Val de Vie
The Trail to
The Grand Finale is no easy ride to Val de Vie. Rather it is a rite of passage that has been hard-earned over eight days of limit-testing racing on the Western Cape’s Untamed trails. The 78-kilometre-long Stage 7 takes in 2 700 metres of climbing, making it one of the toughest
Grand Finales in Absa Cape Epic history. Beginning with a grind to the Lourensford Nek there is climbing from the gun, before thrilling singletracks lead teams through Mont Marie, Eden, G-Spot and the Stellenbosch World Cup Course. Then Botmaskop provides the second major test of the day and the final significant climb of the 2023 race. Banhoek and Boschendal’s famed trails then ensure that the Untamed African Mountain Bike Race ends on a singletrack high, before the trails of Val de Vie provide a moment for reflection on the previous 658 kilometres. It is not over until riders cross the line, however, and the final 500 metres on the estate’s polo fields are where emotions overcome teams as they’re beckoned home by deafening crowds as heroes of the Untamed.
In 2022, Haley Batten and Sofia Gomez Villafane won the CM.com Women’s category; it was Specialized Factory Racing’s eighth women’s category win.
The final stage of the Absa Cape Epic has become a rite of passage and 2023’s Stage 7 may prove to be the most demanding in recent history.
Nino Schurter of team Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing flying down the thrilling singletrack trails surrounding Stellenbosch.
On the lawns of Val de Vie Estate, teams from around the world will write their names into Absa Cape Epic history and The Book of Legend
The Absa African Jerseys at the Absa Cape Epic are for the highest ranked UCI teams whose riders are both African. In 2022, Imbuko {type} DEV claimed the Absa African Men’s Jerseys
The 2022 Absa Cape Epic victors, Speed Company Racing, revelling in their victory over Canyon Northwave.
Route Director's Tip
That climb out of Lourensford is steep, especially on tired legs. But there’s still some fun to be squeezed out of the 2023 route, following the best of the trails of the Stellenbosch Trail Fund. Give it one last surge on the climb that takes you to Banhoek – it’s the last before the final trails leading into Val de Vie. The Grand Finale is a fitting end to a week of unique racing and your spot in The Book of Legend will be hard earned. Good luck!
