2026 Entry Info
RACE THE UNTAMED IN 2026
2026 Race Entry Fee
Payment on Check-Out OR Payment Plan
South African
International
International Participants (Per Team):
ZAR 157,000($8 072,93 USD)
All-In Price Per Rider Includes: General Entry ZAR 66,272.69 + Proc. Fees ZAR 2,286.41 + ZAR 9,940.90 VAT
Pricing is subject to change. Additional fees may apply.
USD exchange rates as of April 10, 2025
Payment to be made upon entry, credit card, payment plan and EFT payment options available .
Enter the 2026 Lottery
Entries to the Absa Cape Epic sell out, and one method to get your hands on an entry is via Lottery Draw.
Only one Lottery application per rider is accepted. Both riders in a prospective team can enter the Lottery to increase the chance of being awarded an entry. A ZAR150 or USD10 fee* is required to enter the Lottery, which must be paid by credit card before the application is completed.
The first round draw will be on 7 April 2025 and the second round will be 31 May 2025.
Lottery applications are done on an individual basis and you do not need your prospective partner's details to enter the Lottery.
Should you be unsuccessful in the first round, your Lottery application will remain valid for the second round. Should you secure an Early Bird entry or accept an invitation through a different channel before the Lottery closes, your Lottery entry will automatically be cancelled in favour of the other invitation.
Successful applicants will be sent an invitation via email to accept the entry and make payment. Successful applicants must accept their invitations and pay the entry fee.
*Funds received via the Lottery will be utilised for legacy trail building & rehabilitation projects. Lottery entry fee is non-refundable
Early Bird Entries - SOLD OUT
Opens on Monday, 31 March 2025 at 16:00 (GMT+2).
Early Bird Entries typically sell out immediately upon entries opening, Entries are available on a first-come-first-served basis. To improve your chance of success, we recommend you create an Epic Series profile in advance.
Payment Plan
We know that entering the Absa Cape Epic is a significant commitment, which is why we offer a flexible payment plan to make it easier for you. The plan includes 3 installments, with payments due on the following dates:
- Payment 1 (50%): At the time of registration, along with any additional purchases added to your order.
- Payment 2 (25%): July 1, 2025
- Payment 3 (25%): August 1, 2025
Setting up the payment plan is easy - you can select the option during the registration process. If you have any questions, please send us an email: registration@cape-epic.com and we’d be glad to assist.
Please note: Your registration is only valid when all 3 payments have been made. When choosing the payment plan, you can’t claim any partial refund.
CREATE AN EPIC SERIES PROFILE
Riders can now manage and review their Epic Series experience all in one place, through the creation of a personalised Epic Series profile.
New features to the Epic Series rider profile includes:
- Current and historical race results*
- Simplified race registration process
- At a glance view of upcoming events
*Note that historic Absa Cape Epic data (pre-2024) will be available in the Absa Cape Epic rider portal and not within the Epic Series rider portal.
Who can Enter
The Absa Cape Epic is open to professional and amateur mountain bikers alike and has seen amateurs from all walks of life compete alongside decorated professional mountain bikers, including both Olympic medalists and World Champions. It is every rider's responsibility to ensure that they arrive at the start with the necessary fitness level to complete a multi-stage mountain bike race.
To be eligible to enter, participants must:
- be at least 19 years old on 31 December of the year of the race;
- complete the online registration and make full payment for the entry;
- complete all compulsory actions which include, but are not limited to, the following: an online medical questionnaire, an online liability & disclaimer, a tracker unit deposit paid by the primary rider, and a transponder deposit paid by each rider. A rider cannot start the race without completing these actions.
Dates are subject to change.
Future Event Dates
| 2026 | 15 - 22 March |
| 2027 | 21 - 28 March |
Categories
There are several different race categories at the Absa Cape Epic. Each category has its own age brackets and entry requirements. Please familiarise yourself with the details of each category in the table alongside.
- Any age group category with less than five registered teams for men's categories and three registered teams for women's categories will automatically be grouped with the next younger category. If there is no younger category, it will be combined with the next older category.
- Teams wishing to compete in the UCI category must hold a valid UCI License and must indicate this during the online registration process. Amateur riders in possession of a valid UCI license must race in their respective UCI category and are not allowed to compete in the Amateur category.
- No category changes can be accepted once registration closes.
- Prize money is only awarded to teams racing in the UCI Men's category, UCI Women's category, Exxaro Special Jersey classification, and the Absa African Men's and Absa African Women's Jersey classification.
