After the disappointment of not being able to compete at the Commonwealth Games due to a positive Covid-19 test on departure day, South Africa’s Mariske Strauss decided to stay optimistic and try something different, by accepting an invitation to compete in four rounds of the UCI XC Eliminator World Cup. Here’s why she accepted and how it kept her smiling…
You went from being unable to travel to the Commonwealth Games to heading off to Turkey to race the UCI XCE Series event, something very different and unexpected. How did this come about?
It was a challenging year for sure. I fractured my hip in May and got Covid twice. The second time preventing me from going to the Commonwealth Games. The UCI invited me to compete in a few rounds of the XCE World Cup and they covered my costs. It made economic sense. Also physically, in the space I was, it made sense to race some XCE World Cups and I absolutely loved them.
You went from Turkey to Indonesia, to India and then Paris. Quite a hectic schedule! It seems like the UCI is really pushing the XCE format. Can you explain more about this, based on what you know?
I can’t really speak about their objectives specifically, but it seems they’re wanting to push for it to become an Olympic discipline in the future. We have qualification – top 32 men qualify and top 16 women. Women go straight into quarter-finals with elimination rounds. Four riders contest each race with the first two going through to the next round and the other two being eliminated until the last four contest the final.
It’s pretty straight forward, very intense and a lot of fun! They can put a XCE course in a small space, which is why they can take the races to big cities and even right beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris! This really opens a lot doors and I would like them to bring it to South Africa some time.
What have your results been like?
In Turkey I reached the final and ended up fourth after dropping my chain in the final. A bit unfortunate. In Indonesia I made the final and also got a fourth place. I had a crash in the final where I slid out on one of the corners. With XCE being such a short race, there’s really no margin for error. In India I reached the final again and got second place. Unfortunately I didn’t make the final in Paris.
The racing is very short and intense! Does this suit you physically?
Definitely! I have always had a nice kick on me. And for where I was at the end of the 2022 season it was a blessing in disguise. I really love the format and it’s a lot of run racing. Also, everyone travelled to each round together, so it’s like one big happy family. I really enjoyed it.
And temperament wise, do you have the necessary aggression naturally, or do you have to summon it up?
As South Africans we’re very polite, so you need to put your manners in your pocket for XCE, but that’s the same in any World Cup racing discipline. It’s definitely helped me get more aggressive and go for the small gaps. It’s a different format so mentally it’s completely different. But I definitely got the hang of it.
It seems the ideal bike for most XCE courses is a hardtail. Was your full-sus up to it?
My full-sus was definitely been up to it! We had some challenging terrain in some of the races. Most of the riders are on hardtails, but there were a couple of us on fullys. My Liv Pique was phenomenal. The suspension is really good when open and it locks out completely, which helps with acceleration and sprinting. If I had the option, I’d still choose this fully over a hardtail. There are some gnarly drops and I just feel more comfortable and in control on this bike.
Do you need to be strategic or is it simply a matter of powering around the course as fast as possible?
Each course is a bit different, so you need to use some strategy. Firstly you need to qualify and you want to be as high up in the qualification as possible. India and Indonesia were a bit different. In Indonesia we had a bit more time and India was at 3500m above sea level, which is a big factor. Paris we had a bit of climbing. As with any race, you need to have a plan in mind. In XCE you just have a shorter time frame to execute that plan.
Would you get into XCE more seriously in the future or are your objectives still primarily XCO and the Absa Cape Epic?
I definitely want to get more into XCE. It’s fun and logistically and financially less challenging. But XCO will always be my first love and I have some unfinished business at the Cape Epic. My goal is still the next Olympics for XCO. The Epic is such an amazing event too. I’ll have a good think about it before I make my 2023 racing plans. I might consider doing the full XCE season in future.
There are 10 rounds in the 2022 UCI XCE World Cup in eight different countries. Find out more about the discipline here.
Follow Mariske’s progress on Instagram.
