Mountain biker Mariske Strauss, a multiple South African cross-country champion, has signed with Liv Cycling South Africa for 2022 and beyond.
The 2021 Absa African Jersey winner will focus on UCI XCO World Cup racing in preparation for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as well as selected South African stage races including the Absa Cape Epic. Strauss, a former resident of Stellenbosch, will be competing predominantly on the Liv Pique Advanced Pro 29 full suspension mountain bike.
The Rola Motor Group will continue their long-standing partnership with the country’s most successful women’s mountain biker, while Garmin has come onboard as a new personal sponsor.
“I am beyond excited to join the Liv family, having raced on Giant when I first started my cycling journey over two decades ago,” Strauss exclaimed. “It really feels like I’m coming home, especially when I walked into the offices at Dragons Sports and recognised so many faces.”
She added that the Liv Pique Advanced Pro 29 is different to the bike’s raced on before, “yet everything just felt like it fits from the first moment”. “The bike is super comfortable. I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together,” Strauss added.
Said Andrew Cattell of Dragon Sports, distributors of Liv Cycling: “Signing an athlete and an ambassador of the calibre of Mariske Strauss is quite a coup. We are excited to help her achieve her goals in 2022 and beyond, but also to use the partnership with Mariske to promote women’s cycling in SA. She’s a fantastic ambassador and a source of great inspiration for young girls, in particular, who are just starting out on their cycling journey.”
Strauss added that her race plans for the season are different to other years. “The UCI World Cups are still on the table, a bit later this season, in preparation for Commonwealth Games late July; as for my local racing, the Tankwa Trek and Cape Epic are first up. I’m over the moon to be able to line up with Candice Lill again. We have such an amazing partnership; so other than my bike, the set-up of that team for major stage races will continue pretty much as it was last year. We have our eyes on the target and we’re as hungry as ever to go for gold.”
To follow Strauss’ 2022 campaign, like her page, “Mariske Strauss MTB” on Facebook and follow @mariskestrauss on Instagram.
