GEORGE NEWS - Not only did the 21-year-old George cyclist Cronje Beukes crossing the finish line on the lawn of the Wilderness common place the seal on a decisive win in the inaugural Garden Route Giro, but perhaps more importantly, it marked a turning point in his fledgling career.
According to his uncle and coach, Matthys Beukes, it became a moment that has been the highlight of their partnership so far.
He said it is that golden key moment in any athlete's career in which they realise that they are born to win.
A talent years in the making
While his rise may appear to have come from nowhere to many other riders and followers of the sport, that has not been the case. Matthys had seen him as a young 14-year-old, riding his heart out, and felt he needed to step in.
"This kid was riding his bike every day, just smashing himself out there, and I told him I needed to guide him a little. I knew I needed to hold him back, because he just wanted to go out and suffer."
Early success and promise
Matthys realised by the time Cronje turned 16 he had a special talent to race bikes, and saw a potential full-time future.
The stars began to line up when Cronje won the South African National XCO junior championship in 2022, and at this year's Cape Town Cycle Tour, his aggressive riding style on a road bike saw him establishing himself as one of the best climbers of the race.
At the Attakwas Extreme, Cronje finished just 10 minutes off the current UCI XCO world champion, Alan Hatherly.
At the Garden Route Giro, Cronje had no team backing. He stayed in a tent and took care of himself, with only his family forming the support.
His absolute domination of the event was a statement that had the top riders sitting up and taking notice, and as we have seen and heard from the Beukes racing family, Cronje has not really just come out of nowhere.
The sapling is becoming a big tree.
A legacy of racing
Uncle Matthys himself is no stranger to the sharp end of racing. Known for his tactical intelligence and grit, his prime years were spent racing at the front of the field at the Absa Cape Epic, considered the 'Tour de France of mountain biking', with multiple stage wins coming with Philip Buys and Gert Heyns.
A three-time winner of the Attakwas Extreme and multiple standout performances at SA national championship events, Matthys has now turned his considerable experience into coaching with his company, Synergy Cycle Sports, giving guidance to the younger generation.
Passing the baton
Matthys is now passing the baton to Cronje, the next Beukes in line, having received it from his older brother, Gerrie, who was one of the pioneers of MTB racing in South Africa.
Sixteen years older than Matthys, Gerrie competed internationally for South Africa, and was a hero to the young Matthys growing up.
After his racing days, Gerrie opened a cycle shop, and Matthys grew up spending afternoons in it.
After school I used to go straight to the bicycle shop and hung around. That was definitely where I found the love and passion for cycling," said Matthys.
"I was the middle brother. Gerrie got me into it. I was the one who made the mistakes in my career, and here we are now."
With a smile, Matthys glances over at Cronje, who had been asked on the podium presentation stage just two days earlier how it felt to be coached by his uncle.
His response: "It's been great, Matthys made the mistakes so that I don't have to." The crowd laughed.
Lessons from experience
Matthys shared a startling statistic.
"To sum it up, in about 20 years of competitive racing, I probably had only two days that I felt everything had come together on a specific day. The rest were completely off the mark, so when I say I made all the mistakes so that Cronje and Dean and the others don't have to, I really mean it."
As Cronje's coach, Matthys says that his desire for competition, and that drive to win, are being fed once again through coaching.
"I can still win, and I don't have to break a sweat," Matthys smiled.
"I am still enjoying the sharp end through coaching, and the very intricate ways to find gains for my riders. I believe this is my calling."
Eyes on Europe
For the future, Cronje is taking Matthys' advice and will look to spend some of his winnings to travel to Europe this year and focus on road racing, with a goal to make his mark initially in either Spain or Italy.
He is a very quietly spoken and modest young man, but if Matthys is correct, which he has been up to now, the name Cronje Beukes is one to be watched very carefully. Both as a fan, or as a competitor.
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