RENDEZVOUS WITH THE PROS. Frans Le Roux finds out what the Pros have been up to

LOCKDOWN “RENDEZVOUS” WITH THE PRO’S

Weekend warriors and pro’s alike were all forced to rethink their riding regime due to the current global Covid-19 pandemic. Former Full Sus MTB editor Frans le Roux caught up with some of our country’s best riders to discover what they’ve been up to during lockdown.

MATT BEERS

What have you been doing to keep motivated during LD?

In the beginning stages of the heavy lockdown I spent all my time on the indoor trainer and raced a lot of Zwift races which kept my motivation high as it brings in that “racing aspect”. My motivation is to stay as fit as possible because racing could start at any time, we just don’t know.

What have you missed the most?

In the beginning of lockdown, I obviously missed the freedom of riding outside whenever I wanted to, but we are less restricted now. I am happy to be able to ride all day now. I miss all the excitement of racing and not all the MTB trails are open at the moment, so we can’t train anywhere right now. “MY MOTIVATION IS TO STAY AS FIT AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE RACING COULD START AT ANY TIME, WE JUST DON’T KNOW.” – MATT BEERS

What’s the first thing you are going to do when all restrictions are removed?

I would love to go on a road trip and leave the city for a bit.

How do you find riding with a mask? Will you continue with it after LD?

I ride with a buff and it is really hard to breathe with a cloth mask (especially when doing intervals). It depends on the circumstances. We all need to still be responsible in scenarios where we can spread the virus.

What’s your biggest positive lesson you’ve learnt about yourself, people and our sport – as a result of LD

I’ve learnt to overcome the anxiety of “cabin fever” and realised that I actually can survive without being outside all the time.

I think the cycling sponsorship/ business model needs to adjust in ways that sponsors can find value in riders without it all being purely performance based. In that way sponsors can justify supporting you when racing can’t happen.

Send us your favourite riding pic of yourself ever – backstory, why?

It was amazing to be able to race at the highest level for two months of my life on one of the biggest world tour teams in cycling (Team UAE Emirates). On the international road racing scene, something that I didn’t think I would ever do.

Have you worked out a favourite three hour window route?

During level 4 I mostly went up Ou Kaapse Weg and all the other iconic climbs in my area. That was my main pattern of movement.

What event that was cancelled were you the most upset about and why?

Obviously Epic was a disappointment as that was the main goal for the year. The 100-miler series was something I was looking forward to as I was keen to do my first gravel bike race in SA. Sani2c was also postponed and I was keen for that, but at least we should be able to race it in December again.

What is the event that is either still happening this year (well hopefully) or will happen next year that you are looking forward to the most?

-SA Marathon Champs is important as I would really like that title. - Wines2Whales: It will be cool to do the reverse route this year, so I am looking forward to it (and hopefully defend my title).

Unfortunately, Team NAD is no longer a team and I am without a contract from July, but hopefully I get sponsors to get me through the rest of the year, so I can race whatever events happen at this point.

Matt leading his UAE Emirates team out.

ARIANE LÜTHI

What have you been doing to keep motivated during LD?

On the bike I’ve been working on my weaknesses and have done some race simulations on a XC lap to make the intense training a bit more fun. The spare time allowed me to focus on more important things in this world and organise a fundraiser for the people less fortunate than me. This gave me the biggest boost in motivation. What have you missed the most? My boyfriend from Belgium. We couldn’t see each other for two months because of closed borders.

What’s the first thing you are going to do when all restrictions are removed?

I look forward to travel back to South Africa and hopefully visit a Spur Schools MTB League event and race the Wines2Whales later this year.

How do you find riding with a mask? Will you continue with it after LD?

Fortunately, in Switzerland we never needed to wear a mask while riding. I can only imagine how difficult it must me to breath with a mask over your nose and mouth when you’re riding hard.

“I LOOK FORWARD TO TRAVEL BACK TO SOUTH AFRICA AND HOPEFULLY VISIT A SPUR SCHOOLS MTB LEAGUE EVENT AND RACE THE WINES2WHALES LATER THIS YEAR.” - ARIANE LÜTHI

What’s your biggest positive lesson you’ve learnt about yourself, people and our sport – as a result of LD?

