Croeser crossed the finish line at Thaba Trails in Gauteng at a time of 1:32,29, while Matthys Beukes and Reid finished second and third in 1:36,57 and 1:38,06, respectively.
The new national champion believes the careful planning before the race contributed to his victory.
“First off we were pretty stumped as to what bike to ride,” he said. “The Vipa was built for those conditions and the SL929 weighed in at sub 8kgs. We didn’t take the decision lightly; beating James (Reid) on this track was going to be tough.
“We did four laps on track with a Power Tap, two on the SL929 and two on the Vipa. Went home and compared the data, after lots of questioning and analysis we decided that less weight was more beneficial.”
The two riders were neck-and-neck in three laps and both had to overcome challenges as they had to deal with damaged tyres.
“A good start was important setting the pace on the first lap has many advantages, I did just that,” Croeser added. “I had the control, exactly where I wanted to be. James rolled though on lap two, I knew if he didn’t ride away here the race would go all the way to lap six.
“I clipped a rock on one of the descents and heard I had cut my rear tire. I stopped right away and made sure the cut had sealed 100% before I climbed back on the bike. A spectator shouted ” James was 15sec ahead” around the next corner I saw him on the side of the track wheel out trying to fix a puncture.
“To be honest I had mixed emotions, I wanted to beat him fair and square but at the same time I was now in a commanding position. Going onto lap five I had over 3:30 lead, that’s when I knew it was time to ride well within myself.
“Before I knew it I was coming into the start-finish straight for my first elite National Championship title. It hasn’t taken a year or two to get here; I have been doing this my whole life. Through the good and the bad my dream nor dedication hasn’t changed.”
