Cycling – my story so far …

For me cycling has always been in my blood, my father raced from the age of 18, and to this day still rides a bike at the age of 73, so I was born into a cycling family and was always around bikes and bike races.

I was about 3 when I got my first real bicycle, it was a real racing bike, drop handlebars and all. My father still likes to tell the story of how I “obtained” this bike. My parents were out christmas shopping and I had told them I wanted a bike, a real racing bike, not a tricycle, 2 wheels behind the other I said. To cut a long story short, I saw one, got my hands on it in the shop and would not let go, my parents had to buy the bike to get me out the shop. So that’s where my cycling started.

My first "Real Racing" bike

There are many stories along the way, and people who know me know I love a story (some say I talk too much)

In the early days ….. I went missing one day at home, my parents search the house to find me in their bedroom, the wardrobe door open and me sitting in front of the mirror, on my new “real racing” bike, one of my dad’s racing caps on my head and my hands in the air, my dad asked me “what you doing?” my response ….. im practicing winning!!!

I rode my first South African National Road champs at the age of 11, finishing 4th, but this did not mark the start of a cycling talent that was going to be a force in the future. I was a lazy child during my early teens and had a love for chocolate and junk food, my brothers called me “blubbs” because I had a little pot belly. So between 11 and 16 I was just another cubby cyclist.

At 16 I started to focus more on my cycling and actually trained to a program, i got into the Western Province team on the track and we won the U/17 South African National Team Pursuit. At provincial level I was able to place in the top 3 on the road and track but at national level this was a lot harder.

As a Junior i won the Western Province 30km Points Race on the track by lapping the field with about 20 laps to go and also won the 30km road time trial, we won the Junior South African National Team Pursuit and on the road we won the Junior South African National Team Time Trail over 80km, by this stage all I wanted to do was ride my bike, I was selected for the Junior National Squad of 10 riders for the Junior World Championships but was unlucky not to go as only 6 riders went.

In 1995 I was 18 years old and fresh out of school, I moved to Belgium to race my bike, this was — living a dream — any young bike rider with dreams of racing with the best should experience racing in Belgium or somewhere on the continent, this was life changing and at such a young age really made me grow up quickly.

I spent the season racing mainly in Belgium but raced in Germany, Holland and Austria. The racing was always fast, super fast and the first few weeks I never finished a race, by the middle of the season I was finishing in the top 20 on a regular basis. I finished my season at the Ametuer World Cup in St Johann, Austria.

The World Cup was on a 40km circuit with one big climb, I was able to get away with a small group of 10 riders on the final climb with about 35km to go. With 5 kim to go 3 riders got away and I finished 2nd in the sprint, 5th overall and what a way to end a season in Europe.

1995 Ametuer World Cup, St Johann, Austria

1995 - Finishing 5th Ametuer World Cup, St Johann, Austria

My plans were to go back the following year but for many reasons this never happened and by the end of 1997 I was no longer riding a bike. My life had taken a different path, I was running a business with my father and enjoying a normal life, cycling in europe at the level I dreamt about was hard and had many sacrifices. Sometimes I think back and say “What if?” but I have no regrets.

10 years later ….. 2007

I had moved to the UK to work and travel the world at the end of 2000, I was married in 2005 and my wife was expecting our first child. I woke up one day and decided I wanted to ride my bike, some would say midlife crisis, but I looked at myself and I could not face being a fat unfit father.

So I bought a bike and started to train a little, it was hard work, I was 85kg (when I lived in Belgium I was 66kg). By the end of 2007 I had raced on the road and track in the UK and the cycling bug had really bitten me again.

In 2008 I won the British Master 30km Points Race on the track and was in total shock at what I had achieved in such a short time, I got a last-minute entry into the European Masters, as they were in Manchester I thought, why not? I rode the Points Race in my British National Champions jersey and was a marked man, it was difficult to do much without someone following me, with 22 laps to go i was in 5th place on points and the only way I was going to win was to lap the field, I attacked and put my head down, before I knew it I was half a lap up, I was in the “red” all the way and with 3 laps to go i got onto the back of the field, I had just won the European Master 30km Points Race, and this after only a year back on my bike.

2008 European Master Points Race

2008 European Masters Podium

In 2009 I got a great sponsorship deal with Planet-X, great team of riders and riding great bikes. At the British Masters my team-mate won the Points race and i won the Scratch, at the European Masters my team-mate won the Points and in the Scratch I lapped the field 3 time to win. At the Elite Nationals we won the Team Pursuit. Another great season with some great results.

2009 European Masters Scratch

2009 European Masters Scracth

2009 British Elite Team Pursuit

2009 Elite Team Pursuit Podium

2010 will be a different year for me as I have relocated back to South Africa and my wife has recently given birth to our second daughter ……. new focus, but cycling will always be in my blood ……