0:00 Intro and history
2:24 What keeps you motivated?
12:11 What else do you get up to ?
15:59 Winning Cape Town Cycle Tour
25:16 Leading up to AmaShova victory
31:31 RKC Collective
36:55 Team goals vs Individual goals
41:51 How do we grow cycling in SA
51:42 Advice for amateur cyclists
1:06:55 Closing
I’m going to ride my bike and sleep and and wake up right and then you realize like listen life goes on you need there’s different responsibilities in life as well you know audio Jungle okay uh welcome to l talk cycling with almost Elites we’ve got real Elites this time on the on the show so uh Big Ups to to to rkc Collective for joining us um yeah very excited we’ve got lots to talk about uh even just now offline
There been lost to laugh about so I’m I’m really excited to to get into it welcome Chens we’ve got ran and uh Chris um yeah thank you very much for having us and um yeah I think it’s exciting for for for us to to do things like like
This with like-minded people and um especially just enthus enthusiasm that you guys bring to to the sport from a different perspective it’s just for it’s exciting it’s it’s nice to see I think this is first time I saw you guys were at um where it is no was provincials um
I was like I just love this I thought you guys knew somebody in the group and then afterwards I realized that you guys did not know someone in the group and it’s yeah but yeah thanks thanks for having us it’s nice to be here yeah so I
Think I mean’s let’s get started with a quick intro um you know name how old are you brief history and all that good stuff um yeah so yeah I’m R deploy I’m 29 years old and uh yeah I’ve I’ve basically been cycling since oh since 14
15 years old um I basically started in grade eight grade n um I think yeah the main reason I started riding was like my dad cycled Uncle cycled uh my granddad cycled so everybody on my dad’s side the cycled just for for leisure just riding the August and 9 4.7 most of
The time and yeah I think that’s kind of I just was wanting to do that with them on a on a weekend or something um and yeah that was quite I think that was when I when I started and uh yeah basically just just went from there did
Not really do too much School sports um I did a little bit of running um at school but not for too long yeah and then yeah I think the the cycling back but but quite early okay and Chris yeah I started I saw more or less I think a bit earlier
Obviously competive at the more or less the same age as ran I think me and ran raced together the first time or to against each other as under 16s you know like 16 to us you know so I’m I’m 28 this year and uh yeah so a year younger
Than R so like in in age categ every second year we used to race against each other he’s always a bit the senior one moving on and I’ll move on a bit later yeah I’ve been RAC or racing him more or less the same time I started riding very
Early I started riding at 8 or 9 with my my parents used to ride my parents is from a very sporty sporty background and uh yeah like sort of they um I grew up in a small K town so they for them it was the their leure
Sport as well with cycling and my mom and D was sort of running the Cycling Club in town type of thing and then I started riding probably the age of eight or nine and I started riding and then yeah like joining them a longer rides at
About 10 12 or 11 you know like riding riding like the three hour rides type of thing and doing August at 12 so since then and then um yeah racing since yeah High School same as ran and then since then High School I did do Sports I’m not
Going to lie I tried to do everything just to be social I did my cycling but I did rug I did hockey and I did whatever I could to to be social and go trips on tours and stuff you know it was fantastic for me in the small town sport
Is a way for us to see the world so you know if you live in a small Karo town like sport is a way of you getting to the beach as a as a 12y old with your mates you know like because you’re going on a hockey trip or something so yeah
It’s that’s the wonderful thing about Sports so yeah I did do that and then yeah since schol then it was sort of serious and trying to do it as a profession sure so you guys have been in this uh for some time now him like you know the ins and outs of
This yeah yeah I think it’s basically also yeah for me it’s basically I don’t want to say it’s all I know but it’s been a big big part of my life for world most of my my life and definitely My Teenage life um yeah like sometimes you
Just uh skip an invite to go to a party with your friends as a teenager and uh just to focus on focus on training and racing and then yeah and then I think it just group on there that’s crazy so so you know one question I always have like
For for elite is how how do you keep m ated at that high level um you know of performance year in year out season in season out whether you had a good day out uh whether you’ve had a bad season you’re in form out of form like you guys
Always seem to to keep that high level of motivation to keep coming back and giving your best like how do you guys keep that yeah I think it’s I think it’s it’s h it’s most certainly a roller coaster um it’s definitely not just ups and
