Matt Beers was philosophical after finishing runner-up in the men’s elite race at the SA MTB National Cross-Country Championships in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
The NanoTime star was up against one of the discipline’s toughest competitors in Alan Hatherly, who racked up his third title in a row.
Despite the champion’s dominance, Beers said his aim throughout the race was to continue to push hard just in case his main rival for the title suffered a mechanical or some other problem.
“In truth, though, we all knew that wouldn’t really happen and Alan was ahead of me by about a minute to a minute-and-a-half for most of the race,” he said.
“Besides trying to keep any pressure on Alan, I also needed to make sure the other guys in the chasing pack didn’t come back to me.
“I had built up a decent gap, so it was about holding your pace and making sure I finished on the podium.”
Beers said he and Hatherly broke away from the field on the first climb in the starting loop.
“I tried to stay on his wheel for as long as I could but as soon as he hit the technical stuff I was already at a disadvantage.
“Alan is one of the best riders in the world and the steep and technical nature of the course didn’t really suit me.
“For me it was basically a case of racing as hard and as smart as I could to guarantee a podium finish.”
Beers, who has several major wins under his belt this year, including the Attakwas Extreme MTB Challenge, said the team were still discussing what lay ahead for them.
“We are reviewing the situation and deciding whether we call the season now, or try to do a few more races,” he said. “We haven’t made a decision yet.”
