Sanders now pedals for Cape Town-based team
Former Valencia cycle team member Samantha Sanders is the most-recent signing to team Dormakaba.
Sanders, the Nissan TrailSeeker series and 94.7 Mountain Bike Challenge title holder, is in the process of relocating to Cape Town to join her teammates, Nico Pfitzenmaier, Candice Lill and Carmen Buchacher.
Sanders said it was one of the most- difficult decisions of her cycling career, but after having a conversation with the managing director of Dormakaba South Africa, Shaun Frayne, it was an offer she could not refuse.
“It was a tough call. I love the Lowveld, but I want to challenge myself even more.”
The 35-year-old will partner with Buchacher ahead of the Absa Cape Epic in March. Last year, Sanders conquered her first ever Cape Epic.
“It will be the first time that Carmen and I ride as a team at the Cape Epic. Our first race as partners will be the Tankwa Trek in February.”
Sanders said they are hopeful for a podium-place finish in the seven-day stage race.
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“Mountain biking is such an unpredictable sport. We are preparing the best way we can.”
Manager of Valencia Cycles and director of Mountain Biking South Africa Brett Coates said Sanders will always remain a much-loved member of the V-bike family.
“Sammy has been a loyal ambassador for the Valencia V-bike brand. We are proud to be a long-standing supporter of our young athletes and to be a part of their journey as they pursue their dreams. We have proudly watched her progress up the ranks to become one of South Africa’s top female cyclists, and are especially proud of the role we have played in nurturing this talented athlete along the way. She has always been the consummate professional on and off the bike throughout her career.”
Her achievements to date, under the Valencia banner, include the following:
• SA Cross Country Champion
• Member of the SA World Marathon Championships Team
• Second-best-placed SA rider at the World Road Champs in Qatar.
