{"id":13224,"date":"2022-08-15T07:45:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T06:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/2022\/08\/15\/brutal-conditions-at-the-2022-trans-baviaans-race-r8450\/"},"modified":"2023-03-20T08:51:33","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T06:51:33","slug":"brutal-conditions-at-the-2022-trans-baviaans-race-r8450","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/brutal-conditions-at-the-2022-trans-baviaans-race-r8450\/","title":{"rendered":"Brutal conditions at the 2022 Trans Baviaans Race"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe 2022 Trans Baviaans Race was among the most brutal events in recent memory, due to icy rain and cold temperatures. Every rider who finished, be it on Saturday afternoon or in the late hours of Saturday night and Sunday morning, can thus be very happy with their effort. There are of course those who went faster, reaching Jeffery Bay, from Willowmore, earlier than the rest. In the men\u2019s race that team was the Uncle Fish outfit, while Team Madmacs\/Coopetto\/Davin Trust dominated the mixed category and Action Cycles won the women\u2019s race; on 13 August.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"image.jpeg\"The Uncle Fish team of Nico Bell (front), Gawie Combrinck and Gerrit de Vries prevailed against the weather and their rivals to win the 2022 Trans Baviaans Race, from Willowmore to Jefferys Bay, on Saturday, 13 August. Photo by Llewellyn Lloyd \/ Reblex Photography.<\/em><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tInclement weather dominated early hours of the race. Though that is certainly downplaying the conditions. The chill factor was greater than it had been in 2021, when the mercury dropped to negative four. Persistent rain fell from well before sunrise, ensuring the temperature only rose into double digits around lunch time. In the first 50 kilometres of the route, there were mass withdrawals.\u00a0 With riders suffering from the cold, especially those that stopped in the hopes of warming up at Check Point 1, many turned back or waited for lifts out of the Baviaanskloof back to Willowmore.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe leaders were not immune to the cold. \u201cNico [Bell] punctured and while we were stopped, so he could fix it, Gerrit [de Vries] began to shake uncontrollably,\u201d Gawie Combrinck recounted. \u201cHe couldn\u2019t even get his glove back on. All we could do was keep riding, so he could warm up a little.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"image.jpeg\"Namibian, Drikus Coetzee and perennial Trans Baviaans, mixed category champion, Yolande de Villiers secured second overall and the 2022 mixed team title. Photo by Llewellyn Lloyd \/ Reblex Photography.<\/em><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"image.jpeg\"Nicola Freitas (left) and Juanita Mackenzie (second from left) won the women\u2019s race, enduring a difficult start before finishing strong to post the seventh best overall time. Photo by Llewellyn Lloyd \/ Reblex Photography.<\/em><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tCombrinck and his Uncle Fish teammates did just that. They gradually reeled the pace setting Yolande de Villiers and Drikus Coetzee as well as Pitstop Sport team, of Conway Oliver and Malcolm Isaacs. De Villiers and Coetzee, who were also leading the mixed category, were the fastest team to Check Point 3, near the 120 kilometre mark. Despite a handy advantage Madmacs \/Coopetto \/Davin Trust left the check point, at Smitskraal, with Uncle Fish and Pitstop Sport in tow. Their lead reduced to nothing when Coetzee had to have new brake discs installed on his bike.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\tOver the next 20 kilometres the Uncle Fish team laid the foundation for their victory. Not that their race up the MAC was without incident. Combrinck broke a pedal and had to make running repairs at Bergplaas, which did not cost him or his teammates, Bell and De Vries, too much time. \u201cLook, in terms of one day races in South Africa Trans Baviaans is right up there with the toughest,\u201d Bell exclaimed on the finish line. Before Combrinck added: \u201cI\u2019ve been colder on the bike. But that was in Korea and there was snow next to the road!\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"image.jpeg\"Malcolm Isaacs and Conway Oliver had a strong race through the Baviaanskloof and were in contention for victory until the slopes of the Mother of All Climbs, 135 kilometres into the course. Photo by Llewellyn Lloyd \/ Reblex Photography.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\t\"image.jpeg\"Yolande de Villiers\u2019 face says it all. The 2022 Trans Baviaans Race was brutally tough. Photo by Llewellyn Lloyd \/ Reblex Photography.<\/em><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tHaving finished as runners up in 2021 Combrinck, Bell and De Vries went one better in 2022. Though the conditions meant their winning time \u2013 of 9 hours, 43 minutes and 49 seconds \u2013 was 100 minutes slower than their time the year before. They were 16 minutes faster than De Villiers and Coetzee; and nearly 40 faster than Oliver and Isaacs.