May and June has been a busy period for the Kargo Pro MTB Team and they are set to remain at full steam ahead for the next while as they continue to build towards their Olympic Games dream.
Kargo Pro MTB Team’s Rourke Croeser capped off a busy few weeks both internationally and locally with a strong second place finish at the recent SA MTB Marathon Championships in Pietermaritzburg. Photo: BOOGS Photography /
Gameplan Media
Kargo’s lead rider Rourke Croeser, together with team manager Shaun Peschl, was hard at work flying both the team’s and nation’s flag high on the international circuit recently.
Under-23 Travis Walker, Croeser’s fellow elite Stuart Marais, team newcomer William Makgopo and junior Marco Joubert have supported their star’s efforts tremendously both locally and internationally in recent weeks.
After a disappointing yet educational few days at the UCI MTB World Cup season opener in Pietermaritzburg in April, Croeser headed for round three in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic eager to build on his Sappi Karkloof Classic success as he tackled his first major international cross country event on foreign shores as an elite competitor.
A strong hit-out saw Croeser finish 57th overall and was just the seventh first-year elite competitor across the line while, back in SA, Croeser’s team mates put in a valiant effort at the third round of the SA MTB Cup Series at Mankele in Mpumalanga where Walker finished third, Marais sixth and Makgopo – in his first outing in Kargo Pro MTB colours – eighth.
“I don’t think many people quite understand just how high the level is over there in Europe. The field in Czech Republic was nearly three times the size of the field at the Pietermaritzburg World Cup so I was really pleased with my result in Nove Mesto,” said Croeser.
Summary of results – Kargo Pro MTB:
UCI MTB World Cup Nove Mesto, Czech Republic
Elite Men
57.Rourke Croeser
UCI MTB World Cup Albstadt, Germany
Elite Men
DNF – Rourke Croeser
Under-23 Men
58.Travis Walker
128.William Makgopo
UCI Junior Cross-Country Series Albstadt, Germany
78.Marco Joubert
SA MTB XCO Cup Series #3 Mankele
Pro Elite Men
3.Travis Walker
6.Stuart Marais
8.William Makgopo
SA National MTB Marathon Championships
2.Rourke Croeser
14.Stuart Marais
21.Travis Walker
