The 2023 Old Mutual Wealth Double Century took place in warm conditions, from Swellendam,
\non Saturday, 25 November. A steady, if not stiff, headwind made record and personal best
\nchasing difficult, but did not stifle the racing. DMS & Co went out fast and overcame punctures
\nto key riders to win the title in commanding fashion. Paceline won the women\u2019s race, while
\nPrivate Client Holdings raced to a stellar third place overall, en route to victory in the mixed
\ncategory.
\nThe 202 kilometre route, which is raced in a team time trial format, took 260 teams and 2\u00a0780
\nriders from Swellendam on a loop through the Klein Karoo and Breede River Valley back to
\nSwellendam. Famous climbs on the course included the Tradouw and Op de Tradouw Passes,
\nas well as the smaller but no less ferocious Three Stooges, in the final 20 kilometres. Between
\nthe early and final climbs the course alternated between rolling roads and high-speed flat drags
\nalong the Breede River.
\n\u201cIt felt like it was headwind all day,\u201d Matthew Daneel, of Joey\u2019s Vleisprodukte, puffed on the
\nfinish line. \u201cWe need to speak to the weatherman. That was rough.\u201d
\nThose sentiments were echoed by Lidl Trek superstar, Jasper Stuyven who rode for the Old
\nMutual Wealth sponsored LPC squad. \u201cIt got a bit hard at the end,\u201d the 2021 Milan-San Remo
\nwinner laughed. \u201cIt was warm and it was a long day. The final was a bit harder than I\u2019d
\nanticipated, especially after some long pulls earlier.\u201d
\nEven the race winners had their difficulties. DMS & Co were the final team off the line, but rode
\nthe first 50 kilometres hard in order to put themselves in a good position in relation to their rivals.
\nYet, as Kent Main, pointed out they were never certain that they were in the lead on the time
\ncharts. \u201cIt was brutal,\u201d Main confessed. \u201cEvery time I think I have the pacing and nutrition dialled
\nthe Old Mutual Wealthy Double Century catches me. It was hot and it was a long day. But we
\nhad some very strong guys in our team, luckily. It\u2019s always good to be back at this race, but it\u2019s
\neven better to be finished.\u201d
\n\u201cI had a puncture on the first stage, and had to change it and chase back, so I didn\u2019t really have
\na rest at the first feed zone,\u201d Main continued. \u201cIt catches up with you. Chris [Jooste] punctured
\non the second stage so he had to chase back too. Things like that and this race in general take
\ntheir toll on the body. You have to be on good form if you want to do well here.\u201d
\nMain and his teammates \u2013 Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, Keanan Roodt, Gustav Basson, Willie
\nSmit, Gert Heyns, Jaco Venter, Chris Jooste and Eric Kros \u2013 stopped the clock in 4 hours, 49
\nminutes and 43 seconds. Rouleur Tritans Racing posted the second-best time on the day, 10
\nminutes and 43 seconds slower than the winners. Mik Wertheim Aymes, Matt Trautman, Marc<\/p>\n
Kourie, Ewert Kleyhhans, Raymond Wagener and Travis Johnston made up the second placed
\nteam.
\nThe ride of the day was arguably achieved by the Private Client Holdings team. The mixed
\ncategory winners were just 6 seconds off the second placed team, Rouleur Tritans Racing\u2019s,
\ntime. Alice Towers, Frances Janse van Rensburg, Zanri Rossouw and Hayley Preen helped
\nLucas Towers, Kai von During, Matthew Leppan, Kelton Miller, Rogan Smart, Cameron MacNair
\nand Tiano da Silva to a dominant category win, and a historic overall achievement. Their ride
\nwas made more impressive by the fact that they earned a Charles Milner medal, for finishing
\nwith their full compliment of 12 riders.
\n\u201cI rode last year with a men\u2019s team and I\u2019d say this year, in a mixed team, was arguably even
\nharder,\u201d Smart smiled. \u201cThe Old Mutual Wealth Double Century is always fun\u2026 especially when
\nyou race with a great bunch of riders like I did today.\u201d
\nPrivate Client Holdings were joined on the mixed category podium by the Wine Lands Mixed
\nand Hit Squad teams. With the second placed team finishing 14 minutes behind the winners and
\nthe next team crossing the line 20 minutes down.
\nIn the women\u2019s race the Paceline team set out with a similar plan and intensity to the DMS & Co
\nsquad. They started fast and caught their closest rivals on the road. The loss of a couple of
\nteam members nearly derailed the Paceline team\u2019s early good work, but they rallied and closed
\nout the final 50 kilometres in dominant fashion. \u201cIt was a tough day out, but it was amazing to
\nsee how the women in our team worked together,\u201d Ila Stow praised. \u201cIt\u2019s inspiring to see the
\nwomen\u2019s racing like this, the riders giving everything and sacrificing themselves for the team.
\nWe had a good day out, there were highs and lows but we didn\u2019t let that bother us. We just
\ncarried on and stuck to the game plan.\u201d
\nThe women who crossed the line to secure the victory were: Layla Schwellnus, Kylie Hanekom,
\nIla Stow, Catherine Pellow-Jarman, Sarita Louw, and Charlissa Schultz. Their winning time was
\n6 hours, 9 minutes and 52 seconds. Cape Multisport Club were second, 3 minutes and 11
\nseconds back, with the Tiletoria women in third.<\/p>\n
2023 Old Mutual Wealth Double Century Results:
\nOpen Teams:
\n1. DMS & Co (4:49:43)
\n2. Rouleur Tritans Racing (5:00:26 | +10:43)
\n3. Private Client Holdings Mixed (5:00:32 | +10:49)
\nMen\u2019s Teams:
\n4. DMS & Co (4:49:43)
\n5. Rouleur Tritans Racing (5:00:26 | +10:43)
\n6. East City Cycles (5:03:51 | +14:08)
\nWomen\u2019s Teams:
\n1. Paceline (6:09:52)
\n2. Cape Multisport Club Ladies (6:13:03 | +3:11)
\n3. Tiletoria (6:54:18 | +44:26)
\nMixed Teams:
\n1. Private Client Holdings Mixed (5:00:32)<\/p>\n
2. Wine Lands Mixed (5:14:48 | +14:16)
\n3. Hit Squad (5:20:31 | +19:59)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"