It’s maybe not directly linked to cycling. But I found it astonishing how this pandemic revealed that politicians actually do have the power to implement drastic measures and that practical constraints aren’t an excuse to address an urgent matter. That and the solidarity the people have shown to fight the COVID-19, was amazing to see. I wish that we’ll use this as an example and that we will show as much solidarity and commitment to fight climate change, a much bigger threat to this world than this virus.

Send us your favourite riding pic of yourself ever – backstory, why?

This is from a recent photo shoot in Andermatt, Switzerland, where I could ride the new Neuron:ON e-bike from Canyon the first time. This bike is just so much fun to ride! And it was even more fun to shoot around these cute cows, who came to greet me when I was posing for a picture.

Have you worked out a favourite three hour window route?

Luckily in Switzerland we could always ride outside the entire day. I did however use the racing free time to explore a bit more and found some great trails I didn’t know of before close to my home in Gunten. Just in case we’d get a 5km rule in Switzerland, you know. ;)

What event that was cancelled were you the most upset about and why?

The cancellation of the Absa Cape Epic was by far the most upsetting at the time. We were almost on the start line; the tension was high and the body ready to perform. My team and I put a huge amount of effort into this race at that point already. But as soon as I had the time to reflect and see the bigger picture I accepted the situation and was very thankful for any race organiser who cancelled their events to protect people’s health.

What is the event that is either still happening this year (well hopefully) or will happen next year that you are looking forward to the most?

Definitely the Swiss Epic. I love the trails there and very much hope I get to race it with my partner Alice Pirard this year. But I also hope that I’ll be able to travel to Norway for the Skaidi Xtreme. It is a very unique race in the most northern part of Norway and is organised by incredibly nice people who became good friends.

Ariane feeling that E-bike stoke in Switzerland with some of her biggest fans in attendance.

FRANKIE DU TOIT

What have you been doing to keep motivated during LD?

I was very strict with myself for the first three weeks of lockdown in terms of social media use. It has a big impact on my mental state and I knew that this time would be stressful enough as it is, so I made the decision to delete all my social media platforms for a couple of weeks to give myself some space. I concentrated on all the extra time I had to do aspects of my training and recovery that I normally don’t get the chance to do. What have you missed the most? Group rides! I really miss riding with my mates and having fun sessions. I also miss all my local trails!

What’s the first thing you are going to do when all restrictions are removed?

Go for a big ride with friends and then go have pizza and beer afterwards.

How do you find riding with a mask? Will you continue with it after LD?

I t’s hard! I’m not the biggest fan, especially doing intervals with a mask, it feels like I’m riding at altitude. I understand why it’s necessary now, but once I don’t have to, I definitely won’t be doing it!

What’s your biggest positive lesson you’ve learnt about yourself, people and our sport – as a result of LD?

I’ve learned that people will always find a way to do what they love. Whether it be riding day in day out on Zwift (for those lucky enough to have access to Zwift), or building little tracks and ramps in their back garden, or in my case - sleeping on the floor for six weeks so I could be on a farm with some space to ride! “GO FOR A BIG RIDE WITH FRIENDS AND THEN GO HAVE PIZZA AND BEER AFTERWARDS.” –FRANKIE DU TOIT

Send us your favourite riding pic of yourself ever – backstory, why?

This photo is from one of my first enduro races - Kingdom Enduro in Lesotho. It was one of the hardest races I have ever done. I was a complete novice to enduro and had gone on a borrowed bike with not much gear and was completely intimidated by everyone else but ended up having the best time and falling in love with the discipline of enduro! (photo by Dom Barnardt).

Have you worked out a favourite three hour window route?

Haha, yes! Mine involved a lot of riding up and down little side streets I’d never been down before.

What event that was cancelled were you the most upset about and why?

I was supposed to be going over to Europe to race in my first ever EWS (Enduro World Series) races in Italy and Slovenia at the beginning of July, so I’m very upset that it is no longer happening. I’m also really going to miss the local Enduro Western Cape series races and Western Cape DH series. It’s always such a vibe getting together to play bikes with a whole bunch of other people that love it too!

What is the event that is either still happening this year (well hopefully) or will happen next year that you are looking forward to the most?

SA Enduro champs and Crank Chaos! SA Enduro champs because it’s, well, it’s national champs, and it’s always rad racing national champs! And Crank Chaos because it’s one of the best events on the calendar, where you spend a weekend riding bikes in an amazing location with a whole bunch of other people that like bikes too.

