We are happy to announce that South African – Elite Women – mountainbiker Mariske Strauss will join the Team in the Olympic year 2020. Mariske will be the 3rd female rider to complete the CST Sandd Bafang MTB Racing Team, next to Yana Belomoina (UKR) and Anne Tauber (NED).
She loves to ride stageraces and is willing to work together to get the best result. Mariske is working towards the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, she is ‘still in the race’ for a qualification. We hope we can support her on her way to Tokyo and to see her ride at the Olympic Games next year for the South African Olympic Team.
Team Manager Bart Brentjens
Mariske Strauss
This year the CST Sandd Bafang Team Training Camp is being held in South Africa, directly after the Tankwa Trek (South Africa). The Team will ride the Tankwa Trek with three teams. Mariske will ride together with South African Candice Lill. They will ride together as a special occasional team. More about the Tankwa Trek and the Team Training Camp will follow later.
Resume Mariske Strauss:
Mariske Strauss (DOB 16 May 1991), living in Durbanville, South Africa, began to form her incredible work ethic at a young age, spending time outside school and on the weekends practicing in pursuit of the ultimate goal. To compete at the top level as a Professional Athlete.
Mariske completed her BSc (Sport Science ) degree at the University of Stellenbosch in 2016. She started her racing career at the age of 10 and has been lining up on start lines ever since.
In 2008 Mariske began racing competitively and was a representative for South Africa for the first time in Italy that same year.
She has been SA XCO Champion a total of 15 times and represented South Africa at the 2014 & 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Mariske finished 2nd & 3rd in the 2017 & 2018 ABSA Cape Epic and was selected for the 2015 Mail&Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans in 2015.
Besides currently racing professionally on the XCO World Cup series, she is also a coach at Science2Sport. Here is where the gap is bridged between scientific research and men and woman in the field.