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Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane came under pressure but endured to win their sixth consecutive stage victory on the 2025 Absa Cape Epic’s ‘Queen Stage’, the unflappable pair pushed hard to maintain their unbeaten campaign in the Western Cape on Friday, 21 March, 2025.
The day’s stage began with a 3km neutral zone to get the riders safely out of the Fairview race village but, once the racing began in earnest through the Stellenbosch trails as they sped towards Lourensford Wine Estate, the usual suspects made their way to the front of the Aramex UCI Women’s’s Category.
The ‘Nek’ ascent – the day’s decisive race section – and a South African surge was always going to be telling on the Queen Stage as Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen, true to their commitment to ‘go until they blow’, went hard and fast from the start.
But the team TitanRacing SE Honeycomb effort looked to be too much for the ever-cheerful all-South African team, and maintained their place to cross the line in third place on the day.
Preen, with a smile, “Well that was awful!”. Haw added, “That was the worst sprint ever” when referring to their tight finish ahead of fourth-placed – on the stage – Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda in Efficient Infiniti SCB SRam colours.
Eventual stage winners Langvad and Gomez Villafane had to look sharp in the closing moments of the race, as the dark horses team of Epic Legend Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Potential Epic Legend Tessa Kortekaas – clearly recovered after suffering in the heat earlier in the week – pushed the tempo.
Langvad at one point in the race was happy with the sprint bonus, but as the Lourensford Race Village drew nearer, Gomez Villafane convinced her that the stage win was a reality.
“That was insane,” said Langvad. “That was everything you would expect on a Queen Stage and more! Going up the Nek was terrible. The mud was sticking to the wheels and I could barely turn my pedals over. At one stage I didn’t think I would get to the top.”
Gomez Villafane said she enjoyed racing against Cannondale ISB Sport. “They raced hard, which was great fun. We actually just wanted a calm and steady ride, then after the sprint bonus I said to Annika I think we can still get the stage win. It’s a great feeling.”
Langvad and Gomez Villafane will now start Stage 6 with a 22 minute lead in the overall classification ahead of Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda (Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM), with Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen remaining the form South African team, trailing the Namibian / USA team by just over 12 minutes in the GC.
2025 Absa Cape Epic Aramex UCI Women’s Category Stage 5 Race Results
1. Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 5:23:38
2. Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – Cannondale ISB Sport – 5:23:50 (+12)
3. Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 5:31:18 (+7:40)
4. Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRam – 5:31:19 (+7:41)
5. Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 5:34:20 (+10:42)
Stage 4 Results
1. Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 3:50:45
2. Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRam – 3:51:35 (+50)
3. Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 3:52:14 (+1:29)
4. Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – Cannondale ISB Sport – 3:57:27 (+6:42)
5. Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 3:58:11 (+7:26)
Stage 3 Results
1. Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 4:14:53
2. Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRam – 4:19:30 (+4:37)
3. Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 4:21:58 (+7:05)
4. Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 4:29:04 (+14:11)
5. Haley Smith and Ella Bloor – (MAAP) – 4:29:56 (+15:03)
Stage 2 Results
1. Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 2:43:14
2. Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – Cannondale ISB Sport – 2:45:23
3. Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRam – 2:45:38
4. Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 2:47:26
5. Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 2:48:25
Stage 1 Results
1. Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 4:43:35
2. Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRam – 4:49:17
3. Rosa van Doorn and Janina Wüst – Buff Megamo – 4:51:37
4. Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – Cannondale ISB Sport – 4:53:41
5. Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 4:55:02
Aramex UCI Women’s Category General Classification
1. Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane – Toyota | Specialized – 22:08:38
2. Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda – Efficient Infiniti SCB SRam – 22:31:08 (+22:30)
3. Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen – TitanRacing SE Honeycomb – 22:43:48 (+35:10)
4. Monica Yuliana Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas – Cannondale ISB Sport – 23:00:41 (+52:03)
5. Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti – Torpado Kenda FSA WMN – 23:05:58 (+57:20)
Original Copy: Absa Cape Epic, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane came under pressure but endured to win their sixth consecutive stage victory on the 2025 Absa Cape Epic’s ‘Queen Stage’, the unflappable pair pushing hard to maintain their unbeaten campaign in the Western Cape on Friday, 21 March, 2025. All Photos: Michael Chiaretta /Cape Epic
Photo 2 Caption: The SA surge on the Queen Stage came under pressure on the muddy ‘Nek’ ascent – the day’s decisive race section. All Photos: Sam Clark /Cape Epic
Photo 3 Caption: GC second-placed Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda were edged by the SA team for the Stage 5 podium place. All Photos: Dom Barnardt /Cape Epic
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