Doing well at the Cape Epic requires to skills: speed and survival. Well, probably other skills too, and some luck. But the brutally challenging South African stage race demands eight straight days of fitness, form, skill and luck.
Haley Smith and Hayley Preen, racing together as Chemcamp Honeycomb in the pairs stage race, thrived under those demanding conditions. After a solid start, the two Ha(y)ley’s worked their way forward each of the eight days to take an incredible second overall at the Cape Epic. Along the way, the pair landed four stage podiums, marking a wildly successful debut for the team’s first effort together.
On the men’s side, Matthew Beers and Tristan Nortje made history in the most dramatic fashion possible. The two took over the lead from Willier-Vittoria’s duo on the final stage of racing to become the first-ever all South African men’s team to win the Cape Epic.
Haley Smith and Hayley Preen soar in South Africa
The Ha(y)ley’s added another podium to their string of results at this year’s Cape Epic. Finishing third on the stage for a fourth day in a row, the Chemcamp Honeycomb team traded on a deadly combo of speed and consistency to work their way up the overall standings. The finish the 2026 Cape Epic in second overall, a massive result from both riders. The two avoided crashes, mechanical troubles and the dreaded Cape Epic illnesses all week to work up onto the penultimate step on the podium.
Up front, there was no stopping Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller. The Thomus Maxon Sabi Sabi duo dominated this year’s Cape Epic, winning all but one stage.
For Lill, this win avenges years of second places finishes – the South African rider has five Cape Epic overall silvers.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said the 34-year-old Lill. “But sometimes you have go through those deep, dark situations to get to where I am today. It makes it sweeter, and I’m very grateful to everyone around me who helped me get here.”
Lill’s veteran experience and raw speed surely helped guide Alessandra Keller, the current World Cup short track overall winner, through her first Cape Epic with such consistent success. The Swiss rider was thrilled with her debut at the South African Stage race.
“It’s a bit like winning a World Cup series overall because you have to be consistent over eight days. So, this means a lot to me, especially because you are doing it as a team,” Keller said. “It’s a race I’ve always wanted to do… it’s an adventure.”
Specialized make history in dramatic come-from-behind win
On the men’s side, Toyota Specialized Imbuko were put on the back-foot mid-week by Wilier-Vittoria’s Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto. The Italian pair had fended off all of Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje’s attacks, until Saturday. That penultimate stage saw Toyota Specialized gain time, but not the lead.
Sunday provided one final opportunity for redemption. Beers and Nortje seized that opportunity, almost saw it slip through their grasp, then grabbed it again to take the win.
After attacking the struggling Italian pair early, Nortje, racing as a replacement for world XCM champion Christopher Blevins, clipped a pedal on a tree half way through the race. The young South African stood up bloodied and bruised.
“I knew it was a big crash,” Nortje said. “I hurt my elbow quite badly and my right leg hit a rock. It was just dead and numb after that and I couldn’t really pedal properly anymore.”
With coaxing from the veteran, Beers, Nortje soldiered on.
Beers resorted to pushing his partner whenever he could. Behind, the Italians seemed to sense Nortje was struggling. They pulled the gap back to within 40 seconds with 12km left to race. Beers and Nortje needed to make up a 13 second deficit they started the day with. It would be close. Eventually, Nortje felt better and the two rode away from the Italians again.
It’s a massive win for Nortje and Beers, who become the first all-South Africa team to win the men’s Cape Epic.
“You can’t get bigger than this,” an emotional Nortje said afterwards. “There are so many emotions right now. I think about all the sacrifices made by family, friends, and the team that have supported me. Today was about doing it for them and for the people of South Africa… It’s very special.”
With the victory, Beers draws closer to another way to write his name in the Cape Epic history books. He’s now one way from matching the record of Karl Platt and Christop Sauser, who both have five Cape Epic wins to their names.
“It’s a special one because we have done what a lot of South Africans have been trying to do for a long time,” said the Capetonian. “Tristan has ridden amazingly all week and although he made it harder for himself by crashing today, he showed true character pushing through.”
Andrew L’Esperance and Laclan Morton jump up two spots on the final day of racing, squeezing inside the top 15 overall. The Canadian-Australian duo, racing under Morton’s EF Education First team, finish 14th at the 2026 Cape Epic.