All eyes, though, were on the overall standings when the final day of racing began at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West.
Schurter countered, but SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing had no answer to the power of Beers and Blevins as the South Africa-United States combo powered away. From that moment on, SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing continued to fall back. That was the status of the Men’s race until the final 20km, when Baum and Egger made a surprise surge for the finish line. They couldn’t drop the Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne team or Singer Racing and all three teams made it to the Val de Vie Estate finish area together.
Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne knew they’d put some time into the lead of SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing, and sensed it was enough for the overall win, but it was only when the time passed a minute-and-a-half, with Schurter and Frischknecht nowhere to be seen, that they knew the 2023 Absa Cape Epic title was theirs.
Matt Beers, now a two-time champion of the Absa Cape Epic, was thrilled with the performance and the crowd support.