"When your teammate has the FTP of a tractor, you know you can come back": the odyssey of Gaze and Schwarzbauer to win at the Cape Epic

The victory of Luca Schwarzbauer and Sam Gaze in stage 4 of the Absa Cape Epic 2026 was not just another win. It was one of those days that explain why this race is unique. Because the Canyon duo not only won. They survived.

Three punctures, a comeback, and victory: Canyon's incredible stage at the Cape Epic

What from the outside seemed like a new display of speed in the final sprint hid a much more complex story that was sometimes visible and sometimes not. Sam Gaze summarized it after crossing the finish line, explaining that the race started to go wrong long before what was seen on television.

“It was a very eventful day. About 50 km from the finish, I started losing a lot of air in the rear tire and I was rolling like that for almost two hours, trying to manage it,” he recounted.

In a stage dominated by trails, where losing positions can mean falling out of the race, the decision not to stop immediately was key. “I was waiting for the right moment to stop quickly with the CO2 because on the trails, you can lose a lot of positions and then it's very difficult to come back.”

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But the situation eventually exploded. “In the end, I hit a rock and punctured completely. We had to stop three times to fix it. The first two attempts with plugs didn’t work, but on the third, we succeeded.”

Instead of panicking, the Canyon duo opted for management. In a Cape Epic where mistakes are costly, they decided not to rush and trust their options. “We had to be patient to get back to the front group,” Gaze explained.

This comeback was not immediate. It came gradually, taking advantage of moments of transition in the race and, above all, a final climb where there was no direct battle. “On the last climb, it wasn’t particularly fast; it was more about measuring effort, not losing too much time, and trusting.”

And here comes one of the most revealing moments of the day, which Gaze humorously summarizes by referring to the power of his teammate, the German Schwarzbauer: “When you have a teammate with the FTP of a tractor, you know you can come back.”

Schwarzbauer completed the account from the inside, describing a stage that was, in his words, “a rollercoaster of emotions.” “I had good legs from the start, but in a race of more than three hours, you never know how you will respond.”

And mechanical problems repeated themselves even when it seemed the situation was under control. “We thought we would have time to stop, but in the end, there wasn’t, and Sam punctured again. There was a moment when I thought I couldn’t go on. We were already on the fifth day, and it shows.”

Still, Canyon found a way to get back into the race with one of the hardest efforts of the week on a stretch of track leading to the big final climb: “I think we made one of the biggest efforts of the entire race, rolling at full speed on the false flat, close to 500 watts for quite a while.”

But just when it seemed they had succeeded, another setback came. “We had to stop again, and once again I felt down, but today we were really strong.”

The stage turned again in the final descent when the fall of Buff-BH opened the door to a new scenario at the front. Canyon took that moment to complete the comeback and fully engage in the fight for victory alongside Wilier-Vittoria.

From there, the race entered a more tactical phase. Collaboration to create a gap, control of differences, and a conclusion that would be decided in the last kilometers. “After three punctures, you ride with a lot of fear all the time,” Schwarzbauer acknowledged, especially in technical areas where any mistake could ruin the day.

The final sprint confirmed what they had been demonstrating throughout the stage: Schwarzbauer and Gaze had the legs to win even after everything that had happened.  “In the end, we were aggressive and did everything perfectly. We had a plan, and it worked out well.” “I’m very happy; it’s probably one of the races I’m most proud of.”

And rightly so. Because in a Cape Epic where each day adds wear and tear, breakdowns, and tension, what Canyon did in this stage 4 was not just a victory. It was a demonstration of endurance, strategy, and the ability to suffer.