Croeser cruises into the limelight

ZULULAND mountain biking star Rourke Croeser (Kargo team), now settled in Durban, returned home after victory in China and a career highlight podium stage finish in Malaysia, bringing down the curtain on his final year as an U23 rider and heralding in promise of a elite senior career.

Having claimed a commendable 14th place overall despite a second lap mechanical problem at the Guiyang Invitational MTB Festival in China, a UCI World Cup test event for the region, Croeser then went on to produce an impressive top ten performance at the six-day long Langkawi International MTB Challenge stage race in Malaysia.

As if his ninth place finish on the General Classification standings was not enough, Croeser capped off the memorable trip to the East with a career defining third place finish on the fifth and final stage in Langkawi and proudly stepped on the podium alongside cross-country idols Fabian Giger of Switzerland and Emil Lindgren of Sweden.

‘The entire trip was just such a good experience and really was a massive breakthrough on the international scene for me,’ said Croeser.

‘I’ve always known I’ve had what it takes to do well internationally, but I’ve had some really bad luck with mechanical failures at World Cups and other events overseas, so it was really pleasing to be able to do well over there, especially in Langkawi.’

Having got off to a perfect start with a fourth place finish in the prologue, Croeser’s top ten hopes seemed to have been shattered on the opening stage when a double puncture saw him fall 27 minutes off the pace having battling it out with the lead group for much of the first half of the race.

‘I was really tired at the start of the fourth stage and knew I wanted to really give the last stage a good go, so I decided to just look to try just play things safe and have a solid ride.

‘I got a seventh there, which kept me ninth overall where I finished on the GC in the end as well, and felt really good going into the last day, but I never dreamed to have finished on the podium on that final stage. It really was an amazing feeling.’

With the African Continental Championships already looming on the horizon, Croeser is relishing a strong pre-season build-up.

Making the jump from U23 to the elite category is a big step for any young competitor and one, but Croeser’s latest performances certainly boosted his confidence.

‘I’m quietly confident I can do it. I’ve got good support structures in place and great backing from Kargo, so next year is all about grabbing the opportunity with both hands and keeping my Olympic dream alive’.