2025 Epic Insights – Stage 5

Tune in for daily insights from inside the media team at the2025 Absa Cape Epic with the Diverge Podcast's vlogs. In the Stage 5 episode Seamus Allardice reflects on a day when the race reset, paused, and prepared for the Queen Stage. Stage 4 followed the searing heat of Stage 3 and preceded the 2 850 metres of climbing in 98 kilometres on Stage 5. As such there was a little lull in the action. For the UCI Men this allowed 4 teams to head into the finalewith chances of a stage victory, but as on Stage 3 Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje were outboxed by Scott SRAM and Willier Vittoria. Nino Schurter, Filipo Colombo, Luca Braidot, and Simone Avondetto charged to the line head-to-head with Wout Alleman and Martin Stošek also in the mix. The Italians won it in a photo finish, but Schurter was content with 2nd and not ceding any time on the general classification. Buff Megamo and Imbuko ChemChamp will have to try again on Stage 5 to secure that coveted stage win, though Alleman and Stošek did of course notch up a win on the Stage 2 time trial. Going into the Queen Stage, then, Scott SRAM lead WillierVittoria by 42 seconds, with Imbuko ChemChamp at 9:52 in third. Joubert and Nortje’s buffer on Klimatiza ORBEA, in 4th, is 3 minutes and 38 seconds. Buff Megamo are 5th at 15:24. In the UCI Women’s race the stage was closer than any other,since the Prologue. Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM went on the offensive on the early singletrack climb, but when the route widened to gravel roads on the Paarl Mountain Toyota Specialized surged back and into the lead. By the end of the day Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane added 50 seconds to their general classification lead, taking it to 14:49 over Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda. Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen finished 3rd on the day to further cement their 3rd spot on the overall standings, they are at 27:30 and hold a 19 minute advantage over Torpado Kenda FSA and 24 minutes over Cannondale ISB Sport. Read the daily stories from the race on www.diverge.info.