It was 2018 when, out of the blue, Elrika’s husband mentioned they should look into mountain biking (instead of their respective team sports). Knowing absolutely NOTHING about the sport (the last time she was on a bike was probably primary school) she said yes. 

Two identical bikes later, she still had NO idea, but they started with a ride to Jonkershoek. She laughs now, as they thought they were mountain biking, but not knowing anything they remained on the tar roads, to the gate and back for a whopping 15km. 

It was not long before she did her first race, and perhaps it was her competitive nature that encouraged her to get better and do more. Fast forward 4 years, and she has showcased the progression of someone coming into the sport as a complete amateur and at a late age, not knowing where to start or what can be achieved. 

Under the guidance of experienced and internationally renowned coach Barry Austin, Elrika has quickly outgrown the amateur status and is stepping up to place herself among the elites.

Aside from riding bikes, Elrika finished her PhD in Chemistry and Polymer Science (and also got married) in 2016 while working full-time in the same year. She is currently the co-owner of a “first of its kind” commercial lab in Africa that specialises in scanning electron microscopy for various industries to solve root cause analysis and various other analyses.

Achievements:

• 2nd Place, Attakwas Extreme 122 km, 2023
• 6th Elite place, Tankwa Trek, 2023
• 8th place, ABSA Cape Epic, 2023
• 4th Place, Attakwas 120km, 2022
• 4th Place, Tankwa Trek Mix Team, 2022
• 1st Place, PE2Plett Stage Race, 2022
• 8th Place, 3rd African Leaders Jersey, ABSA Cape Epic, 2022
• 3rd Place, Trailseeker Legends, 2022
• 3rd Place, Around the Pot 160km, 2022
• 2nd Place, Trailseeker Wellington, 2022
• 1st Place, Zwift Masters SA 6 race series, 2022
• 1st Place, Regional WP Championship, 2022
• 6th place, Wines2Whales, 2022
• 19th Place, Elite Ladies Cape Town Cycle Tour, 2021
• 1st Place, Trans Baviaans Women's Team, 2021
• 3rd Place, Trailseeker Wellington, 2021
• 2nd Place, Sportive 2, 2021
• 5th Place, Wines2Whales, 2021