AN UNFORGETTABLE WEEK—THANK YOU, CAPE EPIC!

If someone had told us ten days ago that we’d leave the 2025 Cape Epic with three stage wins, second overall, a day in the yellow jersey, podium finishes in 7 out of 8 stages, and that the Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team would end up being the winningest squad of the entire race… well, let’s be honest, we’d have had a hard time believing it.

It was Simone Avondetto and Luca Braidot’s first-ever time racing in South Africa. Not that anyone could tell—given how incredibly strong they were.

It’s been an insane week—for them, for the amazing Wilier-Vittoria crew working behind the scenes, and for all the fans back in Italy who woke up every morning to good news from the other side of the world.

From the scorching 40°C heat, to ice baths after each stage, from mental and physical duels with a legend like Nino Schurter, to the mud and gravel clinging to their bikes—they conquered 603 km and 16,500 meters of climbing through the wild, untamed beauty of a land they’d never seen before. Not just racing their rivals, but racing their limits.

Thank you, Simone and Luca—you made it thrilling. We’re all so proud of you.

And as always, thank you Cape Epic. See you next year!