Pro mountain biker Renay Groustra shares his views ahead of the UCI MTB Marathon World Championships.
Rainbows are funny and beautiful things. Great to look at, but the closer you move to them, the further away they seem to get.
This weekend is the UCI Marathon World Championships, and the best marathon riders from around the world have been descending to Pietermaritzburg this week for Sunday’s battle for the rainbow stripes.
Riders will be faced with 3200m of climbing over 94km which is spread out over a 74km loop out of Pietermatitzburg and then back, followed by a 20km loop as a final kick in the but to the riders battling it out for the stripes.
I am told that the route is really tough. Short steep climbs, with lots of singltrack, and some really rough and bumpy descents.
I’ve picked my Rocky Mountain Vertex for Sunday, although I know many will be going the full suspension route.
I believe the light weight at the end of the day will pay off after all the short steep climbs. I’ve just got to keep it tidy on the descents.
Having qualified earlier this year to represent South Africa at marathon champs, I have decided that winning this race would change my life in a pretty positive way, and wearing the rainbow stripes for a year would be a pretty rad experience.
Read the full race preview here.
