NAD Pro’s Matt Beers and Nico Bell won all three stages of the sani2c Race to claim the race title in Scottburgh, KwaZulu-Natal, yesterday.
Beers and Bell won the 82km final stage in 2:40:45, beating PYGA Euro Steel first team Matthys Beukes and Julian Jessop by two minutes.
“The goal heading into the race was always to win,” Beers told In the Bunch. “The goal was also to win on the final day. It is always good to win on the last day, especially because we were leading overall. There is always a lot of media surrounding it.”
NAD Pro’s Nico Bell (left) and Matt Beers won all three stages of the sani2c Race to claim the race title yesterday. Photo: Anthony Grote
The final stage was fast, Beers recalled. “We did a lot of the pacing and we managed to get DSV [Gert Heyns and Arno du Toit] off our wheel with about 10km to go.
“We rode a hard pace all day to make the other riders tired and to get away. The route was great and it has not changed over the last couple of years.
“The Iconic Climb [on day two] was new, which was great because it broke up the teams quite well.”
Winning the race had been a priority, Beers added. “I am very happy with the result. It was a big goal for me because I have wanted to win this race for the last two years.”
Beers felt Heyns and Du Toit pushed them the hardest throughout the race.
“DSV were definitely our toughest competition,” he said. “Gert and Arno were the guys we really had to watch.
“Matthys and Julian were also very good though.”
Happy with the result, Beers said it was the first with “hopefully more to come” during the rest of the season.
“The sani2c was one result of the many we wanted to get out of the season,” he said. “The victory was really nice as a confidence-booster for the team and it offered great exposure for our sponsors.
“Nico and I have formed a really great partnership. We complement each other’s strengths very well and that is always a bonus.
“But as the season goes on, we might change up our combinations. I might also race with Gawie [Combrinck]. Things can always change and we are never just fixed on one partnership.”
Beers will now turn his focus to the Knysna Cycle Tour MTB race on June 30, which will serve as a “form tester” ahead of the SA National MTB Championships on July 22.
