Defending champions return to ride 2020 Knysna Bull
The 2020 Knysna Bull, made personal by Constantia, takes place from February 19-22 in the Garden Route forests and once again boasts a massive, winner-takes-all prize of R100.000 for the elite men’s and elite women’s winners.
Unsurprisingly, defending champions Matt Beers and Samantha Sanders have confirmed their participation as they look to secure a healthy early season bonus.
Last year, Beers held off his friend and training partner Alan Hatherly by 27 seconds to secure the title. In the women’s race, Sanders bested Jennie Stenerhag by 4 minutes, after Sabine Spitz’s challenge for race victory evaporated in a cloud of tyre sealant when she suffered a significant side-wall puncture.
Each of the Prologue and three marathon stages were individually fiercely contested though, with the remote finishes at the end of a single-track, atop climbs and on a lagoon-side bike path helping to create a compelling finale for the many spectators.
Though the prize money for the elite riders is offered in a winner-takes-all lump sum. Young Bulls are financially rewarded down to the fifth place.
“We feel it is essential to support the up and coming mountain biking talent in SA,” said race organiser Pax Mosterd. “To that end, we offer discounted entries to riders under the age of 23 and pay R60,000 in total prize money to the younger men and women racers.
“We know that many of the under 23 riders are students or working their first jobs while racing their mountain bikes virtually full-time. So the discount and prize money help beyond the Bull and hopefully allow them to take part in stage races across the country,” said Mosterd.
Visit www.knysnabull.bike for more information.