Frankie effortlessly navigates through a rock garden in Lesotho.

JACO VENTER

What have you been doing to keep motivated during LD?

The biggest thing for me was just to stay positive; I haven’t put too much stress on myself about training and fitness, rather focusing on short indoor sessions and core training to keep my system ticking in Level 5, and lately it’s been super early MTB rides during the exercise window. I think we’ll have enough time to train properly before events with lockdown gradually phasing out, so I’m feeling quite positive about where my form is at, despite everything that is going on.

What’s the first thing you are going to do when all restrictions are removed?

I’m planning on a three or four day training camp somewhere in the mountains, both for my head and my legs.

What have you missed the most?

Seeing friends and family and being able to go outside whenever you feel like it. Riding in the dark also wasn’t enjoyable, and I’ve really missed Jonkershoek and Helderberg trails, but I am lucky that there are really good trails in my area.

How do you find riding with a mask? Will you continue with it after LD?

It’s about 7 degrees and dark when I started my rides during Level 4, so although it’s not ideal, it’s helps keep the cold away from your chest. We are fortunate that it wasn’t middle of summer, as that would be another issue all together.

What’s your biggest positive lesson you’ve learnt about yourself, people and our sport – as a result of LD?

Mostly to appreciate things we take for granted every day, I will enjoy being outdoors so much more after all of this! Things can change very quickly so make the most out of every day. I have also never seen so many cyclists on the roads and trails apart from pre-Cycle Tour, so I think that’s a good sign for the sport in the future.

Send us your favourite riding pic of yourself ever – backstory, why?

This pic is from the final few kilometres on Stage 21 of the 2017 Tour de France on the ChampsÉlysées. Paris was packed, and you could hardly hear the bikes next to you as the crowds were absolutely deafening as the bunch went past. Steve Cummings and myself had the job of chasing down the breakaway to setup the sprint for my Teammate Edvald Boason Hagen. Edwald finished fifth on the day after taking the win on Stage 19 a couple days earlier. It was a hard three weeks for me, but it’s every cyclist’s dream to race the Tour de France, and I’m very grateful for having had the opportunity, and having such good memories from it too.

“I HAVE ALSO NEVER SEEN SO MANY CYCLISTS ON THE ROADS AND TRAILS APART FROM PRE - CYCLE TOUR, SO I THINK THAT’S A GOOD SIGN FOR THE SPORT IN THE FUTURE.” – JACO VENTER

Have you worked out a favourite three hour window route?

Yes, luckily I stay close to the Wannabees Trails in Somerset West, so I have been able to get quality single track every day. I normally started with a short lap on the road and then I went into the trails as the sun would come over the mountains here.

What event that was cancelled were you the most upset about and why?

I was lucky to have done a fair amount of racing before lockdown started, but it was a real pity that most of them were build-up for the Epic that didn’t happen. I would have liked to do Joberg2C and Limpopo Tour, and missed the Jan Braai Cycle Tour in May but I’m sure we’ll get more opportunities next year.

What is the event that is either still happening this year (well hopefully) or will happen next year that you are looking forward to the most?

It’s really difficult to plan a race schedule at the moment, which translates to no specific goal to train towards. I really hope to do Wines2Whales and Sani2C at the end of the season, but to be honest, I’m not that picky at the moment and would just like to start racing again.

Jaco casually dropping watt-bombs during the 2017 edition of the famous Tour de France.

SARAH HILL

What have you been doing to keep motivated during LD?

When lockdown stage 5 first began, my MTB skills business took a big knock as I had to stop teaching completely! I couldn’t really teach virtually, because a large component of my teaching is about adapting to my client and making sure I develop them at their pace. Luckily, I am still a cycling coach who prescribes training programs, so my main source of income remained relatively stable throughout lockdown (a special thank you to all my athletes who stuck with me through this time!). I also started studying my MA Sports Psychology degree, which kept me busy at nights. It was so hard not seeing my friends and chatting virtually and telephonically can only go so far.

