Philip Buys and Mariske Strauss, who thrilled cycling fans with their efforts on the 2014 Absa Cape Epic, will go into battle for their country at the Commonwealth Games on Tuesday, July 29.
Buys and Strauss will be the only South Africans in the cross country mountain bike events in Glasgow.
Buys, riding with Cross Country World Champion Nino Schurter of Switzerland, won two stages in this year’s Absa Cape Epic and finished second on another two days.
Buys has entered and finished the Absa Cape Epic five times.
Strauss, riding her first Absa Cape Epic with veteran Hanlie Booyens, finished eighth in the women’s race.
Both are considered to have a good chance of landing a medal in the cross country discipline at the Commonwealth Games. Buys is the Union Cycliste Internationale’s second-highest ranked cross country mountain biker in the field - behind Australia’s Daniel McConnell. New Zealander Anton Cooper is also regarded as a medal contender.
Canadians Catharine Pendrell and Emily Batty and Australian Rebecca Henderson are ranked above Strauss by the UCI but there is little to separate the four women and it could come down to form on the day.
Another rider who has taken part in the Absa Cape Epic, Cherise Stander, will also be at the Games but taking part in the road race. She finished the Epic in 2013 but had to pull out on Stage 4 this year after developing breathing problems. She and partner Theo Blignaut had been competing strongly in the mixed category, winning the previous stage.
“We wish Philip, Mariske and Cherise good luck for their events,” said Absa Cape Epic spokesperson Chris Whitfield. “The whole Absa Cape Epic team will be rooting for them and all the other South African athletes at the Games.”
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