The 20th edition of the Absa Cape Epic in 2024 reveals a route that includes 613 km of racing and over 16 000 m of climbing from the Prologue in Lourensford to Tulbagh, followed by Wellington and on to the Grand Finale in Stellenbosch.
The prologue starts on Sunday 17 March at Lourensford Wine Estate, Somerset West with a distance of 26 km and a 1 050 m climb
Opportunities await as the journey into the untamed begins on the manicured trails of Lourensford Wine Estate. In the shadow of the Helderberg Mountains, it is renowned as one of the country’s oldest and most celebrated wine farms. Teams transfer north to Tulbagh for the first marathon stages. Stage 1 and 2 both start and finish at the spectacular Saronsberg Wine Estate, famed for its wines, blueberries and art.
Stage 1 starts on Monday, 18 March in Saronsberg, Tulbagh, continuing in the area for Stage 2, before cyclists head for rugged terrain from Tulbagh to Wellington for the third and forth stages.
The fifth stage sees cyclists depart from Wellington’s Cape Peninsula University of Technology, following wild-boar trails and some very technical climbs, traverses and descents along the slopes of the Hawekwa Mountains, and Doolhof Wine Estate, before a bus journey takes fatigued cyclists to Stellenbosch for the final two stages of the race.
The Grand Finale takes place on Sunday 24 March at Stellenbosch University.