Helderberg cyclists who were among the 724 teams that covered nearly 500 km of mountain trails and climbed over 13 000 m of elevation at the 2023 Absa Cape Epic breathed a sigh of accomplishment at the finish line at the Val de Vie Estate in Paarl on Sunday 26 March.
Stage 7 of the Absa Cape Epic – the Grand Finale – added a further 78 km in a loop around Lourensford Wine Estate before traversing yet another 80 km from the Somerset West wine estate to Val de Vie in Paarl for the finish.
Among the finishers were Somerset West teams, including Petie Viljoen, Michael Reyneke and Albert Murphy, Philip Beukes, Jaco Venter, Ockert Oosthuizen and Erica Green.
In the Grand Masters category, Oosthuizen darted across the finish line in a time of 5:08:09, Viljoen followed suit in a time of 5:52:48, and fellow competitors Reyneke and Murphy toughed out the challenge in a time of 5:48:48. Beukes (Mixed) championed the race in a time of 4:37:48 and Green in a time of 6:00:46, while it appeared Venter had dropped out at Stage 7 and didn’t finish the race.
“The City of Cape Town is once again thrilled to have been able to host the Absa Cape Epic in our beautiful city,” Mayoral Committee member for Safety and Security JP Smith declared.
“The City’s partnership with the Cape Epic dates back a number of years, and we are delighted to provide support for the 2023 edition because we understand the value of events such as the Cape Epic.
This brings in about R350 million for Cape Town’s economy and the greater Western Cape.
“The event also provides more than 1 200 employment opportunities annually for skilled events industry professionals, catering and other ancillary sectors.”
The Absa Cape Epic is classed as hors catégorie by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), a status that makes it a highlight on the professional racer’s calendar.
The more than 1 400 riders who participated in this year’s race represented 55 countries.
