Former Kempie cyclist bags his maiden Discovery 947 Joburg Ride
Pritzen began cycling three years ago, following a knee injury as an athlete.
A former Hoërskool Kempton Park learner added the 23rd annual Discovery 947 Joburg Ride to his already long-list of achievements in his short cycling career.
Marc Pritzen (20), riding for the OfficeGuru team, crossed the finish line in 2:14:41, with teammate Alex Worsdale close on his heels, followed by David Maree (Team Enza) in third place.
“I’m speechless, to be honest,” said Pritzen. “I have to thank the team for believing in me and always backing me. This is not my victory, this is Officeguru’s victory.”
Pritzen, who is also the SA u-23 champion, and 14 others broke away from the pack early in the race.
He thanked Worsdale for all the hard work he put in before he [Pritzen] attacked with less than 50m remaining.
Pritzen began cycling three years ago, following a knee injury as an athlete. He was an avid cross-country and track runner at school, having taken up the discipline competitively from the age of nine.
His physiotherapist told him to take up cycling to help him in his recovery process.
“Cycling then just stuck. The first Trailseeker Series event I did I came third and then the bug bit. I think running taught me a lot for cycling at the end of the day. It taught me how to handle pressure and what to do in race situations,” the Windhoek-born rider said.
Judged by his accomplishments in the first three years of his cycling career, one can expect many more victories from this young rider, who currently lives in Benoni.
In 2017, he won the junior half-marathon national MTB Series as well as the Spur Schools MTB League while still at school.
In 2018, he was second in the Tshwane Classic and won the Namibian Cycle Classic, Vets & Junior Tour and Kremetart Cycle Race.
Before winning the Discovery 947 Ride Joburg on November 17, Pritzen also bagged the Tour de Windhoek, Tour of Good Hope and Ride for Sight.