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\tDe Villiers, struggled with mud in her eyes for much of the race was happy with her second place overall and another mixed category title. \u201cIt was so tough,\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cMy hands were so cold for the first three hours I couldn\u2019t get gels out of my top tube bag. Fortunately, Drikus [Coetzee] is a great partner and looked after me really well, especially when my inability to fuel earlier hit me on the climb up MAC.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIsaacs and Oliver were equally satisfied with third, especially after pointing out how challenging the conditions were. \u201cThat was brutal,\u201d was Isaacs\u2019 succinct summary. That sentiment was shared by the women\u2019s race winners too.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"image.jpeg\"The cold and wet conditions made climbing preferable to descending for once at the Trans Baviaans. Photo by Llewellyn Lloyd \/ Reblex Photography.<\/em><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"image.jpeg\"Nearly 40 riders were honoured, at the Fountains Mall on Sunday, with five-year plaques for completing their fifth Trans Baviaans events. Photo by Llewellyn Lloyd \/ Reblex Photography.<\/em><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tNicola Freitas and Juanita Mackenzie inherited the lead in the competition nearly 80 kilometres into the 230 kilometre course. They had been trailing the pre-race favourites, Lucie Zelenkova and Elicia Venter, but when they withdrew the Action Cycles team continued to push on. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful to Juanita for helping me through the first part today, I just wasn\u2019t feeling good,\u201d Freitas confessed. \u201cYou were strong at the end though,\u201d Mackenzie reassured Freitas. \u201cThen I hitched onto the train home.\u201d The strength of the Action Cycles team\u2019s performance was illustrated by the fact that they finished seventh overall. Showcasing once more that conserving energy for the final 60 kilometres, pays off in the Trans Baviaans.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing the wet and muddy Trans Baviaans Race the Repeat takes place on Saturday, the 20th of August. Riders will be taking on the same route, but will be hoping for much better weather. In the meantime though participants and fans alike can recap on the first edition, by liking the Trans Baviaans 24HR MTB Race Facebook page<\/a>, following @transbaviaans<\/a> on Instagram as well as @EcoBoundEvents<\/a> on Twitter.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\t2022 Trans Baviaans Race Results<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tOverall:<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t1. Uncle Fish: Nico Bell, Gawie Combrinck & Gerrit de Vries (9:43:49)
\n\t2. Madmacs\/Coopetto\/Davin Trust: Yolande de Villiers & Drikus Coetzee (9:59:36)
\n\t3. Pitstop Sport: Malcolm Isaacs & Conway Oliver (10:21:46)\n<\/p>\n

\n\tMen\u2019s Teams:<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t1. Uncle Fish: Nico Bell, Gawie Combrinck & Gerrit de Vries (9:43:49)
\n\t2. Pitstop Sport: Malcolm Isaacs & Conway Oliver (10:21:46)
\n\t3. Coimbra: Vickus Boshoff & Jan-Paul Gerber (11:05:16)\n<\/p>\n

\n\tMixed Teams:<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t1. Madmacs\/Coopetto\/Davin Trust: Yolande de Villiers & Drikus Coetzee (9:59:36)
\n\t2. MG Coaching: Johanet Heymann, Dirk van Wyk & Massimo Guglielmi (12:08:51)
\n\t3. Ronald, Heleen, Laurent: Ronald Jessop, Heleen Rossouw & Laurent Monvoisin (14:53:41)\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWomen\u2019s Teams:<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t1. Action Cycles: Juanita Mackenzie & Nicola Freitas (11:32:17)
\n\t2. Chicks with Kicks: Maretha Bezuidenhout & T Janse van Rensburg (12:41:22)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2022 Trans Baviaans Race was among the most brutal events in recent memory, due to icy rain and cold temperatures. Every rider who finished, be it on Saturday afternoon or in the late hours of Saturday night and Sunday morning, can thus be very happy with their effort. There are of course those who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":59156,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[34],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-13224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-trans-baviaans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13224"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62101,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13224\/revisions\/62101"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13224"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=13224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}