There is no greater pride for a South African biker than to shine in the Cape Epic, a sensation that Matt Beers experienced last year when he proclaimed himself the winner together with Frenchman Jordan Sarrou. But winning a stage as a national duo is not far behind either. Marco Joubert and Pieter du Toit, who wore the jersey of the best South Africans in the general classification, conquered stage 5 of this edition in a big way: long attack and solo arrival at the finish line. Not even they expected it, but their legs were good enough to surprise the favorites, who continued with their usual marking. This circumstance also favored the leaders, Andreas Seewald and Martin Stosek, who are already close to the final victory, except for a major setback, with two stages to go.
“This is a surreal feeling. Halfway through the stage there were two climbs where I almost dropped, but I managed to hold on and we kept going. It’s unreal and totally unexpected. I’m very happy,” Joubert summed up what he saw. It was the first victory of his record in the Cape, thanks to an attack 45 km from the finish line, in statements to the organization of the race. Seewald and Stosek arrived at 2:06, in second position, which allowed them to extend their lead over the rest of their direct rivals. Now, the duo formed by Beers and Blevins is second (at 6:54) at the expense of the German duo made up of Egger and Baum (at 7:02).
In the women’s category, an almost definitive blow to the general classification by the leaders: Haley Batten and SofÃa Gómez. The American and the Argentine scored a partial victory by putting a minute to all their rivals, which strengthens them at the top of the classification with almost 16 minutes of advantage over the South Africans Lill and Strauss. Only they can lose the race with two days to go. The penultimate one will take place this Saturday, with a route (76 km and 2,700 m of difference in altitude) full of single tracks where placement will be vital given the difficulty in gaining positions. Val de Vie is just around the corner…