My motivation to train never really dipped, and I have all my friends from Joburg to thank for that! We are used to the city life, where we wake up early, ride before traffic, and head to the office by eight! During the winters it often gets dark, and cold, and so most of us already had indoor trainers. Thank goodness! I was introduced to this virtual racing app called Zwift, and suddenly, we were creating our own meetups, then entering our own races, and then making our own race series!

What have you missed the most?

Lockdown really made me miss quality time with my close friends. I am recently single, which made the whole isolation thing so lonely! I missed hugs and sitting around a table with everyone laughing with each other. I missed girls’ nights, movie nights, going out to restaurants! Flip for Level 5 I even missed driving, traffic, and the radio! The thing I missed the most was human touch.

What’s the first thing you are going to do when all restrictions are removed?

Go visit my best friend and give her the biggest hug ever! Haha. Two weeks ago, I would have said that I would have gone for an all-day bike ride. But I did that on Monday! 177km gravel ride with my two best guy friends. I needed to tick that box just because I could!

How do you find riding with a mask? Will you continue with it after LD?

Winter in Johannesburg is pretty cold. On this morning’s ride it went to -4 degrees! I’m sure people from Europe and North America are laughing at me right now, but for us that’s cold! I am such a warm weather person so riding in sub-zero conditions makes my face, fingers and toes so sore! Wearing a buff on the bike is no problem. But when you’re going hard it’s often difficult to breathe, so it took a lot of getting used to. I’ll definitely continue wearing my buff after lockdown, but I’ll only put it on when going through the super cold sections of the ride.

What’s your biggest positive lesson you’ve learnt about yourself, people and our sport – as a result of LD?

The isolation of lockdown was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to deal with. Usually I am surrounded by people and enjoy having my own space, but lockdown accentuated it and all of a sudden, I wanted what I couldn’t have! After a break up, usually you would get together with all your girlfriends, go out dancing, have dinners, movie nights, even splurge on some wine and chocolate! But I had to go through the healing process by myself. I had no distractions, and one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is how to listen to my own heart. I realized how I had forgotten how to put myself first in life, and this was the perfect time to learn how to do that again. I trained when I wanted to, made the kind of food that I loved, worked, studied, read, and slept at the times that suited me! I worked through so much suppressed anxiety, worry, and heartbreak in the initial four week block.

Send us your favourite riding pic of yourself ever – backstory, why?

This picture is of Theresa and I racing at the 2019 ABSA Cape Epic. I remember having just bombed down this long singletrack piece, and I was using the adrenaline to set the pace for the two of us up this big climb. It’s not often that I am setting the pace, especially during a stage race! This was my first Epic too, so every moment was so hectic and unforgettable. At the end of that stage we were told that we had moved into the African Leaders Jersey. What a moment!

Have you worked out a favourite three hour window route?

Yes! Haha, but I wouldn’t say that it’s my favourite after four weeks of it! It was a similar route to what I would normally do with my friends at 4:55 am on the weekdays. The best part about it was that there was no traffic! It was safe at 6am, which is so unusual for the JHB region

What event that was cancelled were you the most upset about and why?

Magoeba Trek! - This is such a magical race that I always look forward to. I have done it twice now and, on both occasions, I have fallen in love with the Limpopo mountains. They are so dense and raw. You can get lost for hours! When lockdown is over I will be heading there for a potential Epic 2021 Training Camp.

Dirty Kansa! - Oh my word, I was so looking forward to this race. I got in via the lottery entries, and the opportunity to go and race 200 miles on gravel in Emporia, Kansas, USA was going to be incredible. Luckily, they differed our entry to next year, so I can still go for it!

What is the event that is either still happening this year (well hopefully) or will happen next year that you are looking forward to the most?

Both Cape Pioneer (September), Wines2Whales (October) and Sani2C (December) are still on the racing calendar. All three of these events are huge in South Africa and massive for me and my love for the sport of mountain biking. Last year was the first time I had won an UCI stage race (Cape Pioneer.) Wines2Whales is where all the best women in the world get together and come out to race the first women-only event in the world. And then of course there is South Africa’s home-grown Sani2C event.

“I TRAINED WHEN I WANTED TO, MADE THE KIND OF FOOD THAT I LOVED, WORKED, STUDIED, READ, AND SLEPT AT THE TIMES THAT SUITED ME!” – SARAH HILL

Sarah charging ahead of team mate Theresa Ralph during the 2019 Absa Cape Epic.