Brand new stages, a new host venue, and over 300 kilometres of new trails never used by the race before make up the route of the 2025 Absa Cape Epic announced in Cape Town today. On a course designed to make the race more watchable by fans, riders will take on 608 kilometres with 16 500 metres of climbing from Durbanville to Paarl, Stellenbosch and Somerset West from March 16-23.

Stage 1 deviates from tradition by starting and finishing at Meerendal, after a Prologue at the famous mountain biking venue. The 96-kilometre marathon through Durbanville’s wine farms features the best of the Tygerberg trail network and offers fans ample opportunity to see their heroes in the flesh. It is the first big test and one which should reveal who the week’s main protagonists will be.

The Queen Stage takes riders over 103 kilometres and a huge 3050 metres of climbing with numerous opportunities for trail-side views to watch…

The narrative then takes a twist with an early time trial – a point-to-point test from Meerendal to Fairview in Paarl – followed by two new stages in Paarl around the famous granite outcrops, showcasing fresh territory and previously untapped trails.

“The Drakenstein Municipality has always been welcoming, and for next year we devised a course that will not simply touch on the riding there, but truly showcase it,” route director, Hendrico Burger revealed.

The Queen Stage on Friday takes the teams from Fairview to Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West. It not only challenges riders with just over 103 kilometres of racing but also features a huge 3050 metres of climbing and numerous opportunities for trail-side views to watch the teams fly by.

The stage is set to be a thrilling crescendo over the final weekend at Lourensford Wine Estate, where the celebrated trails and exquisite scenery of the neighbouring farms provide a fitting backdrop for the race’s climax. 

Stage 6 mixes some of the legendary Lourensford sections with vast natural beauty, offering no relief after the previous day’s efforts. Singletracks through eucalyptus forests, dual tracks alongside orchards and vineyards, and mountainous ascents are all woven together in this penultimate stage.

Stage 7, the Grand Finale, will bring the 2025 chapter to its emotional close as riders circle the Helderberg Dome.

From the first ascent of the race to the Grand Finale, Table Mountain will remain within sight every time riders reach a high point throughout the race. Wilderness and untamed experiences still beckon on a route punctuated by punchy climbs, technical singletrack descents and few easy metres. Each rider will need to earn their finisher medal and the general classification victors will be challenged tactically as much as they are physically.

Delve into the details…

Prologue
The Beginning
Sunday, 16 March 2025
Meerendal Wine Estate to Meerendal Wine Estate, Durbanville
Distance: 27km
Elevation Gain: 750m
Difficulty: ★★

The iconic trails of Meerendal, Fair Cape Dairies and Hoogekraal host the opening Prologue time trial, providing a taste and a test of what is to come. Sharp climbs, sweeping singletrack descents and spectacular spectator points combine to produce a first day which will indicate to teams how well they have prepared.

Stage 1
Noon Gun
Monday, 17 March 2025
Meerendal to Meerendal, Durbanville
Distance: 96km
Elevation Gain: 2 450m
Difficulty: ★★★★

The mountain peaks of the Western Cape are dotted with signal guns dating back to Dutch colonial times. These would fire to alert farmers in the interior that a ship was docking in Table Bay and required restocking of supplies for the journey east. Steep gradients are the order of the day which begins benignly enough before devolving into a brutal series of back-to-back climbs. 

Stage 2
Time
Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Meerendal, Durbanville to Fairview, Paarl
Distance: 58km
Elevation Gain: 800m
Difficulty: ★★★½ 

A spicy new feature for the 2025 Absa Cape Epic. A point-to-point time trial. With climbing in the opening and closing kilometres linked by rolling roads, dual tracks and trails across the vlakte of the Malmesbury Farms. It should be a day which suits the powerhouses of mountain biking, though the weather could have a pivotal say in who succeeds on Stage 2. If the South Easter howls or the African sun bakes down, even the strongest could wilt en route to Fairview.

 

Stage 3
Champagne Supernova
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Fairview to Fairview, Paarl
Distance: 92km
Elevation Gain: 2 600m
Difficulty: ★★★★½

Another big day of trails, packed with rewarding singletracks, but equally testing with precipitous ascents. A good showing on the Paarl Mountain will set teams up for a storming race through the second half of the week, while a loss of momentum could result in a floundering for fitness and form. 

Stage 4
Like a Rolling Stone
Thursday, 20 March 2025
Fairview to Fairview, Paarl
Distance: 74km
Elevation Gain: 1 750m
Difficulty: ★★★½

The granite domes of Paarl Mountain soak up heat, producing a microclimate of scorching summers. This will undoubtedly come into play as the sun could drain teams.  Dropping a chainring size and redoubling one’s determination will be required to conquer a second day in the pearl of the Winelands. Its fynbos and vineyard beauty belies the difficulty of racing across the rocky outcrops and between the intimidating 500-million-year-old granite intrusions.

Stage 5
Killer Queen
Friday, 21 March 2025
Fairview, Paarl to Lourensford Wine Estate, Somerset West
Distance: 103km
Elevation Gain: 3 050m
Difficulty: ★★★★★

It is a “killer, Queen, gunpowder, gelatine, dynamite with a laser beam, guaranteed to blow your mind…” it is the Queen Stage. The epic Stage 5 is the only day to reach triple digits and is fitting of its brutal crown. A long, point-to-point route, it will challenge with a series of arduous ascents. Depending on how one looks at the profile there are either four or eight climbs to conquer. Mixing dual track with trails it is a day designed for aggressive racing, attacks and counters. Though it is also a course which will play into the hands of those who have recovered best.

Stage 6
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Saturday, 22 March 2025
Lourensford Wine Estate to Lourensford Wine Estate, Somerset West
Distance: 92km
Elevation Gain: 2 850m
Difficulty: ★★★★½

The penultimate stage treats Lourensford and its neighbouring farms like a mountain biking playground in a day of discovery. The slopes of the Helderberg Mountain and its foothills – which stretch through neighbouring farms – provide ample opportunities for tired legs to be tested. While spectacular trails through vineyards, fynbos and orchards cut through soils over 21 types, from deep red clay to shallow alluvial gravel. It is a day when the Grand Finale looms, but one where so much remains to be ridden.

Stage 7
Grand Finale
Sunday, 23 March 2025
Lourensford Wine Estate to Lourensford Wine Estate, Somerset West
Distance: 68km
Elevation Gain: 2 250m
Difficulty: ★★★½

The Grand Finale is the last chance to fly. A circumnavigation of the Helderberg Dome ensures it will be a difficult day, complete with a return from a different direction to the highest point in the race. There will be reasons to celebrate aplenty too, however, with the singletracks of Ernie Els, Dornier and the famed Helderberg Trails all providing parting gifts. The last descent, through exquisite fynbos in reserve on the urban edge, brings the race full circle.

READ MORE ON: 2025 absa cape epic absa cape epic mountain biking stage racing