Namibian champion Alex Miller and, former South African marathon champion, Samantha Sanders\u00a0 conquered the Attakwaskloof and temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius to win the 2024 Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen. The race, which took place on Saturday, 20 January, from Chandelier Game Lodge, near Oudtshoorn, to Pine Creek Resort, in Great Brak River, was war of attrition. The Toyota Specialized man was the form rider throughout the 121 kilometre course, while Efficient Infiniti Insure\u2019s Sanders rode a tactically astute race to win the women\u2019s title.
\nThe Mercury was already dangerously high on Friday afternoon as the nearly 1 000 riders registered to take on the Hell of the South. As a result, Dryland Event Management instituted a mandatory regulation stipulating the minimum volume of fluid riders were allowed to start with. This and the relatively fresh memories of the scorching 2022 edition led to cautious approaches by the elite men and women.
\nThe racing, across the Klein Karoo, in the early morning hours was actually conducted in pleasant temperatures. Yet, nobody was keen to overcommit. As such a large group of men remained together through the first 46 kilometres, to Water Point 2. Only there did the race begin to break up, as they approached the Attakwas Nature Reserve.
\n\u201cRuan [Lochner] and the support crew guys were just super-fast on the bottle change,\u201d PYGA Euro Steel\u2019s Pieter du Toit praised. \u201cLeaving the water point I suddenly had a 20 second lead. So, I pushed on to see what could happen.\u201d
\nThe other riders\u2019 slower stop left Du Toit out front on his own, until an elite selection began to make inroads into his lead. \u201cOn the climb towards the King of the Mountain hotspot I saw Matt [Beers], Alex [Miller], Marco [Joubert], Wessel [Botha] and Michael [Foster] catching up. Michael then went past so fast! He took the KOM and then exploded pretty soon after the summit,\u201d Du Toit explained.
\nThrough the Attakwaskloof the top five riders, after Foster dropped out of contention, were the two Toyota Specialized men, Miller and Beers, the Imbuko Pro Cycling riders, Joubert and Botha, and the PYGA Euro Steel rider. They remained within touch of each other until Water Point 3, at Bonniedale when Du Toit began to struggle.
\n\u201cI think Alex was the strongest rider all day,\u201d Joubert noted. \u201cHe pushed the pace on the rolling roads after water point 3.\u201d \u201cI felt good and rode a tempo I was comfortable with,\u201d Miller revealed.
\nWith Du Toit 2 minutes off the pace, after 90 kilometres of racing Botha slipped out of contention.
\nJoubert was next to drop from the group, but he fought hard to keep Miller and Beers in sight.
\nFor 15 kilometres he kept the Toyota Specialized pair a 40 second advantage, but on the toughest climb in the closing kilometres both Joubert and Beers lost their battle with Miller. The Namibian maintained his tempo on the two steep kicks, while Beers slipped from his wheel. Initially the defending champion conceded 10 metres, then with the next ramp he ceded another 40. Over the summit Miller maintained the pressure and the gap ballooned out to 30 seconds by the final water point.<\/p>\n
Miller raced through, grabbing a cup of water to pour over his head to cool himself off. Beers however stopped and doused himself in water, happily handing the leader more time. Joubert, similarly took some time at the water point.
\n\u201cEven though I knew I had a good lead I was worried in the final kilometres,\u201d Miller confessed. \u201cThe last climb was okay, but I was a bit worried on the flat roads. Matt [Beers] is so strong on the flats, so I wasn\u2019t confident until I stared descending to the finish.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019ve done the Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen, twice and twice I\u2019ve lost in a sprint. So, taking the win this year means a lot. On a new team, on a new bike. It\u2019s a great way to start the year!\u201d Miller smiled.
\nIn the women\u2019s race Sanders was part of an early elite breakaway. She was joined by Italian cross-country specialist Greta Seiwald, Danielle Strydom and defending champion Sarah Hill. \u201cDanielle\u00a0 [Strydom] was surging a bit and setting too fast a tempo,\u201d Hill said, explaining how the women\u2019s field broke apart. \u201cI decided, because of the heat, to rather not go with that group and to ride my own race.\u201d
\nStrydom climbed to the Queen of the Mountain hotspot but Sanders and Seiwald remained in contact. Through the Attakwaskloof the top three women held their positions, while Hill had some difficult moments. Exiting the kloof Sanders upped the tempo. \u201cMy plan had always been to take it easy to Bonniedale and Water Point 3, from there I had intended to push on,\u201d Sanders retold. \u201cI think Danielle spent too many matched on the early climbs and she\u2019ll learn from her first Attakwas
\nexperience. Once I took the lead, I could hear Greta [Seiwald] was breathing harder than me, on my wheel.\u201d
\nThe pressure told on the Rockrider Ford star, who was making her marathon racing debut. \u201cIt\u2019s my first ever XCM,\u201d Seiwald laughed. \u201cNow I know why you call it the Hell of the South. It was hard, but I really enjoyed it!\u201d
\nSanders and Seiwald rode in first and second, separated by a steadily increasing margin through the second half of the route. Once in the lead Sanders\u2019 victory was never in doubt. Though the minor podium places underwent late changes. Strydom faded through the last 40 kilometres while Hill regained her rhythm to finish strong, in third. Kelsey van Schoor ran out of road to reel Strydom in, and had to be content with fifth, 3 minutes off Strydom in fourth.
\nThe Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen, also has fiercely contested age category competitions. Alexander Lawrence was the fastest of the Open Men, Damian van As won the Sub-Veteran Men\u2019s, Michael Postumus was the first age grouper home, in twentythird overall to win the Veteran Men\u2019s category. Fanie Venter was the first of the Master\u2019s Men and William Aymes was the Grand Master\u2019s champion. The Veteran Women\u2019s winner was Chantelle
\nBosch, Nicky Botes won the Master\u2019s Women division, and Colleen Jacobs was crowned queen of the Women\u2019s Grand Master\u2019s category.
\nIn the shorter distance races, Eden Cycling\u2019s talented young riders contested for age category positions. The 47 kilometre \u201cHalf\u201d route saw Samuel Cleary and Ilandrie Du Plessis win the Junior Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s (17-18 years) categories, while Dean Woolley and Rachelle Botha were victorious in the Youth Boys and Girls (15-16 years) races. Nico Van Nysschen and Lara Van Der Vyver were the Junior Boys and Girls (13-14 years) competitions in the 32 kilometre \u201cMini\u201d.<\/p>\n
photo: Italian XCO specialist, Greta Seiwald made her XCM debut at the Momentum Medical 2024 Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen, Results:
\nScheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen. Photo by Oakpics.com.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nMen:
\n1. Alex Miller: Toyota Specialized (4:49:22)
\n2. Matt Beers: Toyota Specialized (4:51:47 | +2:25)
\n3. Marco Joubert: Imbuko Pro Cycling (4:53:58 | +4:36)
\n4. Wessel Botha: Imbuko Pro Cycling (4:58:34 | +9:12)
\n5. Pieter du Toit: PYGA Euro Steel (5:03:04 | +13:42)
\nWomen:
\n1. Samantha Sanders: Efficient Infiniti Insure (6:05:32)
\n2. Greta Seiwald: Rockrider Ford (6:11:58 | +6:26)
\n3. Sarah Hill: Complete Cyclist (6:40:08 | +34:36)
\n4. Danielle Strydom: Efficient Infiniti Insure (6:46:32 | +41:00)
\n5. Kelsey van Schoor: Pirtek Cube (6:49:48 | +44:16)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"