PEOPLE | RIDERS WE LIKE
What’s it like being a
qualified dentist? Are you
doing much work or will
that wait until you’re not
riding pro any longer?
I qualified as a dentist in the
summer of 2017. It was very
tough getting the last bit of my
education and running a parallel
career as a pro cyclist. I was
really happy and proud that I
made it through school, but I
haven’t done anything dentistry
related since. I do see myself
working as a dentist one day
though, when I’m no longer a
pro rider. But right now there
are no plans as to when, where
or how.
You win on almost every
circuit around the world
but have only one win in
Albstadt – any reason?
I don’t know why I only won
once in Albstadt. I had some
bad luck a few times there. Bike
racing is a lot about having a
really good day when it matters
and about avoiding bad luck. A
lot of it also has to do with form
and how you feel. You know,
one thing I think people tend to
overlook is that when you have
a margin physiologically on the
bunch it becomes much easier
to ride technically well. So really,
it’s mostly about being in good
shape I think.
How do you feel about the
steepest Epic course to date
this year, and do you think
Anna will cope technically?
I really think the steep climbing
will suit us well. We are both
strong climbers. I am very
confident Anna will cope just
fine technically. She even beat
me at a four-day mountain bike
stage race in Cyprus last year.
Of course, Cape Epic is always
extremely challenging in every
single way, but Anna learns
quickly and is good at knowing
her strengths and limitations,
and knows a lot about
teamwork too. She finished 30th
in Val di Sole. Of course she
wasn’t completely satisfied with
that. But come on… I think that
speaks for itself. She might even
have had a better result in her
first World Cup than I did.
Talk us through your
relationship with Anna
and what you expect from
her as a novice with a huge
road pedigree.
Anna is a talented bike racer
Fiercely focused at the 2018
World Cup in La Bresse, France
and she has a lot to offer when
it comes to mountain biking.
We first met at a race in Cyprus
last year. I remember she
approached the race tactically,
like a road racer, which was
very refreshing. She did some
leadouts for me going into
singletracks – something I didn’t
expect and I’d never before
experienced in mountain bike
racing. We didn’t even plan it
beforehand. Most of the time
in mountain bike racing it’s just
you racing against everybody
else. I really like Anna and,
besides being my partner for
the Absa Cape Epic, we are
also teammates on Boels
Dolmans Cycling Team on the
road this year.
What keeps you coming
back to SA where you have
had so much success, from
Pietermaritzburg to even
a road stage race and then
your dominant Epic career?
I really like riding my bike here.
The weather is always good,
the mountain bike trails are
superb and the landscapes are
breathtaking. But I also really
like the high level of organisation
when it comes to races. I think a
lot of race organisers in Europe
could learn from this.
What’s your favourite thing
to do off the bike in SA?
This is easy – I love going out
for coffee or for some of the
delicious food on offer here.
What do your cycling fans
not know about you?
Hmm… probably a lot. I will
tell you one thing that may
surprise some of you – I worked
for two years as a bartender in
Lichtenstein and Switzerland
after high school, trying to save
up money to become a ski
guide, which I eventually did.
So yeah, I might have some
areas in bike racing to improve
on, but I feel that I’ve already
experienced a lot in my life, and
feel blessed to be where I am.
70 | MTB | woman we love
every race is not possible. So if
results are the sole determining
factor for success you’ll have a
hard time as a racer. Even the
best has to accept defeat. Not
being satisfied with it is another
thing. Big events like the
Olympic Games are, of course,
huge motivation factors.
But the chance of winning is
honestly slim. And there’s a
hard process in accepting that
you’re good enough as both a
racer and a person, even if it
doesn’t go your way. So other
things I focus on is simply to
feel motivated every single day
that I can ride and race my bike
for a living. It’s a unique and
privileged way of living your life
and not something I take for
granted.