One stage victory and two podiums for the female pair of Mónica Calderón and Greete Steinburg, and sixth place overall for Roberto Bou and Miguel Muñoz in the Elite categories of the toughest XCM race in the world.
The Cape Epic 2023 has been considered the toughest edition in recent years, where it was a real feat just to finish some of the stages. During the eight days of competition the riders had to deal with heavy rain as well as some very tough stages with a lot of elevation gain along the now well-known South African single tracks. In total, the riders had to navigate 648 km and 15,475 metres of positive elevation gain.
The Spanish team Cannondale VAS Arabay was outstanding, with remarkable performances from its two pairs. Colombian Mónica Calderón and Estonian Greete Steinburg finished all of the stages in the Top 5, achieving two podiums (3rd) and victory in the final stage. In the end, the female pair finished 4th overall.
In the men’s category, the pair formed by Spaniards Roberto Bou and Miguel Muñoz also showed great consistency, finishing in the top ten in almost all the stages, and ending as the 6th best pair of the Cape Epic 2023.
Meanwhile, the pairs of the Buff®-Megamo team did not have their best race after most of the team suffered from stomach problems. The pair formed by Dutchman Hans Becking and Portuguese José Dias finished in ninth place, while Frenchman Hugo Drechou and Spaniard Enrique Morcillo came 17th.
The pair formed by Spanish champion Sergio Mantecón and Jose Maria Sánchez did not finish this edition.
The pairs representing the Galfer Bike brand used the company’s brake products, with some relying on “Disc Wave®” discs and others using “Disc Shark®” discs, always combined with Advanced G1851 brake pads, which are specially designed for all types of conditions, such as those encountered at the Cape Epic 2023.