Highs the whole time um I mean you you go through phases throughout the season where you just have bad form or you crash or you get an injury or you know it’s it’s it’s most certainly a really big roller coaster but I think for me it
Was and I’m sure most guys would would relate to it but for me personally it was it was chasing a dream and chasing success and um then every now and then you would get like a really really small taste of that success or of that dream
Um I mean every youngster out there when they are in their early teenage years or early 20s they they cycle and they dream to to go to races like the T of France to go to the World Championships to to race on the biggest scene out there um
And and that is what I dreamed of doing I was riding as a teenager on the indoor trainer U most of the time watching old re play videos that we recorded on the um on the tape recorder of the T France and of the jro and things like that and
I think it’s like you aspire to that um and I think I’ve gotten opportunities through through out my carea to to taste some of those small the smaller races but to taste the dream um and then yeah I think I’ve like I know for a fact like mentally and physically I’ve pushed
Myself to to my limit um I think um yeah I just I needed or not needed I I could have it could have helped me a bit if I had like 5% maybe more in me uh but I like I know for a fact that I push myself with the opportunities with the
Platform I did have at the time to try and make it and it’s just it’s such it’s such a Cutthroat sport um I mean you would be racing a race on a really really high level in I don’t in in in Europe or in China where there are 200
Guys racing where 50 of those guys would would be in a position or strong enough to win that race um I mean if you like we we were we are lucky in South African racing to have 50 guys in a bunch um and it’s just like if you like in the if
Yeah in the in the cont ental level of racing uh that’s the highest level I’ve been in like in in racing in the like in the competition that I raced against and um it’s there’s probably in Europe alone there’s probably I want to say like 50
Teams consisting of 12 to 18 Riders and most of them are by a long shot stronger than anyone that racing locally um and there guys locally that has the potential and has the power to to harace those guys but not necessarily have the Race Craft or to be able to to race with
Them um so it’s like it’s like we all Chase numbers most people chase numbers Chase power values Chase FTP values but it’s more about H having the Race Craft and to be able to think on the bike that’s what I felt had a had a big
Difference um yeah I’m not sure how I think Chris could also explained it in his way of how he experienced it and um yeah like kind of what kept Him motivating I think I drifted a bit off the topic there yeah that’s long and short I felt yeah like Ron said they’re coming
Back to the what keeps us motivated and stuff and I think for me it always it was sort of a a middle path between the two of Chasing the Dream like 100% the same as one I was always chasing the European dream not going to lie like I
Was always thinking of sports and cycling being my step step into Europe or a better life a better situation you know like earning earning a good living and as a youngster that was always a dream and then you sort of get that H knock the first first few years on on3
And you realize like right maybe I might not be able to to be super wealthy or be a to the FR r or wi or whatever but but I might be able to be be good you know I might be able to Chase and then you then
You do get that taste of of small of small success you know you do go over and you like I draw a lot of motivation from just big rides like not not realistically always results but my influence have on a race or you know what changes I could bring to
Or influence I can have to the team and like if as long as you like sort of through my career I had from this but if if I can have an influence I can draw motivation from that and then yeah that side definitely and then a big
Big draw point for me it was always just the the point it’s it’s it’s better than a than a 9 to5 you know like I think always look so that’s like I I was I was always willing more to to the graph and uh to do be five hours on the back
To T to you know like and in some ways it worked out but in some ways there was always almost a failure as well in my life where you know like it’s gone too far in a way of Chasing the Dream but uh yeah I think it’s always as long as you
Stay happy and you stay motivated in a way of chasing the small girls and I think we’re all a lot of the time we we fail in a way in our dreams and our goals but we do get that sort of good feeling from from get catching that
Small bit of success in in in small ways of big rides and big big you know big achievements in a way where there’s not nothing behind your name but you play the part yeah no that’s a good springboard to to to kind of the next
Thing I want to kind of find out I mean you know you you’d rather spend five hours on the bike as opposed to a 9 to5 um you know what are some of the other stuff that you guys get up to off the bike you know I know ran you’re a coach
