Arno du Toit and Keagan Bontekoning proved that mountain bikes are faster, even in near ideal conditions, than gravel bikes by smashing the Trans Baviaans course record and holding off the drop-bar charge of Rossouw Bekker and Matthys Beukes. The Insect Science team set a new record time of 7 hours, 29 minutes, and 5 seconds on Saturday, 10 August. The top three men’s teams all dipped below the 2018 previous best time. In the women’s race, Jessica Wilkinson and Rebecca van Huyssteen claimed the title, ahead of the PEAK Chicks.
Smooth roads leading to and out of the Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve as well as tail winds made for the ideal conditions to achieve fast times. This played into the hands of the gravel bikers, initially. “Valley [Electrical Titan Racing] made it quite hard with some roadie attacks in the first 100 kilometres,” Bontekoning revealed. “Eventually they got away and we had to just manage the gap as best we could. But as soon as they got into the kloof they started to struggle with the rougher terrain and we managed to ride them in quite easily.”
“After Check Point 3 the mountain bikes were definitely faster, and we were able to ride our own pace,” the Insect Science man continued. “It seemed like Matthys [Beukes] started to struggle on the Fangs and MAC. We could see them behind us on the Mother of All Climbs and saw that we were extending our advantage.”
“From Bergplaas we just kept the pedals turning but obviously didn’t know what our advantage was until we reached Check Point 5, at the 180 kilometre mark,” Bontekoning added. “There we heard that the gap was 8 minutes, so then it was all about maintaining our momentum to the finish. I took some shots in the final 50 kilometres, but Arno [du Toit] was a machine!”
Bontekoning and Du Toit’s winning margin was 7 minutes and 32 seconds over the Valley Electrical Titan Racing squad. “It was a hard race, but I enjoyed it,” Bekker stated. “In the end I think we just got outclimbed by a more evenly matched Insect Science duo. We lost about 5 minutes on MAC and making that back up was a tall order for anyone. Overall though I feel the gravel bike, with 2.1 inch mountain bike tyres and a 30mm travel fork, was the faster and more efficient bike. I managed to get through the whole kloof without having to walk anything except while crossing the Langwater, which I think most people had to walk anyway.”
“I’ll definitely be back, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, and will give it another shot on gravel bikes,” Bekker concluded. The Valley Electrical Titan Racing and Insect Science teams were joined on the podium by the 24/7 Security Fuel X combination of former winner, Erick Heyns, and Jan Withaar.
In the women’s race the SHEOVITA team rode to a commanding victory over three teams who all finished within 21 minutes of each other. Wilkinson and Van Huyssteen’s time was 10 hours, 38 minutes and 57 seconds, which was 30 minutes and 42 ahead of Jodi Zulberg and Parys Edwards in second. The PEAK Chicks were 6 minutes and 23 seconds quicker than Julia Marx and Karla Stumpf. The Pirtek Cube Maties Cycling women held off Tracey Campbell and Jolene Rossouw by 14 minutes and 10 seconds to claim the final podium place.
“Trans Baviaans was incredible, we were blessed great weather,” Wilkinson said. “The route is exceptionally special and I’d recommend doing the race to absolutely everyone!”
“Becks [Rebecca van Huyssteen] and I rode really well together and I’m very proud of our teamwork,” the CIOVITA athlete manager added. “We kept it consistent after a fast start, but once we found our pace we managed to ride at a good rhythm for the rest of the race. We both had a few issues with our drivetrains, with the AXS batteries, so we had to take extra caution through the many deep river crossings.”
“It was extremely hot too, which is strange for Trans Baviaans,” she added. “So, it was quite a challenge with what to wear at some points, because we were expecting it to get cold, but it never did. We even had to stop on the Neverender to take our jackets off and despite finishing at 20:30 we were able to finish in just our CIOVITA Speed Suits, which is a first for me, during this cold and wet winter, since March.”
Trans Baviaans Repeat riders can expect similarly warm temperatures when they take on the kloof on Saturday, 17 August. The temperature is predicted to rise as high as 25 degrees in the Baviaanskloof with a low of 10 degrees predicted for the morning in Willowmore. More importantly, perhaps, is the anticipated west and north westerly breezes. Another event with tail winds will help the make the Repeat a speedy edition too, though without the firepower of Insect Science et al, it is highly unlikely that the newly set record will be challenged.
To share in the action, as it unfolds for the second time across the 227 kilometre route, follow @transbaviaans on Instagram or like the Trans Baviaans 24HR MTB Race Facebook page. For more information, to download route files, and to read the 2024 Race or Supporter Guides visit www.transbaviaans.co.za.
2024 Trans Baviaans Race Results
Men’s Teams:
- Insect Science: Arno du Toit & Keagan Bontekoning (7:29:05)
- Valley Electrical Titan Racing: Rossouw Bekker & Matthys Beukes (7:36:37)
- 24/7 Security / Fuel X: Erick Heyns & Jan Withaar (7:48:49)
- Coimbra Masters: Vickus Boshoff & Iniel Hattingh (8:32:32 | 1st Masters Team)
- Knysna Toyota: Rogan Smart & Matthew Leppan (8:34:51)
Women’s Teams:
- SHEOVITA: Rebecca van Huyssteen & Jessica Wilkinson (10:38:57)
- PEAK Chicks: Jodi Zulberg & Parys Edwards (11:09:38)
- Pirtek Cube Maties Cycling: Julia Marx & Karla Stumpf (11:16:01)
- Pocket Rockets: Tracey Campbell & Jolene Rossouw (11:30:11)
- Pedal Pursuit: Elana Swart & Nickey Botes (11:44:39)
Mixed Teams:
- e-FORT: Elrika Harmzen-Pretorius & Alexander Lawrance (9:37:28)
- TEG/ACTOP 2: Francois Kemp & Beverley Wingfield (9:52:05)
- Nortje & De Villiers Racing: Maureen Jordaan & David-John van der Merwe (10:07:21)
- NUK – Dummy Run: Juanita Mackenzie & Neill Clark (10:13:14)
- Coral Clean Mix: Renaldo Wessels & John Hayes (11:32:35)
To view the full results from the 2024 Trans Baviaans Race click here.
