Michelle had never raced outside South Africa before travelling to Nannup – and then she returned home with a gold medal in the women’ s 45-49 category. David brought back silver in the men’ s 50 – 54 category.
For David, who represented South Africa at three Olympic Games and won two Commonwealth Games medals during his career, the experience was especially emotional.
“ The fact that Mich won and I didn’ t was, I believe, divine, in that she deserves the glory in this moment. Perhaps if we had both won, it might have detracted a little from that. In a sense, I think it worked out the way it should have.
“ I have only seen a few Saffas on the podium at World Championships and, in fact, have only ever heard the national anthem played for the winner once. This was a truly emotive experience, one I will remember for the rest of my life, and one that still brings me to tears.”
Michelle describes the whole experience as unforgettable, from the moment she decided to compete in the race, right through to standing on top of the podium.
“ I love having a goal and working towards it, and for me the journey is the best part. The training stays with me most, pushing through on the really hard days... That made it so rewarding.”
The course in Nannup featured 3,000m of climbing, with steep, punchy ascents. Then the rain arrived, coating Michelle’ s glasses in mud and making visibility difficult for much of the first 50km. She moved into the lead, initially by a slim margin, before pushing hard on the final climb to extend her advantage to three minutes.
Michelle says from there it was just about motoring as fast as she could to hold on. And once she hit the tar section, she knew she had it.
“ What came together on the day was four months of hard work. Small decisions and efforts every day feel insignificant in the moment, but applied consistently over four months, they add up. Training, diet, mental and spiritual health, equipment, it all counts. On the day, my mind, body and heart were aligned.
“ None of it happens alone, though. David taught me how to train and race, and he’ s believed in me every step of the way. My coach, Philip. And my boys put up with a lot of early mornings and long weekend rides. I’ m so grateful to them all.”
David knows what it takes to compete at the highest level as a professional cyclist. He won bronze in the men’ s individual 42km road time trial at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur and silver in the road race at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. He also represented South Africa at the Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, won the Tour de Langkawi in 2006 and claimed bronze in the under-23 time trial at the 1997 World Championships. His first Absa Cape Epic was in 2007, with several more editions since.
After more than three decades in the sport, he has experienced its highs and lows, but gravel has helped reignite his competitive fire, David says.
“ My motivation has ebbed and flowed over time. The sport has provided many opportunities and also a lot of heartache. When you get to 50, you do tend to question things a little more. However, one thing I no longer question is that I need to ride. It brings me peace and allows me to arrange my thoughts, and it’ s no longer about winning.
FEATURE
“ I really enjoy being in good shape and have learned to arrange my week and work around a little bit of volume and a little bit of intensity. Keeping the intensity is, for me, what’ s made the difference in staying motivated to continue to race at the front.”
Michelle’ s cycling journey began in 2017, when she wanted a sport she could share with their two boys. She got a skills coach so she could ride proper trails fast, and a few months later she completed her first enduro. Her first gravel experience was the Swartberg 100 Miler, and she soon began setting bigger goals.
At the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn in 2025, she won her age category, was the fastest across all age categories and finished as the 14th woman overall. She then won her age category at The Ceder in both 2025 and 2026, finishing sixth and fourth overall, respectively, to qualify for the 2026 World Championships in Australia.
All this while working full-time as a finance executive in fashion retail.
“ Balancing corporate hours with training to compete at the level I want is hard, but it can be done. It comes down to discipline. When you have a goal and a plan, you know you only have that one or two hours before work. Miss it, and you’ ve lost a full day of training. You never regret getting up early and training hard, but you always regret not doing it.”
David handed over coaching rights to Michelle a couple of years ago and has watched her commitment pay off.
“ Michelle has an insane amount of grit, and she is as stubborn as an ox. She is completely fearless on a bicycle. She is the only person I know who, when she falls off, will still be thinking about her Strava time.”
Michelle says David’ s experience has been invaluable, particularly when it comes to race strategy.
“ I learnt how to train and race from David, then put my own spin on it here and there. Physically and mentally, I think we’ re very similar athletes. Where we differ is experience. David has far more racing behind him, and this experience makes him a great mentor on race strategy. When we race together, he looks after me. Seeing how much it means to him, like being in tears at the podium in Australia, makes me so happy that we get to share this sport.”
For Michelle, the next challenge may be defending her world title in 2027, although she says she also has career goals to pursue at the same time.
“ Maybe that’ s my challenge, to do both.” David’ s ambitions are simpler.
“ My only objective for the short to medium term is to continue to ride my bike, train and stay in shape, and to keep enjoying the thing I love most with the people I love most.”
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