Matt Beers proved a class apart at the 2024 B-well Around the Pot, presented by SEESA, 100 Miler on the 27th of July. The gravel race, from the Overberg town of Swellendam, boasted four route options which took in 200-, 100-, 60-, and 25-Mile courses across the rolling hills of the Rûens. Beers was joined at the top of the podium by Catherine Colyn in the 100 Miler, while Joshua Scherer and Nicola Freitas were crowned 200 Miler Champions.
The action kicked off on Friday evening, at 21:00, with the 200 Miler race. Reece McDonald, Joshua Scherer, and Dean Hopf were the early pace setters. McDonald and Scherer proved inseparable throughout the night and it was only when the former withdrew at Ou Plaas, with 60 kilometres to race, that Scherer’s path to victory cleared. The Specialized South Africa rider finished strong, after battling with a flat battery on his front bike light in the early hours of the morning, to claim the second edition title in a time of 11 hours, 11 minutes and 36 seconds.
McDonald’s problem was also caused by a flat battery. His rear derailer battery died during the night, forcing him into a single speed which in turn caused him to become near hyperthermic from freewheeling at high speed. Scherer was joined on the podium by Hopf and Timothy Hoek. Remarkably, Hoek had only decided to upgrade from the 100- to the 200 Miler on Thursday evening.
In the women’s 200 Miler, Freitas and Jessica Wilkinson pushed each other throughout, only finishing 11 minutes and 34 seconds apart. The champion made her break near Protem, 84 kilometres into the race, but Wilkinson never gave up the chase. Francis Visser completed the podium places after a solid performance.
“It’s important for the women’s race to be competitive,” Freitas noted. “Jess [Wilkinson] hurt me out there, we rode together initially then she pushed me all the way. It makes the racing exciting when it’s so close, and keeps us motivated too.”
Though the men’s 100 Miler was closer, on the clock, it felt like a more commanding victory for Beers. The Toyota Specialized rider attacked soon after the neutral zone came to an end and none of his rivals were able to follow. “I thought I might be able to help Herman [Fourie] bridge across, but I did one big turn and then couldn’t pull through again,” Arno du Toit grimaced. “I sat up and waited for the chase group and Herman soon did the same. We rolled together nicely chasing Matt [Beers] but he kept extending his advantage.”
“It certainly wasn’t the plan,” Beers confirmed. “I had no intention on riding such a long and lonely race, but when you find yourself in a situation like that you have to make the most of it. The gravel was great out there though. It was so smooth and fast, in fact on some descents with the tailwind it was almost sketchy fast.”
Beers established a 10 minute buffer by the Check Point at Ou Plaas, at the 96 kilometre mark. With up to 30 minutes allotted to him to rest, Beers opted to wait for support for the headwind slog back to Swellendam. “With a lead established I knew I only had to stay with the chase group after the Check Point,” he explained. “I thought I could then save some energy for a late attack, but it didn’t come to that.”
Dan Loubser, Du Toit and Cronje Beukes were the next men to reach Ou Plaas. Fourie had suffered a mechanical 30 kilometres from the Check Point and was chasing his erstwhile companions. Loubser was quick to leave with Beers, while the rest regrouped for a concerted push to the line. Beukes, Fourie, Du Toit – until he punctured – Freddie Visser and Lood Goosen worked well in the closing 60 kilometres. This allowed both Beukes and Fourie to ride their way into the podium places, behind Beers, relegating Loubser – who had crossed the line ahead of them – to fifth.
Beers’ winning time was 4 hours, 15 minute, and 6 seconds. Beukes was 5 minutes and 14 seconds slower across the course, 1 minute and 38 seconds quicker than Fourie. Visser’s reward for his contributions in the final kilometres of the race was a fourth-place finish. While Loubser’s 90 second stop at the Check Point probably proved the wrong decision as he finished 11:26 behind the winner, in fifth.
In the women’s race Colyn was able to remain with a fast group of men, despite a dramatic crash in a muddy section. “One section I was following a wheel though a huge puddle and the next my front wheel just stopped turning, it slipped out from under me and I went down,” Colyn smiled. “I was laughing before I hit the ground because I could feel it wasn’t going to be a bad fall; but still, I landed in the water which was icy cold!”
Colyn’s nearest rival for the first half of the race was Layla Schwellnus. The Enjoy Elves Bikes rider suffered a slow puncture soon after Colyn’s crash. Despite inflating her tyre, the pressure did not hold and she endured a sidewall cut which required a tube to fix. That also proved a temporary solution and eventually after running out of repair options Schwellnus was forced to withdraw.
This left Chloe Bishop and Suzaan Hobson in a battle for the minor podium places. The pair entered the Ou Plaas Check Point in the same group, as Colyn departed. “This is my first ever bicycle race,” Bishop confessed. “I think it was naivety and some trail running downhill skill that allowed me to stay with the group on the downhills. It was so fast at times, but maybe having no idea of the risks helped me there.”
“I’m surprised by my result,” Bishop said. “But I’ll definitely be back. My boyfriend, Dean [Hopf], said the 200 Miler was long, cold, and lonely, so I might give that a try next year.”
Colyn’s enthusiasm equalled Bishop’s, though in a perhaps more understandable to non-ultra-endurance athletes’ way. “The first six months of this year have not gone to plan at all,” the Vida e Caffè rider stated. “Winning here was really unexpected and I guess it just showcases how you have to always keep working. It’s easy to lose sight of the small milestones and achievements in training, but you have to keep ticking them off because otherwise moments like this aren’t possible.”
The newly crowned queen of the B-well Around the Pot 100 Miler’s winning time was 5 hours, 19 minutes and 20 seconds. Bishop was 31 minutes and 26 seconds back, with Hobson in third at 39:27.
