Haley Smith and Hayley Preen are thriving under the relentless pressure of this year’s Cape Epic. On Saturday, the penultimate stage of the South African UCI stage race, the duo moved into second overall in the women’s race.
Greta Seiwald looking very uncomfortable on the start of Saturday’s stage 6. Photo by Michael Chiaretta/Cape Epic
Sunny skies and seven days seriously hard racing take their toll
Still feeling the effort of Friday’s brutal Queen stage, riders set out for another 2,000m of elevation gain on Saturday. Over a shorter distance and with more singletrack it was a big ask of tired legs. For Greta Seiwald, the ask came after a night of illness. Seiwald dressed for the start, but was forced to drop out almost immediately.
“It was a rough night. I had a fever and haven’t been able to eat at all,” Seiwald shared. “I got dressed for the start, you just hope…”
For Seiwald’s partner on the She Sends Foundation team, Kate Courtney, it’s the second Cape Epic partner she’s lost in as many weeks. Before the start, her original partner crashed out. The U.S. marathon world champion then teamed up with Seiwald. Despite the last minute arrangement, the duo were sitting second overall, even stealing a stage win from the dominant Thomus Maxon Sabi Sabi team of Alessandra Keller and Candice Lill.
“We’re heartbroken not to get to continue this adventure together, but what an adventure it was,” Courtney shared on social media, adding a thanks to Seiwald for starting the stage. That allowed for Courtney to continue racing the elite women, who have a different start area than the rest of the field in 2026. On the final stage, Courtney will have to start with the rest of the amateur as a “lonely leopard” in the amateur field. She’ll join Vera Looser, whose teammate Rosa van Doorn was forced out of racing a couple day earlier, and other Cape Epic racers whose teammates didn’t make it through the demanding week.
The Ha(y)ley’s move up the podium
For Canada’s Haley Smith and her South African teammate, Hayley Preen, She Sends’ misfortunes mean they move another step up the overall podium. Surviving a week of racing healthy is a big part of the Cape Epic every year, and the two Ha(y)ley’s, racing as Cheemcamp Honeycomb, are staying calm under pressure and avoiding illness so far.
“I often start from the back and work our way up, that’s how I like to race this event,” Cape Epic veteran Hayley Preen shared after the finish. She cautioned that nothing is secure until the race is finished. “We’ve still one day left to go, I won’t get too excited yet, but I think we can do it.”
The duo isn’t just surviving, though. They added a third-straight stage podium on Saturday. Smith, sitting beside Preen in the finish area, was quick to credit her teammate for that success after a stage that was better suited to the pure mountain bike skills Smith carries from a career of World Cup racing.
“Any time it’s flat or sustained up, Hayley really has to get the best out of me,” Smith shared adding Preen “Was descending like a wizard today.”
The two spent much of the day pursuing the Thomus Maxon Sabi Sabi team before dropping slightly back of that duo’s relentless pace.
Candice Lill leads Alessandra Keller late in Stage 6. Photo by Michael Chiaretta/Cape Epic
“I used to race Alessandra and Candice in World Cups but It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that environment,” Smith said, “Any time you can catch up to those two on a descent, it’s exciting.”
Symbtech.net’s Margot Moschetti and Claudia Peretti would finish second on the stage, a couple of minutes ahead of the Ha(y)ley’s. But the Canadian/South African pair now have a solid lead over third, FSA Torpado Kenda, in the overall standings.
For Lill and Keller, She Sends Foundation’s withdrawal means a solid but, as Saturday proved, not guaranteed hold on the leader’s jersey. For Keller, it would be victory in her first Cape Epic. For Lill, a long-awaited win after numerous attempts at her home race.
Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje celebrate a very good, if difficult day. in the saddle. Photo by Nick Muzik/Cape Epic
Beers coaxes Nortje closer to re-taking the Cape Epic lead
There was upheaval in the men’s race on Saturday, too, though that drama happened on course, not with one rider leaving the course. Toyota Specialized Imbuko’s Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje started the week in the lead before conceding their spot at the top of the standings to Wilier-Vittoria’s Luca Braidot and and Simone Avondetto.
After throwing the kitchen sink at the Italian pair on Friday’s Queen stage, to no avail, Beers was on the move again on Saturday and dragging Nortje along with him.
“We could see that Luca was suffering at the beginning. I could see Tristan was also hurting, but I know he’s a tough kid and wouldn’t give up,” Beers said after the finish. “I knew he would come around at some point – it took a bit longer than I thought, but he came around. He had me worried for a bit though.”
Nortje, a last-minute call-up to replace Beers’ original partner, world champion Christopher Blevins, is racing admirably at the Cape Epic. The younger South African did find his legs on Saturday and Toyota Specialized pulled back nearly two minutes on Wilier-Vittoria.
“Luca and I were suffering that first hour,” Nortje admitted. “But I just kept believing.”
Now only 13 seconds separates the two front teams.
Martin Stosek and Wout Alleman claim a big stage win late in the Cape Epic. Photo by Nick Muzik/Cape Epic
Saturday’s stage win, though, goes to Buff-BH’s Wout Alleman and Martin Stosek. The veteran duo put the hurt on the field all day to take the victory. Canyon, in third, move back up past Klimatiza Orbea’s team to reclaim third overall.
With all the battles for positions, and a final stage win, coming down to Sunday’s racing, the final stage of the 2026 Cape Epic promises to be a true battle to the line.
Morton and L’Esperance cross the line together on Stage 6 in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Photo by Nick Muzik/Cape Epic
L’Esperance and Morton hold steady in top 20
Canada’s Andrew L’Esperance and his EF Education First teammate Lachlan Morton are still racing consistently late into this year’s Cape Epic. The two battled to 19th on the brutal Saturday course. That keeps their overall position steady at 16th, with one day of racing remaining.