Old Mutual Wealth Double Century

Production Sprint

May 14

Written By Kevin Sawyer

Client

Old Mutual Wealth Double Century Event Organiser

End Brand

Old Mutual Wealth — Title Sponsor

Project

Old Mutual Wealth Double Century 2025 — Official Photography

Year

2025

Location

Swellendam, Western Cape

Services

Official Event Photography · Route Coverage · Same-Day Delivery · Full Gallery

The Brief

The Old Mutual Wealth Double Century is one of South Africa's most iconic endurance cycling events — a 200km team race through the Overberg, starting and finishing at the Swellendam Show Grounds. Teams of six race together across a single day, with the fastest teams starting last in an inverse seeding format that means the winner is rarely known until the final kilometres. Women's, mixed, and open categories race simultaneously across the same route.

Cape Town Cycle Tour appointed three official photographers for the 2025 edition. My brief was specific: cover the women's racing teams at the start from 06:00, then move through the route documenting the bulk of the field — normal teams, mixed teams, scenics — before returning for finish-line coverage, Charles Milner medal moments in the Team Support Zones, and post-race vibes in the race village. Selects were to be delivered same-day via WhatsApp for the Saturday afternoon press release, with the full gallery following within the week.

The Approach

I arrived in Swellendam the night before and was at the Media Centre at 04:00 on race morning. The DC operates on a pre-dawn start — teams rolling from 05:00, with the women's racing categories departing from 06:00. Working in low light, across a moving field, with a route that stretches across the Overberg requires preparation and stamina in equal measure.

The editorial approach for the DC is part endurance documentary, part brand photography. The race has sponsors at every touchpoint — Old Mutual Wealth, Coca-Cola, Food Lover's Market, Van Loveren, Ciovita, Wintergreen — and the brief required sponsor branding to be represented at feed zones and support areas throughout the route. At the same time, the most powerful images from a race like this are the human ones: a team pushing a struggling member through the final kilometres, a rider crossing the finish line and reaching for the medal they've been moving toward since dawn, the quiet collapse of a team in the race village afterwards.

The inverse start format adds a specific editorial challenge: you never know where the race leaders are. The fastest teams start last and can pass through at any point on the route. The brief required constant situational awareness — staying on the women's and mixed teams while keeping an eye out for the racing teams that would feed the Saturday press release.

Selects were processed and sent via WhatsApp throughout the day as the race progressed, with the full edited gallery delivered within the week following the event.

The Production

One full race day on the road. Swellendam Show Grounds and the Double Century route, Western Cape. 22 November 2025.

Start — Women's Racing Teams

From 06:00, I covered the eleven women's racing teams departing in their seeded wave — Herschell Femmes, Spin Science, Tiletoria, Spoke & Mirrors, Nana Cycling Club, Pedal Stroke, CHALK-AIR WC/CMC Ladies, TdF Bees, ChemChamp Ladies4CANSA Racing, Winelands Old Ballies, and ASAP Ladies. Start-line energy, team kits, faces at the line — the full departure sequence documented before moving out onto the route.

Route — Field Coverage, Scenics & Sponsor Branding

From the start, I moved through the route covering the bulk of the field: normal teams, mixed teams, and the Overberg landscape the race moves through. Feed zones and refreshment stations were covered for sponsor branding — Old Mutual Wealth, Coca-Cola, Food Lover's Market, Van Loveren, Ciovita, and Wintergreen all represented at their respective positions on the route. People pushing team members, spontaneous team moments, and the scenics that make the DC one of the most photographically rich endurance events in South Africa.

Finish Line & Medal Moments

Back at the Swellendam Show Grounds for finish-line coverage — riders crossing after hours on the road, the Charles Milner medal handover just past the line and in the Team Support Zones, and the full arc of emotion that comes with finishing 200km on a single day. The racing teams were tracked and covered where possible for press release selects.

Race Village

Post-race coverage in the race village: teams reuniting, medals around necks, the collective exhale of a day's effort done. VIP team support zone setups and the post-race atmosphere documented through to the end of the day.

Deliverables

Same-day selects — delivered via WhatsApp throughout the day and on completion for the Saturday afternoon press release
Full photography gallery — complete route and race village coverage delivered within the week following the event

Outcome

Old Mutual Wealth received a complete photographic record of the 2025 Double Century — women's teams at the start, the field across the route, sponsor branding at every touchpoint, finish-line moments, medals, and the race village. Press release selects were on the client's phone before the last team crossed the line.

200 kilometres. One day. Everything covered.