May is a busy national champs month in South Africa! We reported on the XCO and XCC national champs last episode. This episode we look at the SA Gravel Champs and the upcoming SA Marathon Champs.
Compiled by Joanne Badenhorst
The King Price Race to the Sun doubled as the 2024 National Gravel Champs. There was a strong women’s field with riders from around the country making the effort to be there, including the past two champions, Cherise Willeit, the 2023 title holder and Hayley Preen the 2022 winner.
With a separate start, the women were able to race tactically over the 160km route from Hartebeespoort Dam to Sun City. Conditions were hot with a moderate headwind, while the surface varied significantly and included tar, firm gravel, soft sand, stones and of course, corrugations.
Preen took the Queen of the Mountain prize at 106km and by 115km the lead group was down to six – Preen, Willeit, Danielle Strydom, Sarah Hill, Sam Sanders and Tyler Jacobs.
Despite a few attacks, the group entered the final 500 metres intact and it was Strydom, who races for Efficient Infiniti Insure, who put in a late surge to gain an advantage to claim the title. Willeit finished second and Preen third. This is Strydom’s first Elite national title and it was also the first time she raced a Gravel Race on a Gravel Bike.
Women’s numbers
In its various sub-category races, The King Price Race to the Sun attracted a total of 2141 participants with 391 of them women. That’s 18.25% of the total.
Here’s the breakdown:
100 Miler: 254 women out of 1650 = 15.39%
50 Miler: 108 women out of 378
Relay & eBike: 29 women out of 113 = 25.66%
Staying on the Gravel theme, The Gallows took place around the town of McGregor in the Western Cape this past weekend. The 116km race includes 2200m of ascent and finishes with a brutal climb to the summit of Galgeberg, a 12km beast with an average gradient of 12%!
Hayley Preen proved the strongest woman on the day, securing the victory. Cherise Willeit was second with Lize Cornelius rounding out the podium.
There aren’t many stages races in the Free State, but the Amohela Challenge, which launched in 2019, is building a solid profile for sure. The two-day event took place this past weekend. Based in Clarens, the race route challenges riders in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains with big climbs and thin air!
Good weather and stunning scenery greeted the participants, who could enter in a team or solo categories over the two distances.
Here are the top women finishers:
Individual Long:
1 Laura Milne 6:39:46
2 Sarah Nel 7:05:48
3 Pamina Bohrer 7:09:12
Individual Short:
1 Kelly de Vos 4:53:13
2 Jodi Lea Kearns 4:53:16
3 Mignon Black 4:55:01
KwaZulu-Natal held its 2024 provincial XCO champs this past weekend at Cascades, Pietermaritzburg. There was a good turnout in a province that’s one of the strongest in this discipline.
Not surprisingly, Tyler Jacobs won the Elite women’s title. Riley Smith secured the silver medal with Stacey Wilkinson rounding out the podium.
COMING UP
The racing intensity doesn’t really ease, with several high-profile events making the most of the mild weather before winter arrives.
Sappi Karkloof Classic – 26 May
There’s loads of attention on the Sappi Karkloof Classic this weekend because it doubles as the 2024 South African Marathon Champs. With Candice Lill racing in Europe and unable to defend her title, there’s sure to be a fierce battle for the coveted national champion’s jersey. Expect the likes of Danielle Strydom, Sam Sanders and Tyler Jacobs to be the main contenders.
MTO Uplands Classic – 26 May
The MTO Uplands Classic is one of the most popular marathon events in Mpumalanga. The 2024 edition takes place on Sunday 26 May from MTO Trails Lowveld near White River.
Great Zuurberg Trek – 24-26 May
The Great Zuurberg Trek is one of the Eastern Cape’s premier stage races. The 2024 edition sees the joining of the regular race and the eBike race in what promises to be three days of exhilarating racing in and around the Addo Elephant National Park.
The 36ONE MTB Challenge 24-26 May
The 2024 edition of the 36ONE MTB Challenge takes place in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape this week. While the 361km distance event remains the primary focus, the half-distance 189km race forms part of the 2024 Western Cape Gravel Race Series and should see a larger field than previously.
The Darling Brew Extreme – Saturday 25 May
Steadily becoming one of the more popular marathons in the Western Cape, the Darling Brew Extreme takes place on Saturday in the West Coast town of Darling. It’s a bike race and a beerfest!
UCI XCO World Cup, Nove Mesto – 23-26 May
Round 3 of the UCI XCO World Cup moves to Europe this week with the world’s top racers doing battle in the XCC and XCO disciplines. The only South African female in action is Candice Lill, who will be keen to build on her success of the first two rounds in Brazil last month which saw her move into 18th in the UCI World Rankings.
Standard Bank Berg and Bush Descent – 31 May-2 June
The popular Standard Bank Berg and Bush Descent takes place in the historic battlefields of northern KwaZulu-Natal next week. The three-day race starts with the descent from the Drakensberg to the Tugela River, one of the most iconic sections of trail in any stage race.
Magalies Monster – 1 June
One South Africa’s original mountain bike marathons will host its 23rd edition on Saturday 1 June. The race’s proximity and tough, scenic route makes it a favourite for mountain bikers from Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Ronde van Riebeek – 1 June
One of the Western Cape’s most popular Gravel Races, Ronde van Riebeek, takes place on Saturday 1 June at Riebeeck Kasteel with three routes taking in the rolling terrain of the Swartland.
Sungazer 100 Miler – 1 June
The inaugural Sungazer 100 Miler will take place at Tiffany’s Bloemfontein on Saturday 1 June. It’s an exciting addition to the calendar for a province that has very few mountain bike or gravel races.
Unbound Gravel – 1 June
After finishing ninth at Round 1 of the Life Time Grand Prix Series at Sea Otter Classic in April, South Africa’s Hayley Preen will be the only South African in the Elite women’s field at Unbound Gravel, the world’s most prestigious Gravel Race. She tackles the 325km race with 3600m of ascent for the first time!
See more details on upcoming events at our South African MTB and Gravel Calendar, presented by Biogen, here.
