Matthys Beukes and Philip Buys added to their tally of victories at the 3 Towers stage race in Mankele and are well placed to continue their dominance at Berg and Bush, which starts on Friday.
Their latest conquest, albeit a close one, came after stage victories on each of the three days and a mere minute ahead of runners-up Nico Bell and Gawie Combrinck (NAD Pro).
Tim Hammond and Alan Gordon (Insect Science) recorded the third fastest overall time.
Philip Buys (front) and Matthys Beukes have been a dominant presence on the local mountain biking scene and are set to again rule at Berg and Bush this weekend. Photo: Daniel Coetzee (www.zcmc.co.za)
Buys said it was a juggling act between going for victories and staying fresh for the remaining races on the calendar.
“We go to races to win, so it was mission accomplished. But, because we have Berg and Bush this weekend, we went with different tactics because we didn’t want to bury ourselves.”
He said the aim at 3 Towers had been to “ride cleverly” to be fresh for the upcoming three-day race in KwaZulu-Natal, where Buys placed third last year alongside Gert Heyns.
“It wasn’t our usual tactics where we go super aggressive, going out from the start. We tried to take it easy but still win.”
He said the technical downhills and trails worked in their favour and they used them to put pressure on the rest of the field without expending unnecessary energy.
The duo have proved too strong for much of their competition on home soil this season and have already notched up wins at joBerg2c and sani2c. Buys has also all but sealed the National MTB Series title after winning the penultimate round last month.
After Berg and Bush, their focus will return to the National MTB Series and more specifically the grand finale at Kaapsehoop, followed by Wines2Whales at the end of the month.
With a full calendar, Buys said the key to their success lay behind the scenes with their support staff.
“Matthys and I both work hard, but it isn’t just us putting in all the effort. Our support crew, manager, mechanics and everyone else have worked really hard this season.
“With their support we can just focus on our training and I think it has made the difference this year.”
Buys, the only one of the two to race internationally this season, said focusing on the local scene also made everything easier.
He said their next step would be to take on more international events.
“Next year we want to see if we can get to Europe so that we can keep improving. The next step would be to do well there and start winning there.”
