Ten-time Elite XCO World Champion and 2016 Olympic gold medallist, Nino Schurter, along with South Africa’s 2022 XCC World Cup Series champion, Alan Hatherly, head up what is the strongest field ever assembled for a King Price Trailseeker Series race in Banhoek, South Africa on Saturday.
Schurter, who is in Stellenbosch for his annual early-year training stint, confirmed his entry on Friday for the 65km marathon distance race on Saturday. The two-time Absa Cape Epic winner is accustomed to the trails in the area and is unlikely to have entered the event if his form wasn’t sharp. It’s essentially a bonus head-to-head contest between the 2022 XCO (Schurter) and XCC (Hatherly) World Cup Series winners that’s sure to deliver a thrilling contest race.
Schurter isn’t the only top international male in the field for the opening round of the six-leg 2023 King Price Trailseeker Series. Frenchman, Victor Koretsky and Dane Sebastini Fini Carstensen are also in the country for training camps and have signed up for the marathon. Koretsky, now a member of the Specialized Factory Racing Team, is a multiple World Championships medallist who has won six World Cup races, his first in Albstadt, Germany in 2021 when he outsprinted Schurter. Fini Carstensen is the Danish national champion and two-time European Championships silver medallist.
Hatherly’s consistent 2022 World Cup season saw him win the XCC Series tile and finish fifth in the XCO Series. The Cannondale Factory Racing member won this particular Trailseeker race in the rain in 2021 and will be looking to repeat that success in conditions that are predicted to be cool with a small chance of rain on Saturday.
The 2021 South African marathon and Cape Epic champion, Matt Beers (Toyota Specialized) leads a strong South African-based rider field for what is expected to be cracker contest on the singletrack-heavy route that includes a demanding 1700 metres of vertical ascent.
Multiple World Champion, Tokyo Olympics silver medallist and 2020 Cape Epic winner, Sina Frei of Switzerland starts as the favourite in the women’s marathon. The Specialized Factory Racing ace faces a strong South African line-up that includes double Olympian and 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, Candice Lill, multiple South African champion, Mariske Strauss and current South African marathon champion, Amy Wakefield.
“We are thrilled to have such a diverse and talented group of pro racers competing in this year’s King Price Trailseeker event,” said event organiser, Fritz Pienaar. “The combination of international and local competitors is sure to make for an exciting and competitive race, especially with the presence of Nino Schurter, who is considered to be the best mountain bike racer of all time.”
The King Price Trailseeker Series is South Africa’s most popular marathon racing series that consistently attracts top local and international racers. The 2023 opening round takes placer Plaisir de Merle Wine Estate in the Banhoek Valley. There is also a 40km Half-marathon, 40km eBike race, 20km Fun Race, 10km Fun Ride and a 20km Schools Cycling SA points event.
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