Christoph Sauser and Jaroslav Kulhavy are rated as the biggest contenders for victory on the 112-kilometre stage. But things turn out differently. A puncture ruined their ambitions of another stage win and a possible lead in the overall classification. Instead, Nino Schurter and Matthias Stirnemann put the pedal to the metal. Together with their teammates Andri Frischknecht and Michiel Van der Heijden, they soon pull away and harmonize perfectly over the entire course.

In the end, Frischknecht and Van der Heijden crossed the finish line first - flanked by Schurter. "We are super happy and at the same time very surprised. First and foremost, we just wanted to get through the long stage. But it went great and riding with Nino and Matthias gave us additional motivation. But it wasn't until we had mastered the last climb that we thought about winning," said a delighted Frischknecht.

Tight and exciting

For Schurter and Stirnemann, the fifth day brought more than "just" another podium finish: with their lead of over 2:30 minutes over Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini, the two Swiss riders were able to work their way up to second place overall and are now only 1:42 minutes behind the leaders. Sauser and Kulhavy lose just over half a minute to Fumic/Avancini and are now in third place overall - but still within striking distance at 2:15 minutes behind.

With these narrow gaps between the top three, there is more excitement than ever. In terms of the final result, the remaining three stages are likely to be really exciting again.
Andri Frischknecht and Michiel Van der Heijden have also made a leap forward. They are now in seventh place. It is quite possible that they will be spurred on by their victory and push even further forward in the coming days.

Will a broken tire be the deciding factor?

Just 30 kilometers before the finish, shortly before the decisive climb to the Botrivier Pass begins, Sabine Spitz complains of a tire defect - a decent cut in the sidewall. Süss and Stenerhag pull away without a fight and win by a good three minutes ahead of Mariske Strauss and Annie Last. Around 40 seconds behind them, Spitz and de Groot ride into third place.

"We were really unlucky. Our day changed abruptly from trying to reduce the gap in the overall classification to fighting to keep the gap as small as possible," says de Groot.
Stenerhag is cautiously happy about her and Süss' victory: "Of course we are happy about the stage win and that we have a little more of a lead in the overall classification. But it's never the same when it's your opponent's bad luck.

As close as it has been between the two women's teams over the last few days, this tire defect could have been very decisive. But there are still three tough stages to come and a puncture can happen just as quickly to other teams, bringing back the tension for overall victory.

Süss and Stenerhag lead the race by 12:40 minutes ahead of Sabine Spitz and Robyn de Groot. A further 15 minutes back are Mariske Strauss and Annie Last, who were able to consolidate their position somewhat with second place on the stage.

Boredom and fast slurry

In the mixed category, the usual picture emerges: Jenny Rissveds and Thomas Frischknecht also win the fourth stage, only this time with an even bigger lead. In the overall classification, their lead over the South Africans Grant Usher and Amy Beth McDougall has grown to almost 25 minutes. But here too, a major defect due to carelessness could turn the whole situation around.

Their victory yesterday has apparently also woken up the racing bike specialists: Cadel Evans and George Hincapie win the fourth stage with a 44-second lead over Bart Brentjens and Abraao Azevedo. Tomi Misser and Ibon Zugasti finished third. In the overall classification, however, the order is still reversed. However, Misser and Zugasti's lead has shrunk to three minutes.

Bärti Bucher and Heinz Zoerweg already have a lead of almost an hour in the Grand Masters category. On the fourth stage alone, they extended their cushion by almost 20 minutes.

