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realise how unfair it was until we started separately,” says Ariane.“ It’ s the best thing that could have happened, because now the race is fair. Last year’ s race was very tight, but I would rather win by one minute than by two hours,” says Ariane.
POSITIVE STEPS
One would think that Ariane would be resentful of race organisers for putting her in the position they did, essentially forcing her to speak out in order to facilitate change, but nothing could be further from the truth. She is full of praise for the work that Fritz Pienaar at Advendurance and other race organisers are doing for the sport, especially in women’ s cycling.“ Prize money is just one aspect, and the increased coverage in a
race serves us all. It gives us a platform to showcase our talent, and our sponsors. Fritz invested money in a second camera motorbike for the women’ s race, in order to give us more coverage, and if the race is seen to give the elite women that coverage, it will draw more women to the start line,” says Ariane.
Another positive Ariane speaks of is the professionalism amongst the women themselves, which she describes as a source of strength. At first when she made her decision not to race the Ashburton Series event, she asked her fellow female riders to join her protest, and when one by one they all declined, she admits she felt crushed.“ At first I felt alone, and it felt like no-one was supporting me,” she says. But after having time
to think things through, and put herself in their shoes, she realised that far from being disappointed, she was actually proud of her fellow riders.“ They are such professionals, they were all focused on their race, doing well and getting coverage for their sponsors. All those points told me how professional they all were, and that’ s what we want in the sport, so it was amazing to see. It actually gives me the strength to keep standing and pushing for equality in the sport.”
WHERE TO FROM HERE
As an ambassador for the Spur MTB Schools League, Ariane sees the importance of not only building the sport, but also inspiring more young women to follow her lead and grow the sport, in which she has the full support of her team sponsor, Spur Steak Ranches. When talking about how she plans to do this she refers back to her earlier years, when she was a swimming coach.“ I was a coach at 23, but no-one ever listened to me. I wasted so much energy raising my voice and getting nowhere, but now I have a strong voice that people listen to, and I feel responsible to use it in a way that is good for everyone.”
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16th- 18th JUNE 2017 SUGARRUSH PARK- BALLITO KZN | DAY 1: 121KM | DAY 2: 87KM | DAY 3: 42KM FIRST 100 TEAM ENTRIES STAND A CHANCE TO WIN 4 TICKETS TO THE SPRINGBOKS VS FRANCE TEST: Kingspark 17th June ENJOY FULL HOSPITALITY WITH A MEAL & DRINKS | 4 Ticket Prize worth R13000
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