“Yeah, positively at Sea Otter I actually wish to do properly. Coming off the Epic win, I am fairly assured I can carry a number of the kind that I’ve.”
It is the primary time the 30-year-old has been to Monterey, California and the Sea Otter Basic, which he heard about as a baby in Cape City. Whereas he could also be at an obstacle with no race expertise on the course and travelling 10,000 air miles (16,400km) to even get to the venue, he mentioned at the very least he will not need to battle at excessive elevation, which appears to be a trait for different US occasions.
“It is fairly thrilling to race at Sea Otter. I’ve heard about it since I used to be a child; it was at all times within the magazines. And clearly, it is one of many only a few races at sea degree. I dwell at sea degree. And it is a mountain bike race. I do like gravel, however mountain bike is my past love. So this race [Fuego XL] simply hits all the fitting spots for me.”
With one other Cape Epic title checked off the record, the Cape City native has made the Life Time Grand Prix his focus for the season. Final season he was seventh within the males’s total standings going into the ultimate race at Massive Sugar Gravel in Arkansas. He suffered a shoulder separation and damaged ribs in a crash so didn’t end and completed 14th total, that means he missed incomes a part of the $250,000 prize purse distributed evenly to the highest 10 women and men.
“Racing at elevation has been a giant studying curve from final 12 months. It’s important to take heed to your physique much more and never simply go as arduous as you’ll be able to after which get better. I positively paid the worth a number of instances. Now we have a bit little bit of elevation in South Africa, however nothing like right here,” Beers mentioned about his primary epiphany from racing the Grand Prix final season.
“I am much more assured by way of my potential and what I have to do higher than final 12 months, by way of preparation and racing so much smarter, not simply going till I blow up after which by no means come out of the outlet I made. Each time it is a shock, at altitude. I found out that getting acclimatized 10 days earlier than the race has helped so much.”
He has set a schedule of three journeys to the US in 2024 to provide him time to regulate extra to circumstances just like the altitude. One back-and-forth journey to South Africa that he eradicated was to defend his titles within the South African marathon MTB and gravel championship occasions, each moved to Might. He’ll stay within the US at the moment to concentrate on Unbound Gravel 200, the place he was eleventh final 12 months, 31 minutes behind winner Swenson.
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“Unbound is a giant one the place I wish to do properly. Leadville is excessive altitude and clearly, it is very a lot a climbing course, and I am fairly a giant rider. So I’ve sort of accepted that does not match me very properly,” he laughed when speaking about his 6-foot, 4-inch (1.96 cm) body.
“Programs that actually go well with me are Chequamegon and Massive Sugar. However you’ll be able to’t goal every little thing. I can goal the place my skills [are best].”
“Yeah, positively at Sea Otter I actually wish to do properly. Coming off the Epic win, I am fairly assured I can carry a number of the kind that I’ve.”
It is the primary time the 30-year-old has been to Monterey, California and the Sea Otter Basic, which he heard about as a baby in Cape City. Whereas he could also be at an obstacle with no race expertise on the course and travelling 10,000 air miles (16,400km) to even get to the venue, he mentioned at the very least he will not need to battle at excessive elevation, which appears to be a trait for different US occasions.
“It is fairly thrilling to race at Sea Otter. I’ve heard about it since I used to be a child; it was at all times within the magazines. And clearly, it is one of many only a few races at sea degree. I dwell at sea degree. And it is a mountain bike race. I do like gravel, however mountain bike is my past love. So this race [Fuego XL] simply hits all the fitting spots for me.”
With one other Cape Epic title checked off the record, the Cape City native has made the Life Time Grand Prix his focus for the season. Final season he was seventh within the males’s total standings going into the ultimate race at Massive Sugar Gravel in Arkansas. He suffered a shoulder separation and damaged ribs in a crash so didn’t end and completed 14th total, that means he missed incomes a part of the $250,000 prize purse distributed evenly to the highest 10 women and men.
“Racing at elevation has been a giant studying curve from final 12 months. It’s important to take heed to your physique much more and never simply go as arduous as you’ll be able to after which get better. I positively paid the worth a number of instances. Now we have a bit little bit of elevation in South Africa, however nothing like right here,” Beers mentioned about his primary epiphany from racing the Grand Prix final season.
“I am much more assured by way of my potential and what I have to do higher than final 12 months, by way of preparation and racing so much smarter, not simply going till I blow up after which by no means come out of the outlet I made. Each time it is a shock, at altitude. I found out that getting acclimatized 10 days earlier than the race has helped so much.”
He has set a schedule of three journeys to the US in 2024 to provide him time to regulate extra to circumstances just like the altitude. One back-and-forth journey to South Africa that he eradicated was to defend his titles within the South African marathon MTB and gravel championship occasions, each moved to Might. He’ll stay within the US at the moment to concentrate on Unbound Gravel 200, the place he was eleventh final 12 months, 31 minutes behind winner Swenson.
“Unbound is a giant one the place I wish to do properly. Leadville is excessive altitude and clearly, it is very a lot a climbing course, and I am fairly a giant rider. So I’ve sort of accepted that does not match me very properly,” he laughed when speaking about his 6-foot, 4-inch (1.96 cm) body.
“Programs that actually go well with me are Chequamegon and Massive Sugar. However you’ll be able to’t goal every little thing. I can goal the place my skills [are best].”
He dabbled in a little bit of highway racing, competing as a stagiaire with UAE Workforce Emirates in 2019 and using at occasions throughout Europe, together with Vuelta a Burgos. However he added gravel to his mountain biking resume after the coronavirus international pandemic and hasn’t seemed again. 2023 was a giant 12 months with second at BWR California in 2023, third at Crusher within the Tushar and tenth at The Rad Filth Fest.
That is his first season on the Specialised Off-road group, which additionally contains LTGP ladies’s total champion Sofia Gomez Villafañe and Grotts, who was his teammate for the Cape Epic victory. Grotts specifically could be a huge asset in races.
“This 12 months being a part of the Specialised group, that was a giant purpose of mine. All of it fell into place, which was cool. We’ll attempt techniques. To illustrate as an example at Leadville, if he [Grotts] has a superb probability of profitable there, then I will sort of run my setup just like his so if he wants one thing I might help. After which the identical goes for him perhaps at Unbound, as a result of I actually wish to do properly there.
“However we’re full opposites [in size]. We might share simply wheels at this level,” he laughed in regards to the duo sharing any tools.
Can he beat Swenson at Fuego XL, or take sufficient factors over the seven Grand Prix occasions to unseat the reigning champion?
“Keegan is Keegan,” he mentioned. “He and Sofia have been the primary folks to assist me out earlier than I used to be on the [Specialized] group determining the US. With out them, I would not be capable to do it [Grand Prix].”
