Record falls: Nortje and Colyn go solo to win Lions karoo to Coast titles

KNYSNA NEWS - Tristan Nortje soloed to victory in commanding fashion, breaking the 12-year-old course record by nearly 3 minutes in the 2024 Lions Karoo to Coast.

Catherine Colyn was as dominant in the women's race, winning by 11 minutes and 42 seconds on Sunday 22 September.

A year after the event was cancelled, due to the Heritage Day storm which battered the Cape in 2023, the weather for the 25-year-old race was near perfect with clear skies and cool temperatures prevailing throughout the day.

When the sun rose on Uniondale the mercury was hovering dangerously close to zero, but as it climbed, with the sky cloudless, it got gradually warmer.

Work hard

Headwinds for the final 14 kilometres, from Gouna to the finish line on the Knysna sports fields ensured Nortje and Co had to work hard throughout the 95 km course.

The route itself was in a highly variable condition, at times on Prince Alfred's Pass the gravel was smooth and fast-rolling, but at others, it was tacky and slow, and some of the descents were washed out by the rain earlier in the week.

Tristan Nortje soloed to victory and a new course record, taking 2 minutes and 42 seconds off the previous best time. Photos: Oakpics.com

'Start really fast'

There had been speculation pre-race if gravel bikes would prove faster, but none of the favourites risked starting on skinny tyres.

"My parents used to live in Knysna and I rode these roads a lot. They get rutted with relatively little rain and I thought one could lose up to a minute on each descent, compared to a mountain bike," Colyn said. "That is why I decided to race my mountain bike."

That proved a wise decision as descending proved nearly as important as climbing for Colyn as she rode to victory.

Over the summit of the Ou Wapad climb Colyn held a 1 minute and 48-second advantage over Lehane Oosthuizen.

Nortje's aggression

It had been Nortje's aggression which ensured a fast start. The Honeycomb Pro Cycling rider stretched the field from the foot of the Ou Wapad ascent and went solo within 7 km of the start.

"The plan was always to attack early and ride my race," he said. "I knew the record was there for the taking, but I was worried that in a group we might end up looking at each other. So, I wanted to go alone."

The chase behind Nortje was hampered by Cronje Beukes' puncturing, though the Valley Electrical Titan Racing man had already been slightly distanced by Johan van Zyl when he flatted.

Beukes' puncture, on the long descent to De Vlugt put him behind Jayden Durandt on the road, but he managed to catch the young Bicycle Service Company rider on the climb to Kruisvallei.

Beukes, Durandt and Van Zyl could never reduce their deficit to Nortje. Nortje's winning time of 3 hours and 31 seconds, is 2 minutes and 42 seconds quicker than Charles Keey's 2012 previous best. The newly crowned champion was 6 minutes and 54 seconds ahead of Van Zyl in second, and nearly 13 minutes up on Beaukes in third.

Johan van Zyl (second from left) and Cronje Beukes (second from right) joined Tristan Nortje on the 2024 Lions Karoo to Coast men’s podium. Photo: Oakpics.com