Three Maltese teams competing in the Open Men and Mixed categories began their Absa Cape Epic campaign today as the 2026 edition of the race got underway with the traditional 20km Prologue stage at the picturesque Meerendal Wine Estate in South Africa.
Starting in the early hours of the day proved advantageous for Team Kalamba Racing and Epic Team Deloitte, who were able to make the most of the cooler morning conditions before temperatures began to rise later in the day. The undulating course, featuring narrow pathways, often slowed progress — particularly on the descents. Despite these challenges, all teams expressed satisfaction with their performance in today’s race.
Team Kalamba Racing (Etienne Bonello/Marie Claire Aquilina) were the first of the Maltese teams to roll down the start ramp and completed the course in a time of 1 hour, 11 minutes and 30.5 seconds, finishing 24th in a field of 67 teams.
Second to start were Epic Team Deloitte (Mark Bonnici / Luke Borg), who completed the course in 1:02:44.9, placing 65th in the Open Men category — which features a field of 191 teams — and 165th overall.
It was a later start for Team Gaudos (Stephen Grima / Brandon Sultana), which meant the duo had to contend with temperatures as high as 43°C. Nonetheless, they completed the course in 1:10:13.7, finishing the day 127th in the Open Men category and 353rd overall.
With the Prologue now complete — serving as the first test for riders and determining the starting positions for the stages that follow — competitors now turn their focus to the first full stage tomorrow: a 90km route starting and finishing in Montagu, featuring 2,150 metres of climbing as the demanding journey towards the final finish line begins.
Epic Team Deloitte (Luke Borg & Mark Bonnici) is sponsored by Deloitte, with additional support from Foster Clark Products, Akkura and Visit Malta, and further support from Nduranz, The Cyclist and Wheel Wizard.
Team Gaudos (Stephen Grima & Brandon Sultana) are supported by Extra Carte, Visit Malta, SG Woodworks Ltd, Raico, National Gypsum Limited Malta, Wurth Malta, Pitre Hardware, Lourdes Opticians, JV Pharma, A. Caruana Enterprises Ltd and Xlendi Supermarket.
Team Kalamba Racing (Etienne Bonello & Marie Claire Aquilina) are sponsored by Kalamba Games, with further support from Garmin and Visit Malta. Technical partners include 226ERS, Ascend Creative Studio, BBB Cycling, IDMatch Bikefit Lab, The Sports Medics, Tristar Travel and Würth.
