{"id":3704,"date":"2024-07-12T07:24:32","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T05:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/?p=3704"},"modified":"2024-07-15T09:20:31","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T07:20:31","slug":"b-well-around-the-pot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/12\/b-well-around-the-pot\/","title":{"rendered":"B-Well Around the Pot"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the 2024 B-Well Around the Pot, presented by SEESA, takes place on the 26th<\/sup>\u00a0and 27th<\/sup>\u00a0of July some of South Africa\u2019s best gravel racers will be on the start line. With the fields split between the 100- and 200-Miler distances the national endurance and ultra-endurance gravel scene will converge on the Overberg town of Swellendam. The race is headlined by the former South African gravel champions, Matt Beers and his Toyota Specialized teammate, Cherise Willeit.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe depth of the elite women\u2019s field has grown in leaps and bounds and I would say gravel is the most competitive discipline in South Africa at the moment, as you see riders from all disciplines come together on the gravel start line,\u201d Willeit said of gravel racing generally. \u201cGravel just also seems less intimidating than mountain biking, so it breaks down the barrier to entry for newbies but also, the route is away from main traffic so riders don\u2019t have to be as fearful for motorists. There also seems to be a lull when it comes to racing, especially on the road calendar, in winter and the gravel events fill that gap perfectly.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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\u201cI love the fact that gravel tests all your abilities \u2013 your technical strength, endurance and tactics,\u201d Willeit continued. \u201cIt truly, in my opinion, is the discipline that measures all but in some sense doesn\u2019t have the seriousness to it quite yet so you see competitors still laughing and making jokes during the event and really having fun.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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Fun is certainly part of the appeal of the B-Well Around the Pot. With distances from 25 miles, or 42 kilometres, up to 200 miles, or 320 kilometres, the event has a distance for all types of gravel riders. Newcomers and younger riders can take on the short route and enjoy the beauty of the Bontebok National Park. The 60 Miler race takes on just under 100 kilometres of gravel roads and includes a crossing of the Breede River on the Malgas Pont.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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The flagship 100 Miler distance will see the majority of the elite racers lining up to contest for the honour of being crowned champion of one of the country\u2019s most prestigious gravel races. Due to the cancellation of the 2023 event, because of torrential rain, Beers is technically the reigning champion. \u201cThe roads are quite nice and smooth in the Overberg, in comparison to the chunky gravel of the US,\u201d Beers said, reflecting on the differences between local and international gravel racing. \u201cI think the rollers of the B-Well Around the Pot route are quite big compared to the US, or at least where I\u2019ve raced. The closest comparison would be to racing in Colorado. It\u2019s a hard route because you\u2019re on the pedals all day. Not only are the rollers bigger to climb, but they\u2019re not that steep going downhill so you must pedal them out too. That makes it really hard and produces a worthy winner.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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Beers\u2019 teammate, Johan van Zyl will make his debut at the 2024 race. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of an unknown for me, I haven\u2019t raced that much gravel yet,\u201d the 22-year-old confessed. \u201cI have a lot to learn, but there\u2019s nobody better to learn from than Matt [Beers]. So, I\u2019m pretty excited for the B-Well Around the Pot!\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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Beers and Van Zyl will be up against a formidable line-up of gravel racers, with road and mountain bike specialists converging on Swellendam to contest for the title. The women\u2019s race, over the 100-Miler distance, is shaping up to be as fiercely contested for their teammate Willeit. Fellow former South African Champion, Hayley Preen should be Willeit\u2019s fiercest competition, while Catherin Colyn and rising gravel talent Layla Schwellnus will be in contention for podium places with Elrika Harmzen-Pretorius and adventure racer Suzaan Hobson.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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The elite women will start alongside the men, in one mass start, which produces a challenging and highly tactical racing environment. \u201cIf we start with the men, it\u2019s basically \u2018hak en k@k\u2019 for as long as you can; without burning too many matches,\u201d Willeit laughed. \u201cNonetheless, you have to choose wisely where you attack and to make it count when you do. It\u2019s a long race and nutrition is vital, especially in the last 20 kilometres.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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Support from Food Lover\u2019s Market, in terms of ample water point whole foods as well as sweet treats, and Enduren sports nutrition supplements will help the less competitive athletes through long days on the bike. The elite racers, like Willeit, are unlikely to stop for more than a top-up of their bottles, but further back in the field aid station aficionados will be eagerly anticipating well-stoked water points.\u00a0<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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\u201cEquipment choices will also be vital,\u201d Willeit added. The racing has evolved significantly since the first edition in 2017. Long gone are the days of riders on mountain bikes being able to contest the finale alongside men or women on gravel bikes. \u201cI\u2019ll be riding my Specialized Diverge with Pathfinder 42 millimetre tyres,\u201d Willeit confirmed. \u201cI\u2019m still playing around with tyre pressure a bit, but I expect I\u2019ll race between 1.8 and 2 bar.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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200-Miler competitors will be even more acutely focused on their equipment choices, especially as they add the weight of lights and additional cold weather apparel to their set-ups. The favourite for the ultra-distance race is the Namibian endurance specialist, Drikus Coetzee. He will be up against Reece McDonald, Dean Hopf, and Grant Lottering; though Lottering is using the race as training for his upcoming Impossible Challenge. The women\u2019s 200-Miler should be an even more closely contested affair as Tyla Setzkorn takes on Jessica Wilkinson, and Nicola Freitas.\u00a0<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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Limited entries to the 2024 B-Well Around the Pot, presented by SEESA, are still available from the race website:\u00a0www.aroundthepot.co.za<\/a>. Online entries close on 23 July at midnight, thereafter late entries will be available, for all distances, at registration on the 26th<\/sup>\u00a0of July. To follow the build-up to the event and to receive updates on the gravel road conditions along the route like the\u00a0Around the Pot<\/a>\u00a0Facebook page and follow\u00a0@around_the_pot<\/a>\u00a0on Instagram.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

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2024 B-Well Around the Pot<\/u><\/u><\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Race Date<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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26 & 27 July 2024<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Start\/Finish<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Swellendam Showgrounds<\/a><\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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25 Miler<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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42km with 500m of climbing<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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60 Miler<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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98km with 1\u00a0500m of climbing<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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100 Miler<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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160km with 2\u00a0350m of climbing<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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200 Miler<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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320km with 3\u00a0900m of climbing<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Website<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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www.aroundthepot.co.za<\/a><\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Facebook<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Around the Pot<\/a><\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Instagram<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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@around_the_pot<\/a><\/u><\/u><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the 2024 B-Well Around the Pot, presented by SEESA, takes place on the 26th\u00a0and 27th\u00a0of July some of South Africa\u2019s best gravel racers will Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[182],"class_list":["post-3704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycling","tag-around-the-pot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3704"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3719,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3704\/revisions\/3719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}