The Diesel from South Africa: Matt Beers Powers into U.S. Racing Big Ambitions

Matt Beers discovered his appetite for speed through moto‑cross in his youth. A serious bike‑crash gave him a broken foot—and during recovery, he discovered cycling, embracing it as a career in his early twenties. At nearly 2 m tall (around 196 cm), the towering South African would soon stand out not just for size but for endurance and power.

Beers’ transition from moto to mountain bikes proved rapid: by the late 2010s he was winning national marathon‑mountain bike championships and standout stage‑race titles like the Mpumalanga and Lowveld Tours. The defining moment arrived in 2021, when he and partner Jordan Sarrou won the grueling eight‑day ABSA Cape Epic, making him the second-ever South African winner of cycling’s toughest MTB stage race. Beers would go on to win Cape Epic three times—in 2021, 2023, and 2024, each victory proving his mastery of endurance, terrain, and teamwork  Alongside his country’s marathon MTB crowns, these wins cemented his status among the world’s elite in stage‑race mountain biking.

Breaking into the U.S. Scene: The Life Time Grand Prix

With marathon MTB success established, Beers pivoted toward gravel racing and the U.S. circuit, where opportunity and prize purses were growing. By 2024 he had made the Life Time Grand Prix—a series of seven high‑profile U.S. gravel events offering both prestige and a substantial prize purse—his season focus. After finishing 7th mid‑season in 2023 and being forced out by injury in Arkansas’s Big Sugar Gravel, he returned in 2024 as a serious contender, ultimately finishing runner‑up overall. Beers tailored his 2024 season to include three trips to the U.S. to acclimate better, especially to elevation, and to adapt to the diversity of race styles—from sea‑level blasts like Sea Otter Classic to high‑altitude challenges.

By early 2025, his gravel palmarès included major U.S. results: winning Belgian Waffle Ride California, second at both Sea Otter Classic and The Traka 200, along with dominant South African titles in marathon and gravel disciplines. He also teamed with Keegan Swenson to chase Cape Epic glory again in 2025, blending his raw power with one of the top endurance riders on the circuit.

Fueling a Giant

Mountain bike stage racing and elite gravel events alike demand immense carbohydrate intake. For riders like Beers—tall, powerful, high‐output—the requirement can reach 150 grams per hour to maintain pace and avoid bonking, especially across marathon distances with varied terrain. This is far beyond the average recommendation (~60–120 g/h) ,but entirely realistic at his level. Research supports that with a glucose:fructose blend, absorption can rise above 90 g/h, and elite athletes who train their gut regularly can tolerate 120 g/h or more (with some pushing higher). Professionals like Beers can manage very high energy consumption as they train their intake daily.

Why Neversecond Made Sense: A Simple, Fool‑Proof System

In January 2025, Neversecond officially announced Matt Beers had joined their Athlete Team, citing his 3× Cape Epic wins and Life Time Grand Prix runner‑up spot as central to the signing on Neversecond’s Global Athlete thlete roster, he joins a lineup including multiple Life Time Grand Prix champions and ultra‑running stars.

Neversecond’s C‑Series system is uniquely helpful for athletes like Beers:

• C30, C60, C90 products correspond exactly to 30, 60, or 90 grams of carbohydrate per serving.

• The “dot” system visualizes carbohydrates—each dot is 30 g—so counting dots ensures error‑free intake regardless of experience or stress on race day.

• All products use glucose–fructose blends, low fiber/fat, and 200 mg sodium per 30 g where applicable, optimizing absorption and preventing GI distress.

Beers himself values that Neversecond is "super easy on the gut and easy to mix and match and adjust based on each training and racing scenario", making it flexible at carb levels even above 120 g/h.

For Matt—who may require up to 150 g/h depending on event length and intensity—the approach is simple: mix C Series blocks to match his precise needs (e.g. one C90 + two C30 = 150 g), count dots, and stay focused on performance rather than packaging or math errors.

The Diversity of the Life Time Grand Prix Demands Smart Fueling

The Grand Prix series spans diverse races —d esert gravel, sea‑level crit‑like gravel, high‑alt alpine climbs, and marathon distances. This variety turns nutrition into a tactical science: Beers must dial carb rate, sodium, hydration, and gel/bar mix stage by stage. Neversecond’s modular system empowers him to tailor fueling per day:

• In high altitude, high intensity days, he might push toward the upper end of intake.

• For flatter, faster legs, he might moderate intake to reduce gastrointestinal load while maintaining power.

Because the system avoids ambiguity — it allows Beers to fuel precisely, quickly, consistently, which is essential when racing back‑to‑back stages in heat, cold, or elevation shifts.

Looking Ahead: Grand Prix, Gravel and Beyond

With Beers officially on the Neversecond Athlete Team, his 2025 Life Time Grand Prix season is set. Expect to see him charging climbs at Big Sugar Gravel, powering sea‑level surges at Sea Otter, and contesting the podium in finale rounds. His fueling? Precise. Every dot counted. High carb, high power—but low distraction.

Matt Beers’ path—from rehab in Knysna to Cape Epic champion, and now to Life Time Grand Prix contender—is a story of power, endurance, adaptability—and razor‑sharp fueling strategy. His enormous energy demands (sometimes topping 150 g carbohydrate per hour) require a system both flexible and fool‑proof. Neversecond’s dot‑based C Series gives him exactly that: clarity in fueling, ease of use, elite‑level science, and adaptability across multi‑terrain, multi‑day challenges.

As he tackles the gravel world’s biggest stages in 2025, Beers’ combination of raw horsepower and well‑honed nutrition execution makes him—and his fueling system — a model for endurance athletes everywhere.