And you know what are the other things that you you get up to yeah so yeah I think since since the last two years or three years since I really stepped away from International racing when I I started racing a lot more locally um my
I think my daily life got a lot busier than it has been in the last five years um yeah as you said I I on the side I do I do coaching um and then I also work for a application like a coaching application that’s based in in in
Amsterdam um called join so it’s basically what they do is it’s a algorithm based adaptive training platform so you enter on this application a gold let’s say it might be the cycle tour and you enter your availability into the app and based on that and your current Fitness levels it
Will plan a training program for you um yeah so that’s B that that recycling the coach and the work for the application keeps me keeps me quite busy throughout the day um yeah and then on the side I would also play some golf so try some
Days are or maybe too busy and then if you always try to squeeze in a nin holes or a driving range session here in there yeah um similar to run I think like he he he stepped our away from and he decided to do the working side a bit
Earlier than me but uh since last year last year we a bit in the distribution of cycling products and then this year I I just joined cycle fits which is a bicycle fitment company and we do bicycle fitments and assessments so yeah since since the last two months I’ve
Been with them and working a I want to say a full-time job but it’s it’s it’s it’s it’s some of the days are Big hours but it’s yeah it’s it’s still in the industry and I’m working and it’s definitely a bit lot more busier than
Like R said you like having to manage a lot more your time and riding a bit early in the mornings and yeah getting back to actually to a job and uh it’s yeah I think it’s it’s what we all got to the realization of what we have to do
To to stay in the sport as well and and I think Ruan has pulled a lot from it um and if I spoken to him you can see he’s drawn a lot of motivation from it and I think he fell in love more with the sport you know like being able to to
Manage that side and seeing he’s able to be still competitive and uh last year being proven like he had Hard Knocks in the beginning of the season and he was able to come back on a very back form with working two jobs and you know like
If you know ran he’s a sociable guy he’s not going to be stuck up and not doing nothing so you know like I think a guy like ran also like showed to me that it’s possible and I draw a lot of motivation seeing how good he was um
That it’s possible and you know like it’s it’s it’s where all it’s a phase of in your season of your life I guess and uh I was speaking the other day like two three years ago I wasn’t willing to do this for you know like I wasn’t willing
To sacrifice my training and stuff for this I was you know like I was I was adamant and now I’m going to ride my bike and sleep and and wake up right and then you realize like listen life goes on you need there’s different responsibilities in life as well you
Know so yeah I guess you come to a point in a season and as long as you’re happy to make the de seison I think your your cycling will still improved yeah Chris I’m I’m a big fan I’ve I’ve watched you create very impactful breakaways man um and I think
For me the biggest one was the Cape Town cycle tour uh very very exciting moment they’re seeing you create the break and the guys joining you and a lot of youngsters also joining you to work with you and you officially Crossing that line tell us a bit about that race and
What it meant for your career um very big moment for you I’m assuming yeah definitely like like I was always saying like growing up um I raised my first August or caped on cycle tour um as a 12-year-old last year was actually my 15th one um and you know I
Was really like it it was a race you love and everything and growing up as a cyclist like dreams of racing in Europe and RAC of um racing you know racing the big league and whatever and and then the secondary goal was always I want to win
That Dy race you know like you know I always knew it was going to be hard for me me as a not a I’m not a sprinter at all I can’t Sprint when it’s a hard day out and it’s it’s a tough day or It’s Tricky or something I can’t Sprint and I
Can pull through like I gen say my watch stay the same if if it’s 50k or 200k my watch stay the same so if others are going to be TI my Sprint what um yeah then I can Sprint but I always knew that’s going to be hard but like I must
Admit riding in the guru and training as a liy in your mind dreaming I was always dreaming about riding away at August so um last year leading up I was genuinely not 100% focused on August always you want to be good there and you want to be
At your base but it was not not like I was saying in January I’m working on a 8we goal or something for August but it did work out that in that way because literally for seven weeks leading up to that we were either traveling or racing
We we literally did a few races in in Johannesburg with provincials and uh races around Johannesburg and and then we left for for national champs which was in uh out sing so we traveled down there we did two races down there uh with the crit and the road race which is
