peretti 13:33:27 (+39:12)
5. BUFF MEGAMO - Rosa Van Doorn & Janina Wüst 13:35:34 (+41:19)
6. Cannondale ISB Sport - Monica Yuliana Calderón Martínez & Tessa Kortekaas 13:39:24 (+45:09)
7. BULLS Swiss - Irina Lützelschwab & Alessia Nay 13:47:48 (+53:33)
8. MAAP - Haley Smith & Ella Bloor 13:56:54 (+1:02:39)
9. Outsiterz D2mont Merida - Janka Keseg Stevková & Martina Krahulcová 14:09:57 (+1:15:42)
10. Songo | Kolisi Foundation - Ila Stow & Cherise Willeit 14:27:01 (+1:32:46)

Despite the gaps opened in Stage 3, many cyclists in the race claim that the Cape Epic will truly begin tomorrow with the first of the final 4 stages. There are still four demanding days of pure mountain riding where any weakness or mechanical failure could change the fight for the final victory in a matter of minutes.