The 2021 Trans Baviaans was held in unusual conditions, imposed by COVID-19 restrictions, and in difficult weather last Saturday, August 28.
Teams were able to start, in self-seeded start times, from 05:00 in order to beat the 22:00 curfew. The early start and a late winter cold front led to sub-zero temperatures with brief flurries or snow and hail falling on the 227km route.
The fastest teams across the course through the Baviaanskloof from Willowmore to Jeffreys Bay were the Young Guns, Coopetto/Darvin Trust and Wintergreen-Ciovita Barrier Breakers.
Erick Heyns and Wayne van der Walt won the men’s race. Yolande de Villiers and Dirk Coetzee won the mixed category and were third over the finish line to boot, while Elrika Harmzen-Pretorius and Leone Verster were the winning women’s team.
Following the early birds
While the non-competitive riders started at the time which suited them best, the elite men, women and mixed teams all started together at 08:00. This ensured that there was a chance of pelotons forming and helping the fastest riders knock off the first 105km to the Baviaanskloof Reserve as quickly as possible. Things transpired a little differently however, as the large groups soon splintered into smaller ones of just two or three teams.
The biggest and longest surviving group was made up by Uncle Fish, the Young Guns, Coopetto/Darvin Trust and the Coppetto. Nico Bell, of Uncle Fish, relentlessly drove the pace for his teammates, Gawie Combrinck and Gerrit de Vries.
After 70km the group started to split under the pressure exerted by Bell, with the mixed Coopetto/Darvin Trust and the Coppetto dropping off the pace.
On the Baviaans Back, after 110km, the Young Guns started to distance Uncle Fish. Heyns and Van der Walt proved on the first of the race’s significant climbs that they were the strongest climbers in the race.
Through Check Point 3, at Smitskraal, over the Fangs and up the Mother of All Climbs to Bergplaas the Young Guns slowly extended their lead. The gap never ballooned out, however, and Bell was always able to pull his teammates back into contention whenever the roads flattened out.
The Young Guns came into Check Point 4, at Bergplaas, with a three-minute lead. A slower turnabout in the check point handed a minute of their advantage back to the Uncle Fish team, which Bell, Combrinck and De Vries further whittled down over the next 30km. By the time the leaders reached the base of Neverender, with 30km to race, the two teams were back together.
It was only on the Mini MAC, the last climb of the race, that the decisive move was made. Heyns and Van der Walt were so exhausted by their efforts that they hardly celebrated upon wining the 2021 Trans Baviaans. A cloud burst in the last 15 minutes of their race had drenched them to the bone, after having already endured over eight hours of 2-to-12-degree temperatures.
Their winning time was an impressive 8 hours, 21 minutes and 29 seconds. The Uncle Fish team crossed the line just 1 minute and 16 seconds behind the race winners. Coopetto/Darvin Trust rounded out the overall podium places 15 minutes and 13 seconds later.
Victory in the mixed and women’s categories
The remarkable fact of Coopetto/Darvin Trust’s third place overall was that they were also the first mixed team over the finish line at the Fountains Mall in Jeffreys Bay.
De Villiers once again dominated the mixed race, this time with her new partner, Coetzee. Their victory margin was 1 hour, 15 minutes and 6 seconds over the Cyclopro Aspire LiveFit.
Giant/Liv rounded out the mixed category podium.
In the women’s race the Wintergreen-Ciovita Barrier Breakers rode solo through most of the 227-kilometre course to win the 2021 Trans Baviaans title. Harmzen-Pretorius and Verster had a lonely ride, passing lots slower teams who started earlier but were unable to find anyone to work with them.
The Wintergreen-Ciovita Barrier Breakers winning time was 10 hours, 44 minutes and 56 seconds.
Adventurers’ Marisa van der Linde and Jodi Zulberg were second and the Untamed Ladies, Anine Koch and Hayley Mcloughlin, were third fastest across the course; despite starting earlier.
The third elite women’s team was that of Sarah van Heerden and Elaine Beytell, though their time was nearly an hour slower than Kock and Mcloughlin.
2021 Trans Baviaans Results
Overall:
1. Young Guns: Erick Heyns and Wayne van der Walt (08:21:29)
2. Uncle Fish: Nico Bell, Gawie Combrinck and Gerrit de Vries (08:22:46)
3. Coopetto/Darvin Trust: Yolande de Villiers and Dirk Coetzee (08:36:42)
Mixed:
1. Coopetto/Darvin Trust: Yolande de Villiers and Dirk Coetzee (8:36:42)
2. Cyclopro Aspire LiveFit: Jay Carneiro, Bruce Campbell and Tracey Almirall (9:51:48)
3. Giant/Liv: Fienie and Kobus Barnard (10:13:51)
Women:
1. Wintergreen-Ciovita Barrier Breakers: Elrika Harmzen-Pretorius and Leone Verster (10:44:56)
2. Adventurers: Marisa van der Linde and Jodi Zulberg (12:24:02)
3. Untamed Ladies: Anine Koch and Hayley Mcloughlin (12:52:34)
Mountain biking fans can once again follow the Trans Baviaans on the event’s social media handles. Tune in by following @transbaviaans on Instagram, liking the Trans Baviaans 24HR MTB Race Facebook page, and following @EcoBoundEvents, on Twitter. Time updates from the Check Points will also be available at www.transbaviaans.co.za/live-event/.