Probably like okay you’re getting you know slaughtered but it it’s probably like played the role in in that build up towards that and then straight from there we travel to nbia and super heat you know like super hot there there’s like three stages of Double Days in that
Tour you race for five days but you do six stages seven stages so you like it’s double days it’s a crit in the morning time tral in the afternoon it’s Road stage and a crit in the afternoon so you’re doing proper Double Days of racing and straight from there we travel
Back spend two days at home and I travel down for two the cup and the big difference it made I think was also then we raised a week of Twitter cap and then we had a week to recover in between we know didn’t go into good Twitter um cap
Down Cycles or fatigue or anything um and then yeah like so we could actually race like I guess in the last few years we always raced like same is going to be this year raced through the cup until the Friday and for us as my style of
Rider that’s where we can make a difference in race and we almost like override the tour and you arrive at at at caped toown cycle to a fatigue then you like you can make a difference but you you you spend five days of racing yourself and then generally I was always
Riding support for someone in cap in cap down cycle tour and then yeah this year it was totally different um last year um we didn’t have someone we can rely on to say we’re going to pce for we can to set up a move for for the
Sprint in Capon ccle tour and then yeah like I had bunch of youngsters as teammates last year and there were somehow something this work that week we all just so fired up and motivated for results and we were like coning coning the whole every night sitting planning
On like this ideas and like every night I I got fed up with them I left dinner table I was like every dinner concer into a team meeting you know like and then we all at this idea and we had an idea of start trying to like launch something something on on chappies
Chappies and seosi to get a group really small but I always realistically know like the pace is so hard there so fast I’ve tried it so many times in my life you know like um but I was willing to give it a shot you know like that to get
It on that two climbs small and then yeah so the plan was for me to be hiding hiding all the way until there and then then what happened is like I don’t know how it happened but there was moves up the road and we the two Oak was what was
Supposed to look after me for the first 70k or the race whatever looked after me perfectly for the first 50 40ks or whatever to until Simon or so and then they came and fetched me the back of a paltin which is totally un unnatural for
Me I never sit at the back and chill whatever and I was literally on the highway sitting at the back and being calm for and I don’t know how I could do it but I it it worked out that day um for me I stayed calm in a way that I
Never did and have never done after that again and they came and feted me like twice and asked do I need to be and I’m like no no that’s fine we don’t need to be in the front yet and they literally took me to the front going between
Fishook and Simon down and then there was a little move up the road and I asked the r to do a bit of an effort to cross through the to to there was like a move of like about 10 guys already up the road and he rode across and I was
Like on the wheel and I can see he was going quite well and then that’s when you realize like some days you just click and you’re like okay this this is like I was looking behind me and like the RAC is in a line but I can I was
Almost asking R to go faster and then as we got there I took a bit of a flyer on that group and then yeah I never look back and then two Oaks jumped with me and then yeah we I got them motivated to ride with me Nick James and uh can’t
Remember the Oak from Mark uh a Cape Town team and then uh yeah a few dayss later another three three guys joined us as we hit the slopes of Smith wle and then yeah from there it was sort of you sort of like had to convince a few guys
To ride like there was three of us that was convinced to ride from the start and then jayen wasn’t too convinced to ride at the time because of their alliance with Mark at the time and then he wasn’t really really willing to ride in the beginning and then as soon as we get
Over Smith V they they came and gave a Time Gap and I lied to him and I told him it was 3 minutes and he started riding and because he thought it’s too far too far for Mark to cross and it did go up to three minutes just after that
Um and then yeah sort of then I knew I wasn’t willing to like I was always holding back I was riding pretty hard I’m not going to lie there was times where we were riding hard but I was always keeping back because I knew the like the speed that they R although CH
Piece is hard and it feels but just the speed the Buns creates up there so fast you know like a slip of a pedal here and there up chies can bring back a minute quickly so but then yeah it’s like after chappies I saw we still two two minute
City I think up the road and then I was like realizing okay I was always planning on my head who’s going to chase behind and I like I was planning okay unless all the mountain bikers um combine with with DMS to ride at the back like it’s not two or three
