Having won the South African U / 23 Road Championship title in his early riding years and then claiming a silver medal in the Men’ s Scratch event at the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Champs in Melbourne, Australia, Nolan Hoffman went on to the win the Cape Town Cycle Tour in 2014 and 2015 and various SA races in 2016 to cement his status as one of the leading riders in South Africa. Currently riding for Team BCX, we caught up with him for a Q & A about his passion for cycling.

– BY KYLE DEELEY

are your plans for this year’ s event?

NH: The Cape Town Cycle Tour is my biggest goal for 2017 and I am training hard for it. I feel that I am currently on track to take the top step of the podium again.

MC: What is your favourite South African cycling event to compete in and what makes this event so special for you?

NH: My favourite event in SA must be the Cape Town Cycle Tour. It was always my childhood dream to win the race one day, and it took me seven attempts but I finally did it. This for me was a dream come true and that is why this race will always have a special place in my heart.

Images: Courtesy Nolan Hoffman

MC: Who taught you to ride a bicycle? NH: Riding a bicycle came naturally to me, so I taught myself how to ride.

MC: Did you compete in any other sports or has cycling always been your focus?

NH: I played rugby in the first few years of high school, but I wasn’ t too good. The town where I lived was a popular pit stop for cyclists, and that interested me. I thought,‘ Where have these guys on bikes come from, and where are they going? Turns out I was better at cycling, so I decided to focus on just that.

MC: Do you have any cycling idols or heroes?

NH: Old era would have to be Eddie Merckx and new era would be Tom Boonen, the reason being that both were phenomenal cyclists. They were good classics riders and I like the Flemish Classics. But my all-time favourite is Eddie. He was the most complete cyclist of all time and he could combine road and track with ease. Being able to do that is not easy, but he was somehow able to do so with the click of his fingers.

MC: You had quite a successful racing year in 2016, winning the Tsogo Sun Amashova Durban Classic, the Carnival City Macsteel Classic and the Bestmed Lost City 103km. Which of these events stood out for you?

NH: I think the Amashova stood out for me. It was the fifth time I have won the event and it still felt so good!

MC: Then in November you placed sixth at the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge, which by comparison was not such a good result. What happened there, and do you think you can come back in 2017 and do better?

NH: I think that the 947 Cycle Challenge doesn’ t suit me. Last year I prepared the best I possibly could for the race and I still only managed a sixth place finish. However, this year I am looking to approach the race a bit differently and hopefully I can get into the breakaway for a podium finish.

MC: With two wins in the Cape Town Cycle Tour already behind your name, what

MC: What is your all-time favourite cycling memory?

NH: There are two moments that stand out for me. Number one is winning the South African U / 23 Road Championship and the other is when I won the silver medal at the 15km Scratch Race at the Track World Championships.

MC: What lies in the future for Nolan? NH: Now, I am still focussing on my cycling career. I haven’ t thought too far into the future yet, and I still enjoy cycling more than anything else. However, I have a dream of running my own development cycling team in the future.

MC: Do you have any advice for those looking to enter the sport or the cycling industry?

NH: The best way to learn about cycling is to join a club as soon as you can. Local clubs have all the expertise to get you started, and this is the safest way to do so.

MC: Finally, are there any words that you live by, a favourite quote?

NH: If you dream it, you can achieve it!

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