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Nino Schurter leads the front riders on stage 4 of the Cape Epic. Picture: NICK MUZIK/CAPE EPIC
Nino Schurter leads the front riders on stage 4 of the Cape Epic. Picture: NICK MUZIK/CAPE EPIC

The top three teams in the men’s and women’s races on stage 4 of the Absa Cape Epic on Thursday could only be separated in the final metres of the 73km race.

Nino Schurter and Sebastian Fini (World Bicycle Relief) won the stage in the men’s category in a sprint finish, as did Anne Terpstra and Nicole Koller (Ghost Factory Racing) in the  women’s section.

Schurter and  Fini pipped Matt Beers and Howard Grotts (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne) to the line with Andreas Seewald and Marc Stutzmann (Canyon SIDI)  third.

Sofia Gomez Villafane and Samara Sheppard  (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne) also had to make do with second place when they were outpaced to the line by Terpstra and Koller while Candice Lill and Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) filled third spot on the podium.

Beers and Grotts  now lead the general classification with a time of 15hr 54min 42sec, ahead of Schurter and  Fini with 15:56:43 and early leaders Becking and Alleman at 15:59:07.

Terpstra and  Koller (19:31:42)  have a 2:31 lead over Lill and Mitterwallner with Villafane and Sheppard 7:56 back.

With temperatures soaring  organisers enacted extreme weather protocols reducing the initial 88km stage 4 to 73km, removing around 400m of climbing.

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