Hour combining behind was not going to bring us back so then I rode hard for another 10K and then I like sort of yeah I was willing to risk it because as soon as we were down to Four Oaks like I was just saying I’m my mind I’m not getting
Fourth here i’ rather have the bunch catch me two Cas to go and you know like I’m not getting fourth of August you know I was fifth three times in a row before in in chaotic Sprints where I just sort of slipped around around the side or everyone was sprinting and
Fading and I could snap by for fifth um so I like I’m not getting fourth so I was willing to yeah I saved a lot in in the final and I play tried to play as smart as possible I was just thought yeah I was not willing to get forth out
Of that group I would rather being coach and it’s I think Cong congratulations on like that really impressive and I think in the manner that you did it it was it was really like a a movie to watch you know um because we could tell that you
Were trying to get guys to work with you and and everything that you say is making sense now in terms of you holding I I like I’m so fortunate for for for the videos and the live feed being so clear because I can tell you like if I
Had to rely on my own the last 10 cases a blank for me that was just natural instinct there was nothing planned nothing I could Jo nobody could teach me that nothing that was I didn’t I couldn’t tell you afterwards how the race was won I knew how we got there and
I remember going through like gam Bank saying like it’s it’s it’s other getting qu or when I’m not going to I’m not getting for yeah and then ran I mean you had you also had a pretty good season if I may say so myself with the big win at
Amashova in the most treacherous conditions ever um can you perhaps maybe tell us about that as well yeah I think um yeah my yeah my year started off okay um yeah I think after actually during good open in the phase of of August last year I got uh Co
And after Co I developed um um like pericarditis that’s inflammation around your heart um and that was just due to a viral infection it’s like we are always at the risk of getting it even after flu um but now with Co it’s just a bit more
Of a we all are at risk even if you’re an athlete or not um and yeah so yeah got that and then yeah I had to be off the bike for I think at least two months and then like really started just doing walking that was my first form of
Exercise is a general like a 10minute walk around the block um yeah and during that time I was let go of my um from my team at the time so that was also quite like it was quite a like a spiral of things I mean I was already quite in a
In a deep dark place just because of of me being sick and then to then when that also happened then that also had quite a knock on me uh mentally and it’s just yeah I’ve been yeah through my life I’ve had a few disappointments a few things
Or setbacks and um I Know Myself and I knew I would have been able to to come back from it because I’ve been I’ve proven proven it to myself before that when something like knocks you down you just get up another one more time um and I think I took that that entire
Experience I went through I took that as as motivation and the very first uh first time I got back on my backe um I would never forget I told my now my fiance that I’m I’m going to win amova this year um I don’t know for what team
I’m going to ride for how I’m going to get there but I’m going to win amova this year and but yeah I think I was maybe a week or so on my bike and then I got uh in contact with um at the time it was um spaces cycling team so I joined
Up with them I think it was a month or two maybe maybe two months I think before uh before I’m AA and yeah then all my training every session that I did was just leading up to that um yeah it’s um it’s a race I’ve
Been wanting to win for a long time and it’s a race that me as a rider really challenges just like even on a dry day um with like the the climes and like just all of that and then yeah on the day we got the climbs and the weather um
But it’s like yeah sometimes like if you like I can find myself riding well in like really bad weather like really windy days or like rainy days uh but I think it’s just like on the day you have to be prepared for it mentally and when
I woke up that morning I was like yeah that’s fine I’m I’m good to ride and AR range today um I did not really expect the weather to be that bad it was probably the worst weather I’ve ever rid in um and yeah then also racing um yeah
So there was quite a few scary moments during the race but I was just like I was just like super focused I think I can recall five times in my career where I’ve been so focused where you almost go like a few years ago I learned of the
Term called flow so it’s kind of being in the flow of the most moment being the flow of what you are doing and I think I just from that morning to the end of the race I was like in this space of flow and yeah I think I I had to go
Afterwards and look at um also look at the live stream um to to see to see what happened and like what actually developed in the race cuz I can just recall two two uh two like periods in the race where I can like okay I can