Cape Epic 2017, stage 4 results
Men
1.	Michiel Van der Heijden (NED) & Andri Frischknecht (SUI)	Scott-Sram Young Guns	04:10.00,3
2.	Nino Schurter & Matthias Stirnemann (SUI)	Scott Sram MTB Racing Team	04:10.00,7
3.	Manuel Fumic (GER) & Henrique Avancini (BRA)	Cannondale Factory Racing	04:12.36,1
4.	Christoph Sauser (SUI) & Jaroslav Kulhavy (CZE)	Investec Songo Specialized	04:13.17,2
5.	Leonardo Paez Leon (COL) & Max Knox (RSA)	Kansai Plascon	04:14.22,8
6.	Nicola Rohrbach (SUI) & Daniel Geismayr (AUT)	Centurion Vaude 2	04:14.57,7
7.	Karl Platt (GER) & Urs Huber (SUI)	Bulls	04:15.16,3
8.	Alban Lakata (AUT) & Kristian Hynek (CZE)	Topeak Ergon Racing	04:16.38,1
9.	Nico Bell & Gawie Combrinck (RSA)	NAD Pro MTB	04:16.39.3
10.	Frans Claes & Sebastien Carabin (BEL)	Claes - Carabin	04:16.45,6
Women
1.	Esther Süss (SUI) & Jennie Stenerhag (SWE)	Meerendal CBC	05:05.58,2
2.	Mariske Strauss (RSA) & Annie Last (GBR)	Hansgrohe Cadence OMX Pro	05:09.00,7
3.	Sabine Spitz (GER) & Robyn de Groot (RSA)	Ascendis Health	05:09.40,5
4.	Ariane Lüthi (SUI) & Adelheid Morath (GER)	Track	05:13.35,7
5.	Candice Lill (RSA) & Vera Adrian (NAM)	DormaKaba SA	05:14.42,6
6.	Carmen Buchacher (RSA) & Michelle Vorster (NAM)	Hollard-Velocity SportLab	05:14.46,8
7.	Hielke Elferink (NED) & Cornelia Hug (SUI)	Meerendal CBC 2	05:18.03,1
8.	Jeannie Bomford & Samantha Sanders (RSA)	Merchants	05:22.06,4
9.	Fienie Barnard & Delene van der Leek (RSA)	LivBeyond	05:29.35,3
10.	Alice Pirard (BEL) & Sabrina Enaux (FRA)	Track Foundation	05:36.09,3
Mixed	Johan Labuschagne (RSA) & Catherine Williamson (GBR)	Tech - Mitas
1.	Jenny Rissveds (SWE) & Thomas Frischknecht (SUI)	Scott Sram NextLevel	04:54.59,2
2.	Grant Usher & Amy Beth Mc Dougall (RSA)	Joberg2C - Valencia	05:03.21,0
3.	Corrie Muller & Mari Rabie (RSA)	Fairtree Capital	05:07.02,5
4.	Johan Labuschagne (RSA) & Catherine Williamson (GBR)	Tech - Mitas	05:18.46,3
5.	Heinz Posch & Nina Brenn (SUI)	Meerendal CBC 4	05:28.06,8
Masters
1.	Cadel Evans (AUS) & George Hincapie (USA)	BMC Absa Racing Team	04:38.28,7
2.	Bart Brentjens (NED) & Abraao Azevedo (BRA)	CST Sandd American Eagle	04:39.13,4
3.	Tomi Misser & Ibon Zugasti (ESP)	Orbea Factory	04:41.00,1
Grand Masters
1.	Bärti Bucher (SUI) & Heinz Zoerweg (AUT)	Meerendal CBC 3	04:59.47,1
2.	Greg Anderson & Deon Kruger (RSA)	Absa Bus Boys	05.19.36,2
3.	Waleed Baker & Marius Nel (RSA)	Pitstop1Sport24hrs	05:21.14,5
Total men
1.	Manuel Fumic (GER) & Henrique Avancini (BRA)		15:18.13,5
2.	Nino Schurter & Matthias Stirnemann (SUI)		15:19.55,9
3.	Christoph Sauser (SUI) & Jaroslav Kulhavy (CZE)		15:20.28,8
4.	Leonardo Paez Leon (COL) & Max Knox (RSA)		15:29.46,3
5.	Nicola Rohrbach (SUI) & Daniel Geismayr (AUT)		15:30.57,1
All women
1.	Esther Süss (SUI) & Jennie Stenerhag (SWE)		18:19.21,2
2.	Sabine Spitz (GER) & Robyn de Groot (RSA)		18:32.01,3
3.	Mariske Strauss (RSA) & Annie Last (GBR)		18:46.45,8
4.	Ariane Lüthi (SUI) & Adelheid Morath (GER)		19:10.10,0
5.	Candice Lill (RSA) & Vera Adrian (NAM)		19:15.33,6
Total Mixed
1.	Jenny Rissveds (SWE) & Thomas Frischknecht (SUI)		18:16.07,2
2.	Grant Usher & Amy Beth Mc Dougall (RSA)		18:40.53,6
3.	Johan Labuschagne (RSA) & Catherine Williamson (GBR)		19:10.35,8
Overall Masters
1.	Tomi Misser & Ibon Zugasti (ESP)		17:09.17,7
2.	Bart Brentjens (NED) & Abraao Azevedo (BRA)		17:12-24.1
3.	Cadel Evans (AUS) & George Hincapie (USA)		17:18.40,4
Total GM
1.	Bärti Bucher (SUI) & Heinz Zoerweg (AUT)		18:15.30,8
2.	Greg Anderson & Deon Kruger (RSA)		19:13.22,0
3.	Waleed Baker & Marius Nel (RSA)		20:25.31,2