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Christopher Blevins and Matt Beers (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne) are putting on a good show at the Absa Cape Epic.
The American-South African duo won the stage 4 time trial, their fourth stage victory in five days. The win pushed them up to third in the GC where they now sit five minutes behind race leaders Nino Schurter and Andri Frischknecht (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing).
Vera Looser and Kim le Court (Efficient Infiniti Insure) took their second stage win of the race on Thursday, and the African team remains in third overall behind e-FORT.net | SeattleCoffeeCo and NinetyOne-Songo-Specialized, respectively.
The short, punchy 47km stage played nicely to Blevins’ strengths, and what Beers was lacking on the day, his American partner more than made up for.
“I felt amazing,” Blevins said. “I don’t know why, but today was just one of those days when I felt great. The wind made it tricky, but I had a lot of fun out there. I hope the legs I had today stick around for the next three days because that’s where this race will be won. We’re happy with these stage wins, but we definitely want that yellow jersey.”
“We went out really hard but I realized very quickly that I wasn’t feeling so great,” Beers said. “Chris was amazing though. He just pushed on and got me through it. That’s where teamwork is essential at the Absa Cape Epic.”
Defending Cape Epic champs Lukas Baum and Georg Egger (ORBEA x Leatt x Speed Company) also had a great day, finishing second on the time trial stage. In doing so, they managed to eat away at the overall lead of Schurter and Frischknecht. With three tough stages to come, Baum and Egger are just a minute and 11 seconds off first place.
However, overall leaders Schurter and Frischknecht were also happy with their efforts.
“Our goal was always to go out at a good pace and not work too hard on the stage,” Schurter said. “We are still in the lead and I think we didn’t leave as much out there today as some of the other riders. We have three days of good racing to come and we’re ready for it.”
In the women’s race, Le Court and Looser were the first of the top three teams to ride. The Mauritius-Namibia duo seemed determined and looked comfortable throughout, despite not knowing what their rivals were up to behind them. They raced a flawless 47km, despite Looser’s slight stumble on loose gravel.
Le Court had something else to celebrate on the day, as well.
“That was an amazing way to celebrate Kim’s birthday,” Looser said. “It was hard out there, two hours of full gas riding, but we hung on. We were riding along and we heard we had a one-minute lead and couldn’t believe it. Kim was in front and saying ‘come Vera, come on, come on, let’s go!’ I was saying ‘wait, wait my legs are killing me’. But we pushed on and it was a great feeling to pull it off. It’s been a very special day.”
Wakefield and Lill were last to leave the start chute and managed to overtake Villafañe and Nash, who had started two minutes ahead of them. While Wakefield and Lill didn’t set the course alight, they were still able to build on their overall lead with a smooth ride.
Villafañe and Nash maintain their second place overall at 10 minutes behind Wakefield and Lill.
2023 Absa Cape Epic stage 4 results:
Men’s category:
1. Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne – Matthew Beers, Christopher Blevins – 01:45:09.5
2. Orbea X Leatt X Speed Company Racing: Georg Egger, Lukas Baum – 01:45:32.1 (+00:00:22.6)
3. SCOTT-SRAM MTB-Racing: Nino Schurter, Andri Frischknecht – 01:47:33.5 (+00:02:23.9)
CM.com Women’s category:
1. Efficient Infiniti Insure: Kim le Court, Vera Looser – 02:09:32.1
2. e-FORT. net | SeattleCoffeeCo.: Amy Wakefield, Candice Lill – 02:12:24.7 (+00:02:52.6)
3. NinetyOne-songo-Specialized: Sofia Gomez Villafane, Katerina Nash – 02:14:45.5 (+00:05:13.4)
2023 Absa Cape Epic general classification after stage 4:
Men’s category:
1. SCOTT-SRAM MTB-Racing: Nino Schurter, Andri Frischknecht – 15:20:31.2
2. Orbea X Leatt X Speed Company Racing: Georg Egger, Lukas Baum – 15:21:42.7 (+00:01:1.5)
3. Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne – Matthew Beers, Christopher Blevins – 15:25:47.5 (+00:05:16.3)
CM.com Women’s category:
1. e-FORT. net | SeattleCoffeeCo.: Amy Wakefield, Candice Lill – 18:58:09.3
2. NinetyOne-songo-Specialized: Sofia Gomez Villafane, Katerina Nash – 19:08:51.6 (+00:10:42.2)
3. Efficient Infiniti Insure: Kim le Court, Vera Looser – 19:14:39.2 (+00:16:29.9)