The Enduro discipline continues to grow in South Africa. In 2023, there are five provinces that will host a provincial series and Cycling South Africa will host a national series. The first round of the Enduro SA Cup will be held at Thaba Trails, Gauteng on Sunday 19 February, presented by Balwin and Suzuki with some of the top riders from around the country having confirmed they will racing.
Heading up the Elite Men’s entry list is 2022 Enduro SA Cup Elite men’s champion, Keira Duncan (pictured above) from KwaZulu-Natal. He will be joined by last year’s national series runner-up, Willie van Eck, Mpumalanga’s leading Enduro racer. Duncan and Van Eck were the silver and bronze medallists respectively at the 2022 SA Enduro Champs.
North West’s top racer, Wade Prinsloo, winner of the Gauteng Champs at Thaba Trails last October, will also be in the hunt for the overall title. Rory Kirk will be the top-ranked Elite Men’s racer from the host province, while 2022 SA Junior Downhill Champion, Keagan Brand, from KwaZulu-Natal is also certain to be an overall podium contender and the favourite to claim the Junior men’s title. Limpopo’s Tyrone Anders is also sure to challenge for an overall podium finish in his first year out of the Junior division.
“I’m looking forward to racing somewhere new. A new venue always poses challenges, but I like that.
There is obviously a bit of pressure, but I don’t feel under pressure. I’d really like to do well this season and progress my racing,” said Duncan.
“Defending my title and claiming the overall championship title is one of my goals. I have ambitions to race overseas this year, as I have had the past few years. The last few years have been challenging and the timing just hasn’t been right, but I feel this year there is a great chance it will come to fruition. I’m going to try my best to compete the SA series alongside my international travels,” he added.
“I have never raced at Thaba before, so I have no idea what to expect. However, I have had a good summer of base training so I am feeling fit and strong. I don’t yet know the conditions or the Enduro lines at Thaba but will practice a couple of days before the race this week. While I don’t mind racing in the wet, I would prefer to compete in the dry. I’m ready for either,” said Van Eck.
The date scheduling of the event has resulted in a number of gravity racers, including most of the top women, being forced to skip the Gauteng event in favour of focusing on the 2023 CSA Downhill SA Champs at Sabie, Mpumalanga the following week. As a result, 2022 Gauteng champion, Julia Kotze, will start at the firm favourite. She is likely to find her main challengers to be Youth racer, Arielle Behr and Masters racer, Monica Glover.
“I honestly think that Thaba is currently the best Enduro venue in Gauteng. We have to give them credit for constantly developing new lines specifically for the enduro events being held there,” said Kotze.
“I do think the rocky, somewhat steep descents and tight corners on some of the lines work in my favour. I also enjoy the smoother, more flowing lines like 3 and 6 even though I do worry about losing time on the pedalling sections. But I have done my best to get my fitness back up since my fall in November, so am excited to see how the race goes,” she added.
While the province of Gauteng isn’t gifted with gradient, it does have some mountain bike trails parks that have proven to be appropriate for Enduro racing. Thaba Trails is probably the most rounded in terms of gradient and challenging terrain and Wendell Bole and his team have prepared seven stages that are relatively short, but offer a balanced Enduro contest.
STAGES
Enduro and eBikes: Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7. Must start on Stages 1, 2 or 4. Must finish with Stage 7
Lite/Sprogs/Nippers/ Sport/eBikes Lite: Stage 3, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7. Must start with Stage 3 and finish with Stage 7.
Three of the stages – 1, 2 and 4 – include a high volume of rocks, while stages 3, 5, 6 and 7 cover more predictable surfaces and each offers its own challenge. Some extended pedalling will be required on stages 3 and 6 for those looking to gain an advantage. The high volume of rain that’s been falling will hopefully subside as the clay-like mud makes for very slippery conditions at Thaba Trails.
The event will double as Round 1 of the 2023 Gauteng Enduro Series, presented by Suzuki. There will also be some fast age-group racers in the mix, who are likely to pose an outside challenge for the overall top five podium. They include Sub-veterans, Bryce Munro and Frank Meyer as well as, Veteran Danny Fowler.
All the usual CSA categories will be contested as will an eBike category for 19 years and older racers in both the Full Enduro and the Lite Enduro. Entry is online only and closes at midnight on Friday 17 February. Racing starts at 08h00 on Sunday 19 February. Entry is via the Cycling South Africa portal here or via the CSA app.
Suzuki is the presenting sponsor the 2023 Gauteng Enduro Series. Other brands that have invested in the sponsoring the Gauteng Enduro Series are EcoLogic (bike wash products), 100% (eyewear products), 32 GI (performance supplements), Med Guys (medical support), Complete Cyclist (technical support) and SHRED (media partner). Timing will once again be done by Send It, which records down to 1000th of a second.
For more information, join the Gauteng Cycling Gravity Group on Telegram, here; or contact Paola Damilano on 0832523752 or paola.damilano@me.com
