Strauss & Lill Ready to Defend Their Tankwa Title

2020 champions, Candice Lill and Mariske Strauss, return to the Koue Bokkeveld to defend their title in February 2022. Photo by www.zcmc.co.za.

The Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, is undoubtedly among the world’s premier stage races. Boasting four challenging days of racing, through the Koue Bokkeveld region of the Western Cape, it features a late afternoon Prologue and three marathon stages. For 2022 the route has been dramatically refreshed. It is fitting then that the race will be contested by a stellar field of mountain biking all-stars.

The elite women’s race sees 2020 champions Candice Lill and Mariske Strauss return to defend their title after the 2021 Covid enforced cancellation. “I love coming back to the Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen,” Lill smiled. “It’s a proper mountain biker’s mountain bike race! The terrain is very rocky and challenging. You have to be tough to win the race or even complete it. I love how difficult the terrain is, but also how balanced the stages are; which each presents a different challenge.”

Captured by Carli Smith for www.zcmc.co.za

“I’m racing with Mariske [Strauss] again and I guess we’re the defending champion” she elaborated. “We’ll be staying in the race village this year and I’m looking forward to the race’s hospitality. I love staying at Kaleo and the food is always amazing. Being able to socialise a bit with the rest of the mountain biking community is another bonus of staying on site and I’m looking forward to that too.”

Lill and Strauss will be up against Efficient Insure Infiniti Racing’s Samantha Sanders and Kimberley le Court, as well as Sarah Hill and Theresa Ralph, racing as Liv Cycling South Africa. There will be live tracking, for all elite riders, allowing mountain biking fans to dot watch as the racing unfolds. More details and the racing action will be captured on the event’s social media handles.

Captured by Carli Smith for www.zcmc.co.za

Regular updates will be posted to Twitter, @tankwatrek, with photo galleries and videos being posted to the Tankwa Trek Facebook page and on Instagram, @tankwatrek. The action gets underway at 15:00 on Thursday, 3 February, and wraps up on Sunday, 6 February. For more information, please visit www.tankwatrek.co.za. The 2022 Event Guide can be read online here.