Cycling is just confusing me
EXCUSE me if I seem a bit confused at the moment … OK, OK, more confused than normal, and mostly confused about cycling.
This week I have had a meeting with a race organiser who is putting on what seems to be a great new stage race in the Midlands (good news), written a story about how Cycling SA accepted the resignation of their president (good or bad news depending on your viewpoint), read a report about the African Road Championships where the only South Africans competing had to pay their own way to the event (very bad), written a story about a cyclists who is ranked second MTB rider in South Africa but who is being forced to retire because he cannot find a sponsor (completely bad), and then written a story about some of what KZN Cycling is doing to develop the sport in this province (completely good).
So maybe you now realise why I am not sure of I am positive about the state of cycling, or feeling a bit down about it – and of course there is a lot more going on in the cycling world to further confuse me.
Cycling always seems to be able to raise some seriously conflicting emotions and vicious debates: Lance Armstrong went from average cyclists to cancer survivor to hero to superhero to super-villain; Chris Froome is teetering on a knife edge as he fights to avoid a similar trajectory; depending on who you talk to, Cycling SA is either a complete mess or made up of saints who are doing their best save the world of cycling in a tough world; and it is hard to find a union or club that is not such a hotbed of political intrigue that it makes JZ v CR17 seem like a wedding (and I am not talking about a Gupta wedding). Even races and events raise serious conflicting opinions (the Argus is either the best timed event in the world or a money-making racket, ditto sani2c, Epic and just about any other major event on the calendar), and let’s not get started on road v mountain bike; stuck-up roadies v mud-covered, dik-wiel riders; 26-inch v 29-inch; lycra v baggies; or socks up or down.
However, out of all of these conflicting emotions there are some things that you just know are either completely right, or 100% wrong.
Out of this conflicting stew of emotions this week there have been two things which are polar opposites in terms of me trying to decide whether I am happy being a cyclist or facing a new post-middle-age crisis.
Lets get the bad news out the way first … Stuart Marais
Stuart Marais is currently the second ranked South Africa mountain biker on the UCI rankings, but despite dominating the local KZN racing scene in 2017 and performing well enough nationally to be unlucky not to be selected to the South African team, he cannot find a sponsor.
He is a mechanical engineer who was retrenched just over two years ago and opted to try his hand at professional mountain biking. In that time he has risen to 60th on the UCI world ranking –Philip Buys is currently the only South African ahead of him.
Next month Stuart is probably going to have to retire because he simply cannot afford to continue without a sponsor.
Over the past couple of years I have had to interact with Stuart a few times and every time I have come away with the feeling that he deserves to be sponsored, or at least he should be part of one of the top racing teams. In every dealing I have had with him, he has been 1) professional; 2) thoughtful and intelligent; and 3) a role model to other sportsmen and women.
Next month I am going to be reporting on the Epic and I cannot help wonder if something is not seriously wrong when each team that is riding that event has paid an entry fee that would be enough sponsorship to keep Stuart riding for almost two months.
I will not be surprised if at least six teams – whose combined entry fees would be enough to keep Stuart racing for the rest of the year – will not even finish the prologue. That makes me incredibly sad. However, what makes me very happy is the coaching clinic which KZN MTB Commission is putting on this weekend. KZN MTB has brought two-time Olympic rider Erica Green up from Cape Town to conduct a free two-day clinic at the Cascades Skills Park today and tomorrow.
There are three reasons for my buoyant optimism about this particular coaching clinic. Firstly, it is free and open to everybody which I believe should be the basis of every development clinic. Second, I chatted to Erica this week and her basic philosophy on developing young riders is simple but I think right: She believes that to develop young riders they must first learn skills first before racing “longer, faster and harder” and all training for kids must be fun.
Thirdly, the venue is worth noting. Nick Floros and KZN Cycling Development have created the Skills Park at Cascades as a free-to-use training facility with a series of obstacles, ranging from beginner level to advanced, all designed to improve riders skills.
Now that is something worth celebrating this weekend.