Gys Malan and Johan Coetzee will need to overcome a tough men’s field if they are to successfully defend their Trans Baviaans “Repeat” title when the race starts in Willowmore early on Saturday.
Malan, who won last year and placed second alongside Coetzee in 2017, said the competition would be fierce in the 230km mountain-bike marathon.
“We’d like to podium again, but we definitely have strong riders this year such as Malcolm Isaacs and Waldo Zevenster, as well as Wesley Lentz and Garth Ennion.
“They’ve been putting in big kilometres and are definitely the ones to look out for. I think big shots are going to get fired, probably at the 60 or 70km mark.”
Gys Malan (pictured) and Johan Coetzee hope to successfully defend their Trans Baviaans “Repeat” title this weekend. Photo: @gysmalan44/Instagram
Malan said he and Coetzee felt confident and excited, yet nervous at the same time, about this year’s “Repeat” event, which follows last weekend’s “Race”.
“It’s a very challenging and gruelling race. Anything can happen,” said Malan.
“Also, having the number one plate on your bike and knowing there will be guys chasing you puts that question in the back of your mind: have you done enough training and the necessary preparation?
“That’s where the nervousness comes in, but other than that we feel great.”
Malan added that form-wise they felt good, although Coetzee was the stronger one.
“I was joking all year, saying that he’ll be the nail and I’ll be the hammer. But unfortunately big projects at work took their toll on my training, although I still managed to do more than last year.
“I am confident that I have the time in the legs, though for me Baviaans is more mental. I’ve been preparing mentally for it for a week or two, so I’m very excited to get on the start line.”
He added that they would stick to last year’s strategy, although they did have a surprise up their sleeves.
“You’re going to have to wait come 10am on Saturday to see that.
“Other than that we’ll stick to exactly the same [tactics]. I am under the impression that the kloof is very rough this time though, so I think we’ll just need some extra chamois cream.”
The 33-year-old Hermanus local added that the route was amazing, but for a bigger rider like him it was tough on the climbs.
“I definitely favour the flats where I can put a lot of power down. For me it’s more about conserving energy on the climbs.
“I’ve done a lot more training climbing-wise this year. I’m ready for Bergplaas and First Fangs. We’ve got our game plan set.”
Malan, who will take part in his fourth Baviaans, said his teammate played a bigger part in maintaining their momentum, although it was difficult to sit in his slipstream as he was significantly shorter and smaller.
“I don’t benefit that much, but he is definitely the hammer and I’m the nail.
“Motivation-wise I probably crack more jokes than everyone combined at the event, so it’s clearly not all seriousness up front.
“We just love being out there and enjoying the scenery, even though half of the time I’m bleeding through my eyeballs. I try to make jokes to take the pain away.
“All in all we’ll just keep pushing one pedal stroke at a time,” said Malan, who will ride for RockHopper Adventures and PureMotion Sports.
