Croeser enters Tour Durban
World ranked under-23 mountain biker, Rourke Croeser, has added his name to the start list for the new cyclo-cross race that forms part of the aQuellé Tour Durban on Sunday 28 April.
Croeser is due to jet off after the race to start his international MTB campaign in earnest.
The 22-year-old team Kargo Pro MTB rider, fresh from his podium finish in the Sappi Karkloof Classic, has just come off his first Absa Cape Epic with Shan Wilson and has his sights set on a top performance at the UCI MTB and Trials World Championships in Pietermaritzburg in August. He sees the innovative aQuellé Tour Durban as one of his building blocks in the process.
Croeser, who has been based in the United Kingdom for a few seasons, is quick to point out that the 55km race, which combines 40km of road racing with 15km of varied MTB track, is not strictly cyclo-cross as popularly raced in Europe and the USA. However, he says it has the potential to catch on in South Africa.
"The main difference between cyclo-cross and any other type of cycling is the massive explosive nature of the sport, " said Croeser.
"You’re basically needing to go flat out for an hour and with you having to get off your bike, sprint over a couple of obstacles, then get back on and try get back up to speed as quickly as possible. It really wears you out quickly so it can be a full on workout. Cyclo-cross is however quite close to cross country, just with a bit more running, and I do quite a bit of cross training throughout the season, so hopefully I’ll be able to adapt quickly enough and I’m sure everyone else will be able to too," Croeser added.
Croeser said he expected the competition to be tough at the front of the cyclo-cross race.
"If there was one thing I learnt during the past couple of seasons it was that there are only a very few things that separate the guys at the very top and one of the biggest factors is definitely confidence," Croeser revealed.
Team captain, Shaun Peschl, will also be on the start line and said that tyre choice was sure to play a major role in determining the podium places.
"With the mix of road and dirt, a less aggressive tyre with less tread will probably be the best decision. There has been a lot of talk about this race, so it's no surprise to see the big entry already," Peschl said.
The aQuellé Tour Durban road races takes place on Sunday 28 April. More information can be found at www.tourdurban.co.za
-Gameplan Media
(File Photo:Anthony Grote:Gameplan Media)
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