EXCLUSIVE: Cape Town Cycle Tour winner Marc Pritzen chats to Sport24

Sport24 asked: Why do you say “the journey to this win was challenging?”

Marc Pritzen: I think because if you look at the history of the Cape Town Cycle Tour a lot of people will tell you that the stars really have to align to win the race. The Cape Town Cycle Tour is probably the most difficult race to win in South Africa which is why it’s also the biggest road race in the country. It’s also such an important race of the year not just on a personal level but in terms of sponsors gaining exposure. Historically, it’s normally a sprinter who has won the race - the likes of Malcolm Lange, Travis Barrett and Nolan Hoffman who has won it for so many years. I’m not sure why the Cape Town Cycle Tour has always ended up in a sprint. There are some really hard climbs out there – the likes of Chapman’s Peak, Suikerbossie and Smitswinkel. Those are not easy climbs and the race is a challenging one but so awesome to win. For an all-round rider like myself to win it, the weather conditions have to be really miserable. In those conditions, many riders are a lot more cautious and leave bigger gaps. I had to capitalize on that and a lot of things had to go right for me on the day to win this one and luckily it did. In terms of being defending champion in 2023, I won’t be putting extra pressure on myself next year. I take it day by day because racing is so unpredictable.

Sport24 asked: Are you in favour of equal prize money for the sexes?

Marc Pritzen: Even though the men’s race is 109km as opposed to the women’s which is 78km, the women race hard as well. They generally race in a smaller bunch but this year, the ladies’ bunch was really big with over 100 riders. Maybe the answer for women’s cycling is to get a bit bigger in South Africa