Bell going for the green and gold jersey

“I was second last year and would really like to improve on that by winning this year,” Bell said on Friday.

“It’s an important race for everyone and I know that everyone there on the start plans to win the race. The national champs are a good race to win for any athlete as it gives you lots of exposure.

“I’m not familiar with the route and just hope it will suit me in some sort of way. I’m good at climbing and hopefully it will present opportunities for climbers.”

South Africa’s top MTB marathon riders will line-up for the race all hoping to be crowned the national champ and wear the coveted green and gold stripes for the next year.

The men will tackle a 94km distance, while the women’s course covers 74km.

The route will also be used for the UCI World MTB marathon championships, scheduled for June 29, and the local riders will have an opportunity to test run the course ahead of the international showpiece.

The current MTN marathon series leader, who finished second behind James Reid last year, said he hoped to carry his good form into the race.

He recently bagged wins at the Nissan Trailseeker in Cullinan as well as the MTN marathon series race in Clarens, kicking off his season with a win in the Barberton Ultra marathon.

“I have adapted to more racing and more training and it has helped with my form over the past months.

“The more racing I get into my legs, the easier it gets to go for race victories.

“We race every weekend and you can’t really predict what condition you’ll be in on race day, one week you’re strong and the other you’re flat and I hope I’m just strong on the day.”

Last year’s women’s race was won by Robyn de Groot, who earlier in the week said she would be looking to defend her title on Sunday.

The Team Biogen Toyota rider has also enjoyed good form in the recent months, posting a few top performances which include her victory in the Nissan Trailseeker last weekend.

“It has been a good few weeks for me,” De Groot said.

“It is always good to race as much as possible and although managing my work and my training can be difficult, my focus is doing the best I can to retain my national champs jersey.”

De Groot believed the national champs would give South African riders a better idea of what to expect in the world champs later this month.

“With the national champs and the world champs at the same, it is a great opportunity for South African riders to do well.

“We are going to have a really strong field at the SA champs, which means that it is going to be good gauge as to which riders to look out for but also to get a feel of the conditions.”

– Sapa