CYCLING NEWS - The scenic town of Prince Albert came alive with the spirit of adventure when it played host to the second edition of the Prince George Monumental 100 Miler race on 14 October.
Athletes gathered from near and far to take part in the brutal yet beautiful 100-mile journey with a total ascent of 2 500m.
The Prince George route takes you up and over the Swartberg Pass from the northern side, through the Klein Karoo and over the Montagu Pass to George, featuring a combination of rugged and smooth gravel roads, gruelling climbs and fast descents.
With near-perfect weather conditions, riders got to experience three diverse geographical areas, two national monument mountains and lavish landscapes after an exceptional rainy season.
In the elite men's race, the majority of the field competed with gravel bikes. Teammates Wessel Botha and Pieter du Toit were among the favourites and, although they had Wayne van der Walt and Donovan le Cok on their heels, Botha claimed bragging rights for the King of the Swartberg Mountain title with Du Toit heading home as the official Prince George 100 Miler champion of 2023.
The privilege to join the winner's circle, however, did not come easy as a sprint to the finish line summarised a tense affair.
Du Toit crossed the line in a winning time of 05:22:01, demolishing the record set in the inaugural event in 2022. Botha came in second with only split seconds separating him and his teammate. Van der Walt followed with 30 minutes and 49 seconds and Le Cok only seconds later. Jaco Davel rounded off the top five with a time of 06:01:47.
Participants in this years Prince George Monumental 100 Miler race.
In the elite women's race Cherise Willeit, the current national gravel champion, set the pace for the rest of the field, but it was local mountain biking legend Robyn the Groot who claimed the Queen of the Swartberg crown, even though she "wasn't there to race" after her retirement.
Willeit caught up with de Groot on the flats and eventually claimed the Prince George 100 Miler women's title with a time of 06:24:07, with De Groot only 17 seconds behind. Sabine Spitz came home in third place 24 minutes later.
The Prince George Monumental 100 Miler was the final event on the XGR Western Cape Gravel Cup Series where contenders had to participate in at least three events in the series to accumulate points.
Donovan le Cok and Cherise Willeit ended on top of the log with the most points earned and rode away with the inaugural Western Cape XGR titles.
Apart from the 100-mile race, there was also a 50-mile option that stretched over the last section of the full course with participants joining the race at Highgate Ostrich Farm outside Oudtshoorn. Even though it was half the distance and vertical ascent, it was still a monumental challenge.
Participants in this year's Prince George Monumental 100 Miler race.
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