Note: Age is calculated as per 31 December of the year in which the race takes place. Your age group category is selected during your online registration.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| UCI Men/Women | Both riders are male/female and have a valid UCI Elite License. |
| Open Men/Women | Both riders are male/female and are 19 years or older. |
| NTT Masters Men/Women | Both riders are male/female and are 40 years or older. |
| GIC Grand Masters Men/Women | Both riders are male/female and are 50 years or older. |
| Great Grand Masters Men/Women | Both riders are male/female and are 60 years or older. |
| Toyota Mixed | One rider is male and one rider is female. |
Wildcard Entries
A wildcard entry is a guaranteed entry for professional mountain bikers who are contending for podium places in the Absa Cape Epic. Entries are offered at the sole discretion of the organisers.
Who can apply:
- UCI-registered Men's and Women's teams
- Amateur, Masters, GIC Grand Masters and Great Grand Masters teams who are competing for an overall category win
- 2025 Absa Cape Epic top 10 results
Both riders in a team applying for a wildcard entry must:
- Hold a valid UCI racing license (if competing in UCI Men or UCI Women) or,
- Submit appropriate racing qualifications to us for verification
Please email registration@cape-epic.com to enquire further.
Charity Entries
Each year a number of race entries are reserved for our partner charities. These charities sell their entries at an increased fee. Prospective riders who were unsuccessful in the lottery application process or those who wish to ride in support of a worthy cause can purchase a team entry from one of the Absa Cape Epic's charity partners.
The increased charity entry fee includes the normal entry fee of a standard entry package as well as an additional contribution to the chosen charity. Charity entry fee payments qualify for income tax deductions and prospective riders/teams must contact the charity they wish to support directly to request an entry.
Once the purchase of the entry has been finalised with the respective charity, an electronic invitation to ride the race will be sent to the primary rider's email address.
Withdrawals & Cancellations
Please note that following changes may only be made once an entry has been accepted and paid for by the rider to whom the invite was sent.
Rider Change
The riders within a confirmed and paid for team can be changed by completing the following steps:
- The rider dropping out of the race must do so through their online profile. Click on the "Rider Change" button under "Team Details".
- The remaining rider must then sign into their online profile and pay the applicable rider change fee. (Please note that only credit card payments are accepted for rider changes.)
- The remaining rider may then invite a new partner providing that person already has an online profile.
The following fees apply to the change of riders:
- Before 20 January: R500 per rider change
- Between 20 January and 28 February: R1000 per rider change
- Between 1 March and Registration: R2500 per rider change
Should the rider change be made after 20 January, every effort will be made to adjust all items to the replacement riders requirements. This however, cannot be guaranteed.
Any rider changes after 1 March can only take place at Registration.
Please note that optional extras are NOT automatically transferred to the new rider. If the new rider will be taking over your optional extras, please contact registration@cape-epic.com.
Full Team Change
If an unregistered team wishes to take over the entry of a registered team, a double rider change can be performed in the online profile. The above associated costs and dates will apply.
Team Withdrawals
Cancellations and refunds are only accepted if riders are able to fill their spot with a new team. In the case of riders not being able to fill the spot themselves.
If a cancellation is approved by the organisers the following terms, conditions and charges will apply:
- Before 20 January, a cancellation fee of R 2500 on ZAR entries and $250 on USD entries will apply.
- Between 20 January and 1 March, a cancellation fee of R5000 on ZAR entries and $500 on USD entries will apply. Please note, the team will only be refunded after the event.
- After 1 March no cancellations will be accepted unless agreed to by the organisers. The organisers will try their best to assist with the resale of your entry but it cannot be guaranteed.
We highly recommend that riders take out private insurance to cover this possibility.
To avoid the cancellation penalties, a team can arrange for a new team to take their entry. Please refer to the rider changes section for more information.
No refund will be payable if a rider’s entry is cancelled by the race organisers due to ineligibility under the race rules (e.g. being found guilty of a doping offence).
If you wish to cancel your entry, please contact the rider team at registration@cape-epic.com
Optional Extras
If a team withdraws from the race, their optional extras can be refunded if there is a waiting list or replacement rider to take over the optional extra (e.g. confirmed hotel room). The organisers will try their best to assist with the resale of an available optional extra product but it cannot be guaranteed. Optional extra services purchased cannot be transferred to a future event.
A 15% admin/cancellation fee applies to all optional extra refunds and transfers.
Event Changes & Cancellations
If the event, or any part thereof, is cancelled, postponed, shortened, or modified in any way, or if any of the amenities, goods, or services in relation to the event are no longer provided, whether due to force majeure, legal restrictions, disputes, safety reasons, failure by service providers to perform, or any other reason or cause, the entry fees and all other fees paid will not be refundable.
