The Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team narrowly missed a triumphant moment in the penultimate stage of the 2024 Cape Epic. Fabian Rabensteiner and Samuele Porro clinched second place in the sixth leg of the prestigious South African stage race, covering 87 km with 2400 meters of elevation gain, starting and ending in Stellenbosch.
The Italian pair lost sight of the formidable Toyota-Specialized riders, Matthew Beers and Howard Grotts, who lead the overall standings, only towards the end, crossing the finish line with a 41-second gap. "It's disappointing, we came so close," said Rabensteiner. "For a moment, I hoped that the Toyota-Specialized team would allow us to take the stage after the tremendous effort we exerted, but they were determined to win this one too. Unfortunately, Samuele took a fall on the sand about 20 km from the finish, and we had to make a significant effort to catch up, but then we did well to stay with Beers and Grotts. We took turns leading, but they launched an attack on the final climb, so we have to settle for second place. Personally, I feel good, I still had something left in the tank towards the end, so tomorrow we'll aim for another strong performance; we know the course well."
As a result, the Porro-Rabensteiner duo climbed back to 5th place in the overall standings with just one stage remaining. It's also worth noting the commendable performance of Daniel Geismayr, who, paired with Jakob Dorigoni, finished 6th in today's stage and re-entered the Top 10 in the general classification.
Tomorrow concludes with another stage starting and finishing in Stellenbosch, covering a total of 67 km with 2000 meters of elevation gain. On the other side of the world, instead, at the Swiss Bike Cup, Simone Avondetto and Ginia Lara Caluori will try to make their mark in the XCO races, for a Sunday full of excitement.
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