Epic racing with a bittersweet ending

SCOTT-SRAM’s Nino Schurter and Andri Frischknecht rode an incredibly strong Cape Epic with 5 days in the yellow jersey. However after intense days, they didn’t quite bring it all the way home, finishing in 3rd overall.

Stellenbosch, March 2023.
8 days, over 600 kilometers, and 15,000 meters of climbing, the Cape Epic is considered the Tour de France of mountain bike racing and probably the toughest MTB stage race in the world. But it’s more than that. The drama begins to unfold from the moment the starting gun is fired, also making this one of the most challenging weeks of racing both physically and mentally.

The 2023 edition offered exactly this for SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing’s 2 x Cape Epic Winner Nino Schurter, and his race partner Andri Frischknecht. After the difficulties of the 2022 race, the team lined up more prepared than ever. The Cape Epic has its own rules however, and is a race that can go from drama to glory and from glory to drama in an instance.

This year’s Cape Epic has undoubtedly been one of the most competitive of all time, with several teams in striking distance of the overall victory and a ranking that was shaken up several times throughout the week. Add in some of the worst conditions the team has ever seen, with gutsy wind, rain and thunderstorms testing the team and their material, and making this a true challenge for everyone involved.

Despite having an eye on the prize throughout the whole week, and riding in yellow during multiple stages, Nino and Andri battled with fierce competition to eventually finish in a strong, yet bittersweet 3rd place in the overall.

There’s no better way to sum it up than in the words of Nino Schurter: “That’s racing.”

The Race

As the race week kicked off, the Prologue provided a glimpse into which teams would be fighting for the overall. From day one, it was clear that 2021 Absa Cape Epic Champion Matt Beers and Christopher Blevins (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne), and 2022 Champions Georg Egger and Lukas Baum (ORBEA x Leatt x Speed Company) would be the main contenders on the scoreboard alongside SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing.

Stage 1 was vicious and vibrant from the start, with Egger and Baum launching attack after attack. The pair were relentless, giving the field little chance to catch its collective breath. Nonetheless, with Nino Schurter and Andri Frischknecht in great shape, they managed to grab the leaders jersey in this first stage, making them the target for the days to come.

While Nino and Andri held onto the yellow jersey and increased their lead through Stage 2, the battle really commenced on Stage 3. For the first 18km, the men rode together but from waterpoint one, five teams pulled away. The lead regularly changed hands between SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing, PYGA Euro Steel, ORBEA x Leatt x Speed Company, Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne and Wilier Pirelli Factory.

With almost a week’s racing in the legs, and more tough days still to come, Schurter and Frischknecht decided not to go for the stage win on Stage 4’s Time Trial, but were still able to maintain the yellow jersey and a 1:11 minute lead over their followers Egger and Baum.

Drama unfolded during Day 6 as the day brought more rain and harsh conditions. Riding in the lead, Egger and Baum suffered a mechanical at 40km that lost around 11 minutes on the GC. This setback for ORBEA x Leatt X Speed Company clearly ignited a fire in Frischknecht, and he and Schurter raced hard to finish in P2, leap frogging them into holding the overall lead once again. SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing would head into the final stage with 90 seconds on Beers and Blevins (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne) and, after a day of wild weather and high drama, five-and-a-half minutes ahead of Baum and Egger (ORBEA x Leatt x Speed Company) in third.

Heading into the final Stage 7, the goal was simple: don’t let go of the direct competitors. However, the huge efforts of 7 tough days in the saddle showed their effect and, after an early attack, Schurter and Frischknecht weren’t able to hold on, with Egger and Baum (ORBEA x Leatt x Speed Company) and Beers and Blevins (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne) being let go. From then on, Schurter and Frischknecht rode mostly alone in a battle against the clock. Despite giving it their all, the lead could not been maintained, leaving SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing to finish an intense week with a strong, but bittersweet, third place overall at this year’s Cape Epic.

SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing’s Nino Schurter and Andri Frischknecht raced the 2023 Cape Epic on the SCOTT Spark RC in a special stage race setup featuring some special tunes and gear choices for the untamed 8-day stage race.
120mm of travel, integrated suspension technology which protects the shock from the elements, the all-new SRAM SL Eagle AXS drivetrain, TwinLoc and many more features make this bike the perfect companion for the demanding South African trails and the harshest of conditions throughout the past week of racing. With a successful record at the Cape Epic over the past few years, the Spark RC is not only the measure of things in World Cup racing.

What’s next?

Now its time to regenerate and draw experiences from this first and massive season highlight while it’s still early days in the 2023 race season. With the UCI World Cup season starting May 12.-14. in Nove Mesto (Czech Republic), and the the Italian Internazionali d’Italia Series as well as Swiss and American Cups in between, the season is now suddenly picking up speed for the SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team.