The doctor’s orders for a mountain bike stage race stipulate the controllables – like smooth logistics, great food, and a thrilling route – but even Dr Evil cannot control the weather. Despite Leon Evans’ anti-rain dances (done in private of course), the 2024 Dr Evil Experience endured two rain affected days. Mountain bikers are not made of sugar however and the weather conditions did not dampen the riders’ spirits. Thursday’s opening day was ridden in pouring rain, on Friday’s stage the occasional squall added to the muddy conditions under tyre, but on Saturday, 21 September, the sun came out and started to dry up all the rain.
Before the riding got underway, a new registration venue welcomed this year’s participants to Plettenberg Bay. Perched high above the Keurbooms River estuary and the bay itself Sky Villa Boutique Hotel provided spectacular views, an optional Prologue, and the opportunity to see the brooding storm clouds roll in from the west. By the next morning the heavens had opened and the inclement weather had well and truly set in.
It rained for most of the day on Thursday, making Day 1 particularly challenging. Photo by Oakpics.com.
It rained for much of the first stage, making conditions tough for fast times and detracting somewhat from the beauty of the route. “I think Day 1 is the best riding in the region,” Plettenberg Bay local and The Bike Shop owner, Kevin Evans noted. “My dad [Leon Evans], Erik [Klootwyk], and his route team have done an incredible job stringing those sections together. So, it’s a pity we rode it in the rain. But that’s cycling…”
Day 2 was a less soaking wet affair, though intermittent showers meant the trails remained wet. Sections of SANParks’ magnificent Harkerville indigenous forest provided cover from the rain and the superbly built MTO Forestry trails drained well. This meant that while the forestry roads were sodden and muddy, the singletracks themselves were still great fun to ride.
Extreme measures were required to clean off after the muddy opening day. Photo by Oakpics.com.
“The mud was pretty hectic and you had to watch it on the descents,” Evan’s racing partner, Neill Clark confessed. “Once you were going you hardly noticed the rain though. It wasn’t too cold and it was all good.”
By Friday afternoon the sun had finally emerged from the clouds and the ground began to dry. This set the event up for a perfect Day 3. “Day 1 and 2 were tough and, what you might call, challenging with mud in my eyes,” Bruce Campbell smiled, reflecting on the race from the Barrington’s final finish line. “But today was a reward. Just surfing trails and pure bliss.”
The sun came out, intermittently on Day 2, revealing incredible ocean views. Photo by Oakpics.com.
“Today was one of the most fantastic days I’ve ever had on a bike,” cycling industry stalwart, Robbie Powell grinned. “The trails were absolutely pristine, there was so much traction, it was amazing! I wish I could go ride it again actually.”
The new finishing venue helped the race end on a high. Having started with the final stage at Cairnbrogie the event concluded at Barrington’s in Plettenberg Bay. The restaurant and its lawns hosted lunch and prize giving after every rider had been cheered across the finish line. There Tom Byron was crowned the overall champion, having posted the fastest time across the three days, besting the Knysna Toyota Bike Shop Plett combination of Kevin Evans and Clark by 8 minutes and 32 seconds to claim the solo men’s title as well as the Dr Evil Experience floating trophy.
The Trail Angels descended on the 2024 Dr Evil Experience en masse. Photo by Oakpics.com.
“Plettenberg Bay is a beautiful place and has incredible trails,” Trail Angels founder Nikki Haywood endorsed, concluding the celebrations. “The women love coming here, to hang out together, and to ride their bikes. Bringing them to stage races and helping the newer riders through their first few events is part of what we do to build the community of women’s cyclists. Being able to come and ride a three-day stage race is a big achievement for some of our Trail Angels, but the Dr Evil Experience is the perfect event to do that at.”
Having finished in sunshine its easy to see why the Trail Angels and many others return year-on-year to the race. Even if the weather does not always play along. It certainly delivers smiles come rain or shine. The biggest grin was reserved for Wayne Badenhorst, who won a SCOTT SPARK in the post-race lucky draw. Smiling ear-to-ear he took ownership of the R110 000 machine on stage, as the last action of the prize giving, from SCOTT Sports Africa’s Joggie Prinsloo.
Wayne Badenhorst was the lucky draw winner who rode away with a brand-new SCOTT SPARK worth R110 000, courtesy of SCOTT Sports Africa. Photo by Oakpics.com.
2024 Dr Evil Experience Results
Solo Men’s General Classification after Stage 3
- Tom Byron (7:03:12)
- Stefan van den Heever (7:19:54 | + 14:41)
- Ben Fisher (7:23:00 | +19:47)
Solo Women’s General Classification after Stage 3
- Robyn Hewlett (9:06:27)
- Helen van Niekerk (9:19:21 | +12:53)
- Caren Maytham-Mills (10:14:07 | +1:07:49)
Tom Byron was the fastest rider, overall, after three days of racing. Holding off the Knysna Toyota Bike Shop Plett pairing of Evans and Clark to win the floating trophy. Photo by Oakpics.com.
Men’s Teams:
- Knysna Toyota Bike Shop Plett: Kevin Evans & Neill Clark (7:11:44)
- Pure Sausage: Jaco & Cecil Bosman (7:53:28 | +41:43)
- Ready Fresh: Warren Dickson & Warren Barber (7:58:28 | +4:43)
Mixed Teams
- The Bike Shop: Andrea & Andrew van Blommenstein (9:01:58)
- Slick Sliders: Simon Jacobs & Nick Reed (9:54:43 | +52:44)
- Charlie and Lola: Sally & Nick Ferguson (10:36:09 | 1:34:10)
The superbly build MTO Forestry trails withstood the rain well and were still exceptionally fun to ride. Photo by Oakpics.com.
For the full results from the 2024 Dr Evil Experience click here. To find out more about the Dr Evil Experience visit www.drevilclassic.com.
Robbie Powell (right) loved Day 3 and said he would have liked to have reridden it again. Photo by Oakpics.com.
Bruce Campbell (second from right) and his Aspire Live Fit squad enjoyed the last day’s riding. Photo by Oakpics.com.
Kevin Evans (leading) rated the Day 1 route as the best collection of track and trails in the region. Photo by Oakpics.com.
