The Cape Epic got off to a dream start for the Toyota Specialized team of Matt Beers and Christopher Blevins, winning the 24km prologue by just over 40 seconds in a time of 00:58.06,07.

The young duo of Tristan Nortje and Cameron Mason (Toyota Specialized 2) had an outstanding start to the race, finishing in 7th place on the day, just shy of two minutes behind their teammates.

Regarded as the most challenging mountain bike stage race globally, the Cape Epic started on Sunday 19 March in the Cape Winelands. The eight days of racing will take riders and teams through rugged and dry terrain covering 681km and 16 900m of elevation.

Starting as defending champion, Beers and his new partner Blevins got off to an explosive start on Sunday, and by the first-time check, they were already ahead on the virtual standings. The advantage stayed with the Specialized duo for the remainder of the stage as they got their campaign off to the perfect start.

But starting the Cape Epic in the leader’s jersey is no easy task. Beers and Blevins experienced firsthand the pressure and weight of being the leaders on stage 1. It was to be a day of two halves for the Toyota Specialized teams on Stage 1, as both teams experienced highs and lows on their way to the finish.

The stage covered 92km of racing across some brutal terrain with close to 3000m of climbing. Unfortunately, Blevins and Beers had a tough start to their campaign. Beers suffered from a stomach issue and could not keep food or nutrition down, which significantly impacted his performance. Ultimately the Toyota Specialized team lost nearly 10 minutes to their rivals.

“I knew the stage would be tough from the get-go. I felt something was wrong with my body, and slowly my stomach started to knot up, and I could not keep any food down. I tried my best to get through it, but I was disappointed and felt like I had let everyone down. Unfortunately, there is not much anyone can do at that point, and we did our best to minimize our losses,” said Beers.

His teammate Blevins added: “It was hard on the first climb. We were in a good position when Matt started developing some stomach problems. He is a champ for getting through the stage, and there are a few more days of racing to make up some lost time.”

At general classification, after Stage 1, the Toyota Specialized and Toyota Specialized 2 teams were on 7th and 13th respectively (out of more than 150 teams).