Recall that but then like the last 10 kilomet or something was just like a plane like I think the same I think Chris was also like in a in a moment of like flow of like like super super super focusness and you you don’t think of anything else you don’t take anything
Else in yeah I probably had discussions with people I probably thought of not going through the deeper strench of water like basically a river flowing over the road um but it’s yeah just I think I think just the entire buildup and everything everything from I think
The last time I rode my backck was just after August and to racing amashova I think that entire buildup just helped me like mentally emotionally to be able to do that and yeah leading up to up to the last kilometer or so I just
I I would not have said that I was the fastest in the group uh because you had Jaden to low which is um amount Mar but he’s he’s he’s not a bad Sprinter himself you had Kristof bon in there that’s also not a bad Sprinter himself
Um and yeah so I just I think I just went on on like experience and like knowing where to go how to go and go going like not again like kind of into the wind but kind of going around the outside when was like kind of maybe
Slightly sheltered from the wind um yeah so I think yeah it was really I think that was one of the highlights in the last few years in my career to be able to pull something like that off U yeah after after I’ve been through in the last few months leading up to that
No I you know what guys I I I take my head off to you guys man I really really is amazing stuff to to you know hear these legendary stories man and you know like chat to guys who’ have actually done it you know um I think it’s really
Amazing and the motivation is is really really good for us man you know who still want to ride it level So yeah thank you guys for that um I think what I wanted to ask you guys you know as a team so you guys have a team right yeah
Yeah Arc collector yeah yeah so tell us about that bad boy where did it come about how did the name come about how did you guys form it you know how did it come about yeah Chris we should I go where you go you can go you can go yeah so
Basically yeah towards the end of last year uh I’ve learned that my team team at the time would not continue Chris and Kent and uh Keenan also learned that their team would not continue um into 2024 and there was actually quite a few other teams that was in the same
Position um and then we just kind of started chatting I think what it actually happened like early November like actually even I think in October we were starting to chat and to see what are the possibilities um what are what can we do like are we are we just going to sit
Back and say cool this is it um and I don’t think anyone of us um or I know that not anyone of us were was in a in a position to say that I’m done now I just want to stop um it’s like Chris came off
From a high in in his career I came off from a high and Chris and sorry Kent and Keenan also came off from a high with the success of of their team um and then yeah I think it kind of I think just between the four of us talking we kind
Of came to we made a decision and say we’re going to try to do something it’s uh we want to uh store support and almost in a way save Elite racing in South Africa um I think it’s it’s in a it’s in a DI State at the moment uh our
The fields are not big I mean we probably have 40 50 R guys racing uh as we all know in the in the current uh State of Affairs um finding a sponsor is not easy um and then we just decided what whatever comes our way we
Are we are going to make this work if it’s uh from a self-funded thing if it’s racing every uh every race on our own equipment our own kit our own things we will race as a fourman team to try and make it work so I think that’s that’s
Kind of how it started um and then as we started like getting like kind of the things the ball rolling we got in contact with one person and then the next person and then it kind of It Came yeah we were like very fortunate enough to quite early on uh establish a a
Relationship and a sponsorship with Chita uh they really came on board and they were our first uh sponsor and like a really good full generous sponsor of um of racing kit and Custom kit and just general apparel uh for on bike um yeah and then we just like never from we just
Never stopped and we are still not we are not stopping uh we are continuing to to look for new AV new avenues new ways of of um like finding people to support our passion and our passion is to race our bucks to to grow a community to
Uplift the community to to just have fun but also be super competitive um yeah and then yeah at this stage we have um we have secured a few a few sponsors we have Chita we recently got um base protocol IE we got uh met helmets and then we’ve also got recently we’ve got
Plus race wheels um and it’s yeah it’s like it’s um it’s a really nice group of people that we are getting in contact with we’ve got normed sports that’s been like I’ve been with them a few years ago with Pro Touch and yeah so it’s just it’s just it’s just really amazing and
