How did you get into cycling and how was your last amateur year?
My parents are both former cyclists and my whole family is cycling-crazy. Cycling was always a part in my life, so it was probably just a matter of time until I started racing myself.
I was straight away quite successful and soon began to dream about being a professional cyclist. In my last year as an amateur I won races in some important U23 races like the Tour de l’Avenir and this paved my way to the first contract.
Do you feel a bit South African by now? Do you feel that you represent Africa by riding for the first african team despite living in Cologne and riding only european races?
I’m in my second year now with MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung and like in your everyday life, your environment has a lot of influence to yourself. The (South) African culture probably affected me by now and even my English got a little SA accent. The background of our team is to raise african cycling to the highest level and being part of the team or project means also to represent Africa. Cycling’s stronghold is in Europe, so racing here has nothing to do with your origin, but it’s the requirement if you want to compete with the top of the sport.
How do things differ at MTN compared to Quickstep?
With its background MTN is already a completely different scenario compared to QuickStep. Our goal is not primary to win races but to help developing african cycling. With the Qhubeka foundation we have a charity project onboard, which most of the traditional cycling teams don’t have. Raising attention to this project is one of our ambitions as is raising african cycling or trying to win races.
How much are the riders of your team involved in projects of your team in Africa and what kind of project are these, which one you liked most?
Of course our main job is to ride our bikes. But for example every time we’re in Africa we most likely are in involved at Qhubeka events, like bike hand-outs or what I like the most, marshaling bike races in the townships. Some of the riders are auctioning jerseys, race numbers or other stuff for Qhubeka.
What do you think cyclist from Africa (like Kudus, Meintjes) will achieve in the future?
The potential Africa has in cycling is huge, although the development status in most of the countries is on a very low level or there is no base at all. With more than one billion people living on the continent and the natural talent for endurance, it is simple maths that there are without doubts a lot of potential cyclists. Those who already made the steps of being a cyclist, show it already. Froome is born and raised in Africa, Impey is South African and Meintjes and Kudus for example are maybe both on their way to become big players in the sport too.
What do you think is the future of cycling in Germany given the problems that the sport had with the media?
I don’t want to start with that discussion, but I think the situation has become much better than it was. Current riders like Tony Martin and Martin Kittel are promoting the sport in the best way and have done a lot to show this to the public. The future of cycling in Germany is in my opinion also a global question. Cycling as a sport needs minor improvements in structure, marketing and more. If this will hopefully change soon, it will grow again in Germany.
How hard has it been in recent times to maintain the motivation to be a professional cyclist, particularly coming from Germany where there is so much negative press about cyclists?
Actually I am pretty happy that cycling is not that popular in Germany that for example in Belgium. I don’t care about the press or public opinion and my motivation is my passion for racing. I’m not looking for fame and publicity, in fact I enjoy that people don’t recognize me like they would if I would be a soccer player of the local club.
In which way does social media (eg twitter, strava) influence you? For example training and pre- & post-racing routine?
I check the social media on a professional level, which means I follow cycling on twitter or other platforms. Once in a while I’m tweeting a bit. Maybe I would tweet more if I knew people would actually care about it. Haha. Otherwise I don’t need to tell the world what I am doing 24/7. I only use Strava if I try to get KOMs!
How do you relax/switch off from cycling?
Being a professional cyclist means traveling a lot, so just enjoy a day at home helps me already a lot to relax. To switch off, the best thing, even if it sounds weird, is to go on the bike for a few hours…
Regarding your stay at Quick Step, do you still cheer for your old team or some of those teammates you had there when you are not racing against them?
If you spend two years with a group of people, you connect or even get friends. For sure I cheer for them.
Do you fancy yourself in another role in the sport of cycling after retiring from riding?Besides my parents I had not too many people who helped me to become a professional rider. Sometimes, people who should actually support young cyclists even worked against me. My father was a professional late in his career and worked as a sports director for a short time, but that is 25 years ago. He was not involved in pro cycling anymore and at one point in my career, he could only tell me his advise but had no experience anymore.
If you are not part of a sports school or a similar organization, it is not an easy way to become a good cyclist. Who can tell you how to train and race? It’s more or less learning by doing and if you still made it through the junior ranks or even became a professional, who can guard you in your early career? There is a lack of people doing a good job here and I’m more than happy that I can say those people now. It would have helped me a lot though, if I had this support since my amateur time and helping other young riders after my career is something I could imagine. I still count myself as a young rider so thinking of retirement is not much present for now…
Today, when you look back at your career, what would you have done differently?
I would have not listened too much to other people that I should not have trusted.
What would be your best advice for a young rider making the jump from Continental Tour to the World Tour?
To get the attention of the big teams, the best way is to take part in international events. Try to get in a team that competes abroad and always try to be your best. Important: make sure you can trust the people around you. More important: Listen more to people you can trust. Most important: take it easy and have fun. Wanting something too much, sometimes doesn’t help.
Are you aware of the Pro Cycling Manager/Tour de France computer game series?
I know the game but I have never played it.