![\"Tankwa](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1286367122_TankwaTrek20221.0ebd88b59d278e0cf6fdcb5c83109cfb-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
\n\tNino Schurter, the nine time and reigning XCO World Champion, will make his Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, debut alongside Filippo Colombo in the 2022 race. \u00a0Photo by Michael Cerveney.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIn the past, I\u2019ve always seen the other teams racing the Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen,\u201d Schurter pointed out. \u201cI\u2019ve seen lots of great photos and I watched as the Cannondale guys raced it. My South African friends have also told me a lot about the race; so, while it\u2019s my first time taking part, I know a bit about it and am really looking forward to it.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cBy the time the race gets underway I\u2019ll have been in South Africa for a month already,\u201d the World Champion said about his heat adaptation. \u201cI\u2019ve been training in the heat and I\u2019m already quite used to the soaring temperatures, which certainly helps. But I\u2019m still hoping that it won\u2019t be too hot during the race.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n\tExplaining how his participation came about Schurter stated: \u201cFilippo Colombo actually asked me if I\u2019d like to race with him. I realised then that it fits quite well into my training programme and that it\u2019s perfectly positioned a few weeks out from the Cape Epic. I\u2019m also looking forward to racing with Filippo. He\u2019s a cool guy and we had a lot of fun together in Tokyo. Racing together is going to be a lot of fun and will help in the build-up to the Cape Epic.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n\tSchurter and Colombo\u2019s main rivals are likely to be the Cannondale Factory Racing team of Simon Andreassen and Alan Hatherly, as well as the Specialized team of Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje. All four riders contested the Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen, on the 15th of January. There Andreassen rode to a commanding victory in sweltering conditions, so the Dane is also likely to thrive in the Bokkeveld.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t \n\tThe race will be Beers and Nortje\u2019s first outing as a team. The South African Marathon Champion is looking forward to getting the team\u2019s stage racing campaign underway. \u201cTristan is a massive talent and I\u2019m excited to race alongside him\u201d Beers enthused. \u201cHe\u2019s an exceptional climber and he\u2019s really dedicated. So, I\u2019ll be imparting what knowledge I have on him, but he\u2019s a fast learner so I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll be putting me on the ropes pretty quickly.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe are focused on winning and are both hungry for success in 2022\u201d Beers added. \u201cSo, I think we are going to make a great combination at the Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, and beyond. I\u2019m expecting a really tough race though. The standard of competition is really high and the 30 kay Prologue is going to really suit the Cannondale boys, Nino and Filippo. They\u2019ll try to make it really hard on the marathon teams and I think, given the nasty summer we\u2019re having, that the heat is going to be a factor too. We\u2019ll have to be on top of nutrition and hydration! But also take care of our equipment, it\u2019s very rocky out there and the bikes take a beating when it gets extremely hot and dusty.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tIn addition to the Swiss, Cannondale Factory Racing and Specialized teams the men\u2019s race will be contested by two Imbuko {type}DEV equipped by Giant teams, three Insect Science squads, Team Trek Vaude, Valley Electrical Titan Racing and the MES Electrical Supplies team of Konny Looser and Alexander Miller. The mixed category will see Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot partnered by Kilian Bron in a race against Ben Melt and Yolandi Swanepoel, as well as Yolande de Villiers and Charles McFall.\n<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tThe elite women\u2019s race sees 2020 champions Candice Lill and Mariske Strauss return to defend their title after the 2021 Covid enforced cancellation. \u201cI love coming back to the Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen,\u201d Lill smiled. \u201cIt\u2019s a proper mountain biker\u2019s 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.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m racing with Mariske [Strauss] again and I guess we\u2019re the defending champion\u201d she elaborated. \u201cWe\u2019ll be staying in the race village this year and I\u2019m looking forward to the race\u2019s 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\u2019m looking forward to that too.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tLill and Strauss will be up against Efficient Insure Infiniti Racing\u2019s 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\u2019s social media handles.\n<\/p>\n \n\t The Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, is undoubtedly among the world\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":59637,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[94],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-13782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-tankwa-trek"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13782"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62178,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13782\/revisions\/62178"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13782"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=13782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Tankwa](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/321374123_TankwaTrek20222.07245ecb5f5cf42de6623bd71c5d6f8c-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
\n\tMatt Beers and Tristan Nortje will race for the first time as a team at the four-day stage race, after both having contested the Hell of the South in January. Photo by Ewald Sadie\/Shift Media Co.\u00a0<\/em>\n<\/p>\n![\"Tankwa](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/445720933_TankwaTrek20223.e249136b4a7c94b531302396beee2b97-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
\n\t2020 champions, Candice Lill and Mariske Strauss, return to the Koue Bokkeveld to defend their title in February 2022. \u00a0Photo by www.zcmc.co.za.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n![\"Tankwa](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/430072021_TankwaTrek20224.742fb750f499f3a4034a6f4c7fe73c7f-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
\n\tThe route for the 2022 Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, has been significantly updated. Elite and amateur riders alike can expect spectacular, technical, mountain biking. Photo by www.zcmc.co.za.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"