First win for MTB giants Beukes and Buys
The 'Race with Soul' champions were crowned in front of the Queen's Hotel in Oudtshoorn on last Saturday.
After six spectacular stages and 530km in the saddle, Team Pyga Euro Steel's Matthys Beukes and Philip Buys stormed to victory at the 10th edition of the Momentum Health Cape Pioneer Trek presented by Biogen.
It was a first-time win as a team for South Africa's mountain biking giants. Buys said it feels good to be back on racing form. "I haven't done a serious stage race in ages, and was quickly reminded of how sore the legs get from competing at this level. I've never won this event before - it's all been incredible."
Beukes, who grew up in Oudtshoorn and now resides in George, is a familiar favourite at the iconic event. He, together with Gert Heyns, won it in 2015.
With high-priority races like the ABSA Cape Epic coming up, he explained, "I know these trails really well. We get to encounter some tough terrain out there that puts our bikes and bodies to the test.
This race is really good preparation for the major events on our international racing calendar."
The highly competitive Team Spur Specialized made it a hard-fought win for Buys and Beukes.
After his 2017 victory in the Momentum Health Cape Pioneer Trek presented by Biogen, Alan Hatherly teamed up with Denmark's Simon Andreassen with a strong drive to defend the coveted title. After a week of fighting tooth and nail, Hatherly, Andreassen, Beukes and Buys set off for the final 67km stage through Chandelier Game Reserve.
With the brutal Klein Karoo terrain to conquer, a puncture or mechanical hitch could have ended the race for either team. Caution was thrown to the wind, however, as they threw down the gauntlet and engaged in a head-to-head battle with the hope of forcing a mistake from their competitors.
It was Hatherly who actually crossed the finish line first, but with Beukes and Buys only seconds behind him, Pyga Euro Steel secured the overall victory. "Having such tight competition was great. It's really good for mountain biking as a sport in South Africa and it forced us to push beyond what we thought we were actually capable of," said Buys. The women's field saw an international victory from the German-Dutch pair of Cemile Trommer and Karen Brouwer.
With the pink jerseys on their back and an overall lead, yet another stage win proved that Trommer and Brouwer have forged a formidable duo.
Champagne flowed at the finish line as close to 500 riders celebrated the culmination of a week's hard riding and many happy smiles reflected the uniquely South African scenes and spirit of the Cape Pioneer.