---
title: The epic South African race for Wilier Triestina – Pirelli MTB Factory Team.
description: The Factory Team Wilier Triestina – Pirelli claimed victory in stage six at the Absa Cape Epic 2022, with Fabian Rabensteiner and Wout Alleman.
---

[The Wilier Journal [EN] - A collection of stories and emotions. ](https://journal.wilier.com/en)

# [The epic South African race for Wilier Triestina – Pirelli MTB Factory Team.](https://journal.wilier.com/en/the-epic-south-african-race-for-wilier-triestina-pirelli-mtb-factory-team)

 Written by [Wilier](https://journal.wilier.com/en/author/wilier) | Mar 30, 2022 8:42:00 PM

Everyone loves to win—that’s a given, but knowing you’ve made the podium at one of the world’s most prestigious races makes it that much sweeter. Now imagine the excitement for **[Wilier – Pirelli](https://journal.wilier.com/en/the-wilier-pirelli-factory-team-is-born-two-of-italys-best-together-in-one-international-top-team)**, with team riders taking home the first and the third on the same stage.  
Dubbed **‘the Tour de France for mountain bikers’**, two podium spots on **stage six** at the **Untamed African MTB Race** speaks volumes for the team. And much like the famed 21-day road race in France presents a few standout stages each year, the **7-stage Absa Cape Epic** follows a similar pattern, with certain locations garnering more acclaim than others.  
Take, **[Stellenbosch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellenbosch)**, the start and finish for stage six, for example: considered a must-visit for mountain bikers, this captivating town has become a cult riding location for **South Africa** and it’s also home to the prestigious **Stellenbosch Academy of Sport**, the high-performance training center that develops the nation’s elite athletes – Springboks included.

**Over 76 km with 2,700 metres of climbing**, stage six constantly undulated as the riders traversed the trail paradise on **Stellenbosch Mountain**, a real training ground for Southafrican mountain biking. Riding for Wilier–Pirelli, **the Italian-Belgian duo** attacked decisively in the **Jonkershoek Natural Reserve**, seeing the two respective national champions create almost enough of a time buffer to allow them the luxury of making the most of the spectacular scenery.

The magnitude of the stage win has also hit home with Wout **Alleman**—although he’d never doubted their ability: *“We knew that we could bring home a big result as a team because we’ve worked so hard. Seeing Daniel **Geismayr** and Cameron **Orr** claim third was amazing too, showing how competitive the Wilier–Pirelli team really is. But this is the Absa Cape Epic; it’s like nothing else. It’s a miracle to get a stage win at an event that’s basically the pinnacle of the sport. Even though we were on top form, it’s still mad that **we won the stage**.”*

The strong performances in Stellenbosch launched both teams further up the general classification, with **[Wilier–Pirelli ](https://wilier.com/en/teams/wilier-triestina-pirelli-factory-team)**becoming the **only team to secure two top-10 overall finishes**: Daniel **Giesmayr** and Cameron **Orr** in sixth and Fabian **Rabensteiner** and Wout **Alleman** in seventh.

For the Absa Cape Epic debutant, Cameron Orr echoes Wout Alleman’s thoughts: equal parts disbelieving, equal parts justified given the hard work they’ve all invested as a team. *“We knew that all of us at Wilier–Pirelli had been putting in the hard work so that we were ready to get some good results—but this is the Cape Epic!”*

With the **Urta SLR** riding to two top-ten finishes at the world’s most legendary MTB stage race, you can tell it’s leaving something of a legacy on the trails. But its success story can be seen across the scoreboard—not just in the top 10. After seven days and 681 kilometres of gruelling terrain, the **[Wilier 7C Force Team](https://journal.wilier.com/en/tag/wilier-7c-force)**, made up of Johnny **Cattaneo** and Nicola **Taffarel**, finished 15th overall, while Ole **Hem** and Marco **Rebagliati** claimed seventeenth.

For **Wilier Triestina**, the memories banked during the 2022 edition of the Absa Cape Epic will be stored somewhere safe, alongside all the other unforgettable journeys that the bikes have taken us on.

[View full post](https://journal.wilier.com/en/the-epic-south-african-race-for-wilier-triestina-pirelli-mtb-factory-team)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Wilier"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2023-02-20T13:49:29.719Z",
  "datePublished" : "2022-03-30T20:42:00Z",
  "headline" : "The epic South African race for Wilier Triestina – Pirelli MTB Factory Team.",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 1080,
    "url" : "https://8148610.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/8148610/Journal/Articles/Storia%2071%20-%20La%20grande%20corsa%20sudafricana%20del%20Wilier%20Triestina/cape_epic_wilier-pirelli_13-min.jpg",
    "width" : 1920
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://journal.wilier.com/en/the-epic-south-african-race-for-wilier-triestina-pirelli-mtb-factory-team",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60.0,
      "url" : "https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/8148610/logo.png",
      "width" : 235.30121
    },
    "name" : "Journal"
  }
}
```