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<\/a>Matt Beers celebrates his Momentum Health Attakwas Extreme presented by Biogen title. Photo by ZC Marketing Consulting.<\/span><\/p>\nA muddy Beers was the first rider across the line and the only person to break the 5-hour barrier in 2020. His winning time of 4 hours, 59 minutes and 25 seconds was 12 minutes off the course record. That was no reflection on the effort the man from Knysna put in though. A slower first 30 kilometres, a head wind in the final 60 kilometres and tacky roads which pilfered momentum at every opportunity made for unfavourable conditions for chasing the record.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m almost glad I\u2019ve had a 5-year break from the Momentum Health Attakwas Extreme presented by Biogen\u201d Beers joked upon crossing the finish line. \u201cIt gave me time to forget how tough it is!\u201d Turning his attention to the explanation of how the race was won he revealed: \u201cWe were a fairly big group until nearly 30 kilometres to go. I\u2019d increased the pace to try to shed a few riders from the group before that, but then on one of those long rolling climbs I attacked and got a bit of a gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had hoped that Wessel [botha] would be able to come with me, and maybe I should have waited. But it worked out fine in the end. I chose to ride with a dropper seatpost for the aero advantage of being able to get lower on the descents. That helped me tuck in and I extended my lead on that first descent in particular.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew that Philip [buys], Matthys [beukes] and Gert [Heyns] would be trying to hunt me down, so I had to go full gas to the line. I won\u2019t lie, it got dark at times. But not that dark, I could still push and I\u2019m really happy with my form so early in the season. It\u2019s a good sign\u201d the 2020 race winner concluded.<\/p>\n After Beer\u2019s attack split the lead group apart, his teammate Wessel Botha held second position for nearly 25 kilometres. Matthys Beukes, who started the day as the defending champion, stormed past the 21-year-old NAD Pro MTB rider in the final 5 kilometres. Beukes caught Botha on the final climb, powering past. Botha was unable to jump onto Beukes\u2019 wheel and the PYGA Euro Steel rider rode away to second position. Botha crossed the line third.<\/p>\n In the women\u2019s race Stenerhag made the racing from the first serious climb of the day. The Swedish marathon champion distanced her fellow elite women at the 30-kilometre mark and only Robyn de Groot could bridge across to her. \u201cMy chain had dropped just before that climb and when I saw Jennie [stenerhag] going I knew I had to put in an effort. I started the climb at the back of the group but dug deep to catch her over the summit\u201d De Groot recounted.<\/p>\n \u201cI had hoped that Barbara [benko] or Yolande [de Villiers] would come with me. But it wasn\u2019t to be. So, Jennie and I pushed on. We raced together for two and a half seasons so we know each other really well\u201d De Groot added. The dormakaba rider was the first women over the Queen of the Mountain climb into the Attakwaskloof, followed closely by Stenerhag.<\/p>\n The Fairtree Capital and dormakaba riders remained together until the finishing straight. \u201cI\u2019ve lost out in a sprint here before\u201d Stenerhag said, reliving the heart-ache of 2019. \u201cLast year I was coming back from an injury and didn\u2019t contest the turn into the cement stripped descent into Pine Creek Resort as fiercely as I could have. This year I made sure to get onto that section first and around the penultimate corner in the lead. Then it was just about keeping the inside line and once I rounded the final bend to kick with everything I had.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve tried to win this race 8 times now\u201d Stenerhag smiled. \u201cEach time before this year I\u2019ve come up short, so that makes the victory all the sweeter.\u201d Stenerhag\u2019s winning time was 5 hours, 54 minutes and 23 seconds. De Groot crossed the finish line a single second later. Hungarian cross-country champion Barbara Benko was third, completing the podium in her Momentum Health Attakwas Extreme presented by Biogen debut.<\/p>\n Further back in the field there were big smiles, despite the rain. As the afternoon wore on the precipitation fell with increased intensity and each rider across the Pine Creek Resort finish line was muddier than the last. \u201cOne thing you can be guaranteed of at the Atttakwas is that it will be extreme\u201d said Oliver Munnik, who finished in forty sixth position overall.<\/p>\n \u201cRevered for heat, the 2020 edition started the decade off with uncharacteristically cool weather which gave way to drizzle and a stiff breeze\u201d Munnik continued. \u201cInitially the wind was a tail wind before swinging to a lactic acid inducing head wind for the final 50 kilometres. The wet conditions did not dampen our spirits however and the camaraderie was awesome, with everyone suffering together. The challenges of the Momentum Health Attakwas Extreme presented by Biogen made the Spur burger at the finish line, in Groot Brak, better than ever. It is one of those races which hurts at the time, but which you have to come back to every year.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>Overcast skies, but no rain, in Oudtshoorn gave way to an increasingly persistent drizzle as the day wore on. Photo by ZC Marketing Consulting.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Jennie Stenerhag out-sprinted Robyn de Groot to take her maiden Momentum Health Attakwas Extreme presented by Biogen win at the eighth time of asking. Photo by ZC Marketing Consulting.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Jennie Stenerhag and Robyn de Groot spent 90 kilometres together at the front of the women\u2019s race. Photo by ZC Marketing Consulting. <\/span><\/p>\n