Stage 3 of the 2023 4Islands MTB Croatia was the Queen Stage of the event, featuring the best riding that the island of Cres had to offer. The main protagonists of the day were, once again, Orbea x Leatt x Speed Company as they charged up the opening climb in their true to brand style and drove the pace with BUFF MEGAMO and Team Bulls in tow. When the elastic broke, it was Egger and Baum alone for the majority of the stage once again. Egger and Baum’s winning time was 03:14:04. Second place w...

The 4th and final stage of the 4Islands MTB Croatia took place on the island of Lošinj and led the teams on a 41 kilometer loop around the island with 950 meters of altitude. Lukas Baum (GER) & Georg Egger (GER), Cape Epic 2023 runners up and 2022 Cape Epic winners take home the coveted 4Islands MTB title for their first time. After winning all four stages, except the prologue, the German duo are the well-deserved winner. Second in the overall finished Hugo Drechou (FRA) and Hans Becking (NED...

Stage 2 of the 2023 4Islands MTB Croatia took in the best trails of Rab, the Happy Island. The race started in Lopar and finished in the city of Rab; in the Men’s Category, Orbea x Leatt x Speed Company once again made the day their own in their aggressive racing style. The Women’s category saw a new team claim the stage win, though the general classification remained unchanged at the end of the day.

The opening stage of the 4Islands Croatia on the Croatian island of Krk offered almost perfect conditions with 78 race kilometers. The action began seemingly immediately in the men’s race with the BUFF MEGAMO, resplendent in the yellow leader jerseys, and the charging Orbea x Leatt x Speed Company led the pack up the opening climbs and into the famous moon plateau. By service station 1, it was two teams alone going at it hammer and tongs to wear each other down. The paced proved too much for...

12 kilometres, 250 metres of climbing, coastal cliff trails, forested climbs, and rocky descents were the proving ground of the 2023 4Islands MTB Croatia Prologue in Baška, Krk, as over 200 teams lined up for their first challenge in their mission to Conquer The Rocks. In the Men’s category, BUFF MEGAMO’s Hugo Drechou and Hans Becking lived up to the pre-race expectations of having the number 1 bike boards as they raced to the win and into the yellow CIOVITA leader jerseys that honour them a...

The 19th edition of the ABSA Cape Epic finished today with the Grand Finale (Stage 7) in Val the Vie Estate. The untamed eight-day African mountain bike stage race is often referred as the "Tour de France” of mountain biking. Hosted by South Africa’s Western Cape the ABSA Cape Epic is the most prestigious mountain bike stage race in the world. 724 teams of two, from 55 nations, among them multiple World, Olympic, and National Champions tackled 650 kilometer course climbing and more than 15 th...

Stage 6 marked the penultimate day of the ABSA Cape Epic 2023. For the first time in history, outside of a time trial, the entire stage was hosted by a single landowner. It was a dramatic day, as wind and rain was on the cards for the riders today. The trails were wet and soggy, which caused a dramatic shake up in the general classification. Matthew Beers (RSA) and Christopher Blevins (USA) won the penultimate stage 6 with a time of 3hours 26minutes 48seconds. SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing’s Nino Sch...

Stage 5 of the ABSA Cape Epic marked another transition stage. Today was also this year’s Queen Stage with 102km and 2450m of climbing. The route featured the long and rough Tierkop Climb and a Cape Epic favorite, Groenlandberg with its sandy and rutted trails. Riders also had to contend with the Gantouw Pass portage. Defending champions, Lukas Baum (GER) & Georg Egger (GER) of team Orbea x Leatt x Speed Company won the Queen Stage with 04hours 13minutes 6seconds. It is their first stage win...

Stage 4 marked the second time trial of the race. It took the riders around the trails of Oak Valley Estate in a short but intense day of racing with 47km to go and 875m of climbing. The course was packed with singletrack, making it a test of skill as well as fitness. Maintaining a rhythm to climb twisting trails like Berg Adder and then descend down trails like Puff Adder, Vissie’s Magic and Sounds of Silence required absolute focus. Matthew Beers (RSA) and Christopher Blevins (USA) from tea...

Today is Stage 3 and it marks the first transition, from Hermanus to Oak Valley Estate. Today’s route traverses wild country nestled within pockets of manicured agriculture. 100 brutal kilometres of raw, natural trails separate the race villages. The riders have to climb 2300 meters before returning Oak Valley Estate, ahead of the time trial on Stage 4. Today’s race was decided on the very last meters in a sprint finish between four teams. Matthew Beers (RSA) from team Toyota-Specialized-Nine...