Awesome to see how things are starting to slowly but surely uh fall in place and then yeah we still we still out there looking for for financial backing in small big in any form of way um and that’s yeah so we yeah this year we focus to to do some road racing mostly
We’ll do um a bunch of criteriums and we’ll also Focus quite a bit on on the gravel scene uh cuz I think that’s a that’s a really big um um or sorry it’s it’s growing quite into a big sport or big uh discipline um at this stage yeah um yeah that’s the
Long and the short of basically how the team started and rkc we got from our names it’s like the r is for um for Ruan the K is for Kent and keen and and the Seas for Chris um so basically that that is what we that that’s what we want we
One unit we one group and we with the same objective the same passion and that is based that’s to fun you know but yeah man it’s always great to to see a a very good team working together and I think we are excited to see what are you guys
Going to be able to achieve in the next couple of races I mean Chris mentioned earlier you know the the whole role of having to play support in Cape arus back then and I think one of the most challenging things as a cyclist is knowing you know how to park your own
Goals and prioritize the team goals and think about the bigger picture can you maybe tell us about the challenge of balancing your own goals versus you know the goals of the team yeah if I can if I can just jump back quickly to the previous and it will
Flow into this it’s like I think it’s sort of unspoken between us I mean you’ve never mentioned it between us but they like sort of I think we’ve got three goals between between the team of us this year and going forward it is like basically we we want to have fun
And then and within that we want to grow the community around us and I think one of our biggest goals is growing the community and growing our community around us because that’s just the biggest way we will create support for ourselves and keep it fun and you are
Sort of like that’s where we’re going to create M momentum and motivation from in the future you know like when it’s going to like okay if we’ve got a community behind us that’s going to is willing to help us and that’s going to create our
Our image if you know if you want to say it that way and then secondly for us is just like growing and funding growing into a fundable project for someone you know we need we we out there to to put ourselves out there and uh we want to
Have this thing grow but we need a financial backing some way or another so I think our biggest or secondly goal is that and then coming from that is Performance Based we all even though we might look fun you might see us at a race having fun and having a beer
Afterwards and we have a beer partner I think I think that was one of the first things we we mentioned in December is like mag is coming on board with giving us some beers and it’s like it just sounded fun you know like so like might
Fun but I think performance is our one of our big goals as well and then if I can go back then um if you’re talking about being being a team player and whatever and I think that’s where Community comes in and uh if you like if you can’t grow a community around you
And a team in the end of the day it’s a community based and it and it and it spills over and more than just the Riders IT staff is like I think we’ve all been part of I’ve been part of South African setup and European setups where
You really experience the the way of having staff members being 100% crucial role of I mean if if you are forced to raise this products not for you privileged to be sponsored those products but then having someone on board as a mechanic whatever to get the
Best out of that product and you the same with nutrition wise and and like that spills over into that and that spills over back into racing wise like I’m I’m might not be the best of this but I feel in the end of the day if if
Everything is is is how it should be you are a crucial part every race you start and if you’re going to take your little block out you your team is not maybe going to fall because one on that day he might be able to do 150% so he can but
If you’re going to every race your block block block block out it’s going to affect the team down the line and then down the line when it’s your opportunity is just not going to work out so I think it’s that Community build of I need to
Work for and it’s not for the team although some days it might from the inside it look like ah constantly this and I’m not going to lie that there’s a times in a team it does get frustrating but good guys are good for a reason you know they work hard and and
Sometimes luck is on their side but uh I think it’s proven around like if that Community sense is good um it’s always there’s always chance for someone else as well in the team and it’s it’s just that like it’s a mindset we all had to
Learn from Young I think um we all you like you do you are a bit selfish when you’re younger you’re racing as a 16 17 year old you just think oh my you know I’m putting all of this and uh especially that’s where parental pressure always comes in because that’s
Stage it’s most of the time parental funded um they funding you to go somewhere now you have to help someone else you know that it is it is a quite of a a mental struggle block to come over but as soon as I think we all
Mature in a way you realize firstly this is just more worth it you’ll always have a job you’ll always have a part in the team if you’re willing to do this and then it’s just more fun I mean if I have to go and put pressure on myself for
Amashova for fast one for every single race that maybe not suit me it’s just I’m not going to have fun but but it’s much more fun for me to be able to play a role and help ran in a situation where he’s 100% the best o in the country for
That day um and I’m privileged to be part of that day and that’s that’s where I draw the motivation be to be able to be a team player yeah no that’s great that’s great Chris I think I think it’s it’s it’s I I really love what you say in terms of um
You know the community mindset that you guys have adopted um and and maybe a question for you ran I think you know you mentioned you know you know growing growing the community around you and and and know getting more people into the sports perhaps so in your
Opinion I mean what do you think is missing in the South African cycling scene for it to become you know similar to the europees how do we get more people into the sport um how do we get sponsors because I think that’s a big big gap currently in South Africa
Sponsors come and go yeah if if I can give a short answer but I will elaborate and I think it’s for more people to fall in love with the sport and for in my opinion and for what I’ve experienced in the last 15 years is
That for people to fall in love with the sport they need to see racing they need to see action um they need to be involved in small or a big way uh and I’m not talking financially I’m talking about being involved in the whole circus of of racing of cycling um because the
The racing part of cycling is very very small um I mean it’s in South Africa very small but in the world it’s also very small um and and personally I believe that we need to be looking at doing more Criterion based racing uh so Jeremy Martin is is the guy that took
The ball by the horns and he’s like I’m going to start a criterium series and I remember I’ve been I went to the one of the very first ones you hosted at Box Stadium with I think there was 15 people maximum and um and people just like weekend after weekend and month after
Month just like 15 became 20 and 20 became 100 um and I truly believe that that is that is where we should be focused on um as the elite level or as a on an amateur level as a a Al or a BL bunch um is to kind of have three
Different categories of of um of Criterium racing where you have the the kind of the elites and maybe some VA races and then you have like a a b group that rides maybe some of the VB VCS and maybe some of the the front end
CS of the AR batch or it’s like you can actually just come and race where you want to be honest but to have three three different options in groups of catering for the racing snake the medium guy and the guy that just wants to have
Some fun in the bike do a 50 km safe environment riding where cars don’t pass you you’re not worrying about pootles and things like that like at this point uh Jeremy has a circuit out by Lords view um and he’s constantly looking for more and new options um where it’s a
Circuit of I think around two and a half kilm roughly and it’s there’s just leftand Corners it’s it’s safe to ride the roads are safe it’s it’s a controlled environment and I believe that that is where you can create a bit of a festival because if you look at
What they do in Europe uh like my background is mostly in Belgium where they have every um I think a few times during the week but mostly on weekends they have a um like it’s like from a small Pub or a small Church they have a
Like a bizaar and then from the bazaar there’s a beer tent and then the bend there’s music and the brm music attracts people and the people brings a cyclist um and I really I really think that that is where we should be looking at and should be looking at growing the sport
Rather than trying to host a open road race of 90 kilm and um basically I can already Envision the the circuit that we are racing I think it starts the 25th or Fe the first one um on that circuit have a few extra kazos have some music um get
A liquor license or people or somebody can have a liquor license and have a be attent you know and I have some music and have a festival and then through that you will you will attract a potential sponsor um because out of 10 people not 10 people is going to sponsor
Or host an event or contribute to an event but that one person might know another guy that is potentially looking at just growing his brand creating awareness to his brand and like he can just host one of the events or just like you know just like in that way come to
The race have some fun enjoy the racing see the racing because it’s like my parents they’ve always wanted to come to racing my like like my family’s always been involved and 100% supportive of what I’m doing but I feel so guilty for them coming to a race of 2 and a half
Hours they see me start and they see me finish they don’t see me they don’t hear me there’s not a t to feed there’s not a live video there’s nothing but if I invite them to to the Criterium racