The Stanford 100 Miler has been on my hit list since it first popped up in the Events Calendar last year. Having experienced the magic of the Tanqua Kuru, I knew we’d be in for a treat with Jeremy Crowder at the helm, and the deceptive green rollers of the Overberg to contend with.
The start venue was the Stanford Hills estate, nestled at the foot of the Klein River mountain range just outside the Stanford. Picture serene rolling green hills, fluffy clouds reflected in the farm dam, and panoramic views of the valley stretching away as far as the eye could see.
After wrestling an implacable cold the week leading up to event, I arrived knowing I was making poor life choices, but determined to give it a shot and hope I would ride into it.
The turnout was jaw-dropping for an event that is only in it’s second year. Both national gravel Champions, Matt Beers and Cherise Williet were in attendance, as well as Alan Hatherly and an entourage of lean, mean racing snakes.
We had near perfect conditions to start, and were led out in suitably theatrical style by a horseman: kicking off “the hunt”.
A welcome neutral zone on the tar kept the bunch together until we hit the first gravel climb, and were very quickly strung out. From the gasping around me, I wasn’t the only one feeling a burn.
The Overberg is deceptive. There are no towering mountains, just gentle-looking green hills which lull you into a false sense of “this will be fine”. The kick is in the fact that there is very little flat, only ups and downs, so you’re either pedaling for speed on the downhills or groaning up and over the top.
In this fashion we rolled past the tranquil Lomond winery, and hit the tar road towards Bardskeedersbos. By this point I had realised that I was not going to make the distance and was yo-yoing sadly off the back of the bunch.
In the interests of investigative journalism, I tried to hang on to make it to the second waterpoint, 65 kilometres in – theoretically so that I could at least enjoy some of the Agulhas National Park, but mostly so that I could raid the snacks and ask for directions back to the start. (I can assure you: I will not be starting a race this long and remote without a phone again)
It was well worth the effort, if only to get a taste of the infamous “Agulhas white sand”, which had most of us off our bikes and pushing. Also simply because I’ve never ridden through the area and it has truly spectacular barren beauty.
A brief, but powerful rain shower saw me rolling into waterpoint two at Wolvengat, soaked, and feeling more than a little subdued. It’s a terrible feeling calling it quits on an event, and you never know if it’s the right decision or not.
After loading up on coke, Bar One and droëwors I hit the road in the direction indicated by the nice people at the waterpoint for what turned out to be a very very long soft-pedal on the tar into a block headwind.
A huge advantage of my decision was arriving back at the race village with plenty of time to get fully invested in the pizza and beer being served, while I watched riders trickle in in varying states of decay. Make no mistake this was not a small day on the bike for anyone.
To understand the scope and scale of the remainder of the route you’ll have to rely on the excellent first-hand accounts below
Stanford 100 really captures the “spirit” of gravel due to its laid-back nature. It has a very challenging, yet stunning route and the vibe is great. It breaks the barriers between pro riders and amateur: We are all just out there riding bikes and enjoying pizza and beer at the finish line.
Matt Beers
I think I took about 14 gels just to keep my sense of humour intact!
Craig Boyes (our favourite working-class hero making a rare appearance on gravel)
Jeremy creates real-life Alice in Wonderland experiences—magical routes accompanied by disco balls, gummy snakes, cowboys on horseback, and the best company. We rode along stretches of soft, sinking sand surrounded by the most breathtaking scenery, down thrilling descents, through stunning forests, and up challenging climbs where we were rewarded with a disco scene in the middle of what appeared to be nowhere. We experienced all seasons, all terrains, and had so much fun! The delicious hot pizza, cold beer, and rosette at the finish line were added bonuses. Stanford 100 is not to be missed.
Jess Wilkinson (a familiar face from Ciovita)
Stanford100 had me both very high and very low over 170km – One moment I was comfortably riding along, next moment I found myself in knee-deep sand (cleated out, feet in the air) trying to keep my line but failing terribly…all the while laughing at myself so loudly that everybody in earshot turned around to see what’s up.
The most special part was crossing the finish line in a time much longer than the previous year, but being welcomed by everyone at the race village as a winner…because they most probably faced the same challenges on course and knew what it took to finish.
Hats off to Jeremy for wrapping up the racing calendar in the true spirit of gravel.
Tyla Setzkorn (defending champion)
You can find the full results here, or browse gravel bikes in our classifieds here, and search for gravel events in the Events Calendar.
