WILIER-VITTORIA, AVONDETTO & BRAIDOT KEEP ROLLING - 3RD IN CAPE EPIC TIME TRIAL!

Three stages in, and Simone Avondetto and Luca Braidot continue to impress at the 2025 Cape Epic. The Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Racing duo secured third place in the tough—and scorching hot (temperatures hit 38°C)—Stage 2 time trial. The 66 km course from Meerendal Wine Estate to Fairview, Paarl, was fast and demanding, with "only" 950 meters of elevation gain.

Their strong performance helps Avondetto and Braidot solidify second place in the overall standings, where they now sit 44 seconds behind the yellow jersey held by the Swiss duo of Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo, but 3’48” ahead of the German pair Lukas Baum and Georg Egger in third.

"Today was brutal—the heat was unbearable," said Avondetto and Braidot, winners of the prologue. "We struggled a bit on the long flat sections—they felt endless. Then, in the final part, there were a lot of singletracks that riders with past Cape Epic experience knew well, giving them an edge. But overall, we defended ourselves really well, losing very little time to the Swiss while gaining even more on several rivals. Now, the really tough stages begin."

Tomorrow brings Stage 3, a 90 km route with 2,600 meters of climbing, starting and finishing in Fairview, Paarl—sure to put even more fatigue into the riders' legs.