98 km and 2850 meters of altitude difference, from Paarl to Lourensford Wine Estate it was the queen stage of the Cape Epic 2025It was supposed to be a show and it was a show.
Source: Wilier press release
The stage was characterized by an initial tactical approach, which culminated with the great brawl in the final climb. The leaders of the general classification showed that they had something more at this moment, but the pair of Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team remains absolutely afloat and, with two stages to go, is at the 2nd place at 1'52” from the yellow jersey.
It was a very long stage, it never ended. We tried on the climbs, but the Swiss were a bit stronger, we have nothing to reproach ourselves for. Now the gap in general is a bit wider but, if we have the strength to attack in the next two stages, we will do it. The race is not over – Luke Braidot
On the climb I tried to hold on, but in the final part I had no more strength and I lost contact, with Luca who had to wait for me a bit.. I'm sorry, but I was really at the limit. Now let's see how we wake up in the next few days, let's hope that the legs turn well, but it's premature to think about particular tactics. We will certainly give everything we have left to take other satisfactions – Simone Avondetto
Tomorrow another really tough stage will take place, with the start and finish line at Lourensford Wine Estate, for a total of 87 km and 2550 meters of altitude difference. Another grueling battle is coming.
ITALIANS IN THE RACE
Other good placings by the Italians Dorigoni and De Cosmo in fourth position and Samuele Porro in 5th. Problems for the couple Rabensteiner and Stiebjahn who finished in 30th position far from the leaders.
HIGHLIGHTS STAGE 5 CAPE EPIC
STAGE 5 RANKING
| 1. | SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing | Nino SCHURTER | Philip Viero COLOMBO | 4:13:27 |
| 2. | WILIER-VICTORY | Luca BRAIDOT | Simone AVONDETTO | + 1: 10 |
| 3. | ChemChamp A Funnel | Mark JOUBERT | Tristan NORTJE | + 3: 03 |
| 4. | Torpado Kenda FSA 2 | Jakob DORIGONI | Joel DE COSMO | + 6: 11 |
| 5. | Orbea Air Conditioning | Samuel PORRO | Marc STUTZMANN | + 6: 39 |
| 6. | BULLS Mavericks | Simon SCHNELLER | Axel ROUDIL-CORTINAT | + 6: 51 |
| 7. | MEGAMO BUFF 1 | Wout ALLEMAN | Martin STOSHEK | + 6: 52 |
| 8. | ORBEA Leatt Speed Company | Lukas BAUM | Georg EGGER | + 9: 38 |
| 9. | Toyota Specialized | John VAN ZYL | Travis STEDMAN | + 9: 42 |
| 10 | Air conditioning Orbea 2 | Miguel MUÑOZ MORENO | Luis Francisco PEREZ MARTÍNEZ | + 11: 41 |
GENERAL RANKING AFTER 5 STAGES
| 1. | SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing | Nino SCHURTER | Philip Viero COLOMBO | 17:47:27 |
| 2. | WILIER-VICTORY | Luca BRAIDOT | Simone AVONDETTO | + 1: 52 |
| 3. | ChemChamp A Funnel | Mark JOUBERT | Tristan NORTJE | + 12: 55 |
| 4. | Orbea Air Conditioning | Samuel PORRO | Marc STUTZMANN | + 20: 09 |
| 5. | MEGAMO BUFF 1 | Wout ALLEMAN | Martin STOSHEK | + 22: 16 |
| 6. | Torpado Kenda FSA 2 | Jakob DORIGONI | Joel DE COSMO | + 30: 00 |
| 7. | ORBEA Leatt Speed Company | Lukas BAUM | Georg EGGER | + 33: 19 |
| 8. | Honeycomb 226ers | Mark PRITZEN | Wessel BOTHA | + 39: 23 |
| 9. | Air conditioning Orbea 2 | Miguel MUÑOZ MORENO | Luis Francisco PEREZ MARTÍNEZ | + 44: 27 |
| 10 | Insect Science Cycling | Arno DU TOIT | Keagan BONTEKONING | + 48: 07 |
