Stage 5: Lill and Keller Crowned Queens of the Queen Stage

The Queen Stage of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic saw Candice Lill and Alessandra Keller put the hammer down and exert their dominance over the Elite Women’s race. The Thömus Maxon Sabi Sabi team won their 90-kilometre stage by 9 minutes and 29 seconds, from Kate Courtney and Greta Seiwald to take their general classification lead to a hearty 14 minutes and 19 seconds. The men’s race, despite racing for 134 kilometres and over 5 hours, came down to the fourth sprint finish of the week. For the first time at the 22nd edition Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto crossed the finish line first, adding another 13 seconds to their general classification buffer over the three-time champion, Matt Beers, and his Toyota Specialized Imbuko teammate, Tristan Nortje. David Valero Serrano and Marc Stutzmann finished between the top two teams on the overall standings, to move their Klimatiza Orbea outfit up from fourth to third, after Canyon lost 70 seconds on Stage 5.