The Lottery process for 2025 is CLOSED
What's next?
Keep a close eye on your inbox. Successful applicants will receive their invitations via email from Monday, June 3rd. Successful applicants must accept their invitations and complete the full team registration. For those who are not selected, you'll automatically be added to our waiting list, giving you a chance to secure a spot on a first-come, first-served basis should a lottery winner opt out.
You are required to be signed in to enter the lottery.
* Funds received via the lottery will be utilised for legacy trail building & rehabilitation projects.
2025 Entry Fee
International Participants:
USD 8 190 (incl. VAT) per team ($ 4095 per rider)
South African Participants:
ZAR 113 750 (incl.VAT) per team (R 56875 per rider)
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:
Dates are subject to change.
2025 | 16 - 23 March |
2026 | 15 - 22 March |
2027 | 21 - 28 March |
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.
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. |
Amateur 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. |
More detailed information on each type below
Entry Type | Description |
---|---|
Early Bird | These entries sell out instantaneously and are available on a first-come-first-served basis granted you've created a profile and filled in our details. The full entry fee is due immediately and can be paid by credit card or electronic funds transfer (proof of payment must be emailed by 09:00 the following day) in order to secure the entry. Entries are scheduled to open on 25 March 2024 at 15:00 (GMT+2) and are sold on a first come first served basis. |
Lottery | Lottery applications are done on an individual basis and you do not need your prospective partner's details to enter the lottery. 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 ZAR 150 fee is applicable to enter the lottery, which must be paid by credit card before the application is completed. After 31 May, applicants are randomly selected to enter the race. |
UCI | Reserved for top UCI registered riders and allocated to riders at our discretion via the UCI rider application process. |
Volunteer | Absa Cape Epic volunteers receive a guaranteed entry to the following year's race. |
Charity | Charity entries allow you to support a good cause and ride the Absa Cape Epic. Each of our partner charities are allocated a limited number of entries which they sell through their channels at their discretion. Click here for Charity contact info |
Media | Media can apply for a guaranteed/discounted entry to race, and join our media programme. Non-riding media can also join to follow the race in comfort and have access to our various media services. There are a limited number of entries for media teams so the earlier teams apply the better their chance of gaining access to the event. Media applications will open in July. For any queries please contact media@cape-epic.com. |
Development | The Absa Cape Epic has partnered with a number of development academies across the country who each have an allocation of entries for Historically Disadvantaged South African (HDSA) riders under the age of 26. Additionally should you have secured funding and are an HDSA team, there is an allocation of reserved entries to allow access to the race. |
Early bird entries to the 2025 Absa Cape Epic
These entries sell out instantaneously and are available on a first-come-first-served basis granted you follow the easy steps below.
Step 1: Sign into your online profile or create a profile if you don't already have one.
Step 2: Make your way to the Early Bird Entry page and fill in your full name, ID or passport number and email address in the form that will appear on the page at 15:00 (GMT+2). The full entry fee is due immediately and can be paid by credit card or electronic funds transfer (proof of payment must be emailed by 09:00 the following day) in order to secure the entry.
Note that once the form appears on the Early Bird Entry page, it will be the first to complete their details and click submit who will be successful.
In previous years, Early Bird entries were snapped up in seconds, however you still have a chance at a guaranteed entry by:
Lottery applications are done on an individual basis and you do not need your prospective partner's details to enter the lottery.
First-time Absa Cape Epic riders will need to register, and provide their full name, SA ID number or passport number and email address. 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 ZAR 150 fee is applicable to enter the lottery, which must be paid by credit card before the application is completed. Funds received via the lottery will be utilised for legacy trail building & rehabilitation projects. Applicants can check the status of their application by logging into their Absa Cape Epic online profile.
Should you enter the lottery but accept an invitation through a different channel before the lottery closes, your lottery entry will automatically be cancelled in favour of the other invitation. Please note that your lottery entry fee is non-refundable should you take up another invitation.
After 31 May, applicants are randomly selected to enter the race. Successful applicants will be sent an invitation via email to accept the entry and make payment. Unsuccessful applicants will be sent an email explaining how to join the waiting list. Successful applicants must accept their invitations and pay the full team registration fee by the end of June.
You are required to be signed in to enter the lottery.
To add your name to the waiting list, you must sign into your rider profile to submit your application.
Details of the waiting list procedure:
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:
Both riders in a team applying for a wildcard entry must:
Please email registration@cape-epic.com to enquire further.
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.
The Absa Cape Epic welcomes journalists and media personalities from around the globe to live the action first-hand and share your experiences.
Journalists can capture the race, news, or unique stories and media personalities can increase our exposure in certain territories.
Media can apply for a guaranteed/discounted entry to race, and join our media programme. Non-riding media can also join to follow the race in comfort and have access to our various media services. There are a limited number of entries for media teams so the earlier teams apply the better their chance of gaining access to the event.
Media must:
Media applications will open in July. For any queries please contact media@cape-epic.com
What’s included (2025)
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.
The riders within a confirmed and paid for team can be changed by completing the following steps:
The following fees apply to the change of riders:
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.
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.
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, the organisers will try and fill the spot with a team from the waiting list. This is regardless of the date of withdrawal.
If a cancellation is approved by the organisers the following terms, conditions and charges will apply:
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
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.
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.