“Yeah, undoubtedly at Sea Otter I actually wish to do effectively. Coming off the Epic win, I’m fairly assured I can carry a number of the type that I’ve.”
It’s the primary time the 30-year-old has been to Monterey, California and the Sea Otter Classic, which he heard about as a baby in Cape Town. While 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 least he will not should battle at excessive elevation, which appears to be a trait for different US occasions.
“It’s fairly thrilling to race at Sea Otter. I’ve heard about it since I used to be a child; it was all the time within the magazines. And clearly, it is one of many only a few races at sea degree. I reside 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 correct spots for me.”
With one other Cape Epic title checked off the record, the Cape Town native has made the Life Time Grand Prix his focus for the season. Last season he was seventh within the males’s general standings going into the ultimate race at Big Sugar Gravel in Arkansas. He suffered a shoulder separation and damaged ribs in a crash so didn’t end and completed 14th general, 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 an enormous studying curve from final yr. You should take heed to your physique much more and never simply go as exhausting as you possibly can after which recuperate. I undoubtedly paid the value a couple of occasions. We have somewhat 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’m much more assured when it comes to my capacity and what I have to do higher than final yr, when it comes to preparation and racing so much smarter, not simply going till I blow up after which by no means come out of the opening I made. Every time it is a shock, at altitude. I discovered 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 offer 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 May. He will stay within the US at the moment to concentrate on Unbound Gravel 200, the place he was eleventh final yr, 31 minutes behind winner Swenson.
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“Unbound is an enormous one the place I wish to do effectively. Leadville is excessive altitude and clearly, it’s totally a lot a climbing course, and I’m fairly an enormous rider. So I’ve sort of accepted that does not match me very effectively,” he laughed when speaking about his 6-foot, 4-inch (1.96 cm) body.
“Courses that actually swimsuit me are Chequamegon and Big Sugar. But you possibly can’t goal all the things. I can goal the place my talents [are best].”
“Yeah, undoubtedly at Sea Otter I actually wish to do effectively. Coming off the Epic win, I’m fairly assured I can carry a number of the type that I’ve.”
It’s the primary time the 30-year-old has been to Monterey, California and the Sea Otter Classic, which he heard about as a baby in Cape Town. While 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 least he will not should battle at excessive elevation, which appears to be a trait for different US occasions.
“It’s fairly thrilling to race at Sea Otter. I’ve heard about it since I used to be a child; it was all the time within the magazines. And clearly, it is one of many only a few races at sea degree. I reside 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 correct spots for me.”
With one other Cape Epic title checked off the record, the Cape Town native has made the Life Time Grand Prix his focus for the season. Last season he was seventh within the males’s general standings going into the ultimate race at Big Sugar Gravel in Arkansas. He suffered a shoulder separation and damaged ribs in a crash so didn’t end and completed 14th general, 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 an enormous studying curve from final yr. You should take heed to your physique much more and never simply go as exhausting as you possibly can after which recuperate. I undoubtedly paid the value a couple of occasions. We have somewhat 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’m much more assured when it comes to my capacity and what I have to do higher than final yr, when it comes to preparation and racing so much smarter, not simply going till I blow up after which by no means come out of the opening I made. Every time it is a shock, at altitude. I discovered 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 offer 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 May. He will stay within the US at the moment to concentrate on Unbound Gravel 200, the place he was eleventh final yr, 31 minutes behind winner Swenson.
“Unbound is an enormous one the place I wish to do effectively. Leadville is excessive altitude and clearly, it’s totally a lot a climbing course, and I’m fairly an enormous rider. So I’ve sort of accepted that does not match me very effectively,” he laughed when speaking about his 6-foot, 4-inch (1.96 cm) body.
“Courses that actually swimsuit me are Chequamegon and Big Sugar. But you possibly can’t goal all the things. I can goal the place my talents [are best].”
He dabbled in a little bit of street racing, competing as a stagiaire with UAE Team Emirates in 2019 and driving at occasions throughout Europe, together with Vuelta a Burgos. But he added gravel to his mountain biking resume after the coronavirus international pandemic and hasn’t seemed again. 2023 was an enormous yr with second at BWR California in 2023, third at Crusher within the Tushar and tenth at The Rad Dirt Fest.
This is his first season on the Specialized Off-road crew, which additionally consists of LTGP ladies’s general champion Sofia Gomez Villafañe and Grotts, who was his teammate for the Cape Epic victory. Grotts particularly could be a massive asset in races.
“This yr being a part of the Specialized crew, that was an enormous aim of mine. It all fell into place, which was cool. We will attempt techniques. Let’s say as an example at Leadville, if he [Grotts] has a very good likelihood of profitable there, then I’ll sort of run my setup just like his so if he wants one thing I can assist. And then the identical goes for him possibly at Unbound, as a result of I actually wish to do effectively there.
“But 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 had been the primary folks to assist me out earlier than I used to be on the [Specialized] crew determining the US. Without them, I would not be capable to do it [Grand Prix].”