{"id":21713,"date":"2013-08-06T00:54:32","date_gmt":"2013-08-05T22:54:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/croeser-takes-well-deserved-eston-victory\/"},"modified":"2013-08-06T00:54:32","modified_gmt":"2013-08-05T22:54:32","slug":"croeser-takes-well-deserved-eston-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/croeser-takes-well-deserved-eston-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"Croeser takes well-deserved Eston victory"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t \"Rourke<\/a><\/p>\n

Rourke Croeser (Kargo Pro MTB) claimed a vital victory in the 60km Illovo Eston Marathon, the feature race of the Illovo Eston MTB Challenge, as he builds towards the UCI MTB Trials World Championships. Photo: Anthony Grote \/ Gameplan Media<\/p>\n

As the\u00a0UCI MTB Trials World Championships<\/a>\u00a0draw nearer South African Under 23 star\u00a0Rourke Croeser<\/a>\u00a0claimed a major morale boosting victory when he edged out James Reid and Brendon Davids in a dramatic sprint finish to take Sunday\u2019s 60km Illovo Marathon.<\/p>\n

The three top men\u2019s competitors rode the entire race with each other, leaving little room for anything else but a sprint finish to decide the winner in which Croeser (Kargo Pro MTB) gain the ascendency and the inside line with just a couple hundred meters to go, giving him the edge over Reid (Craft\/Trek)<\/a> and Davids (Team Jeep) at the death.<\/p>\n

Being in the top three within the last kilometre was something that Croeser had been working towards all race and felt that he would have enough power to claim the title should it come down to the likely sprint finish.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a really good race and James (Reid) rode really well too,\u201d Croeser said. \u201cI just had to make sure that I was with the other guys at the end of the final climb because I backed my sprint in the final kilometre and I felt confident I could win it if I was there.\u201d<\/p>\n

World Champs<\/a>, the pinnacle of the of the global MTB calendar, get underway at the end of the month at Cascades MTB Park and Croeser feels that he is heading in the right direction ahead of the international spectacle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am at about 80% at the moment but I definitely will be ready,\u201d enthused Croeser. \u201cThere is still a long way to go for me but this result was great for my preparations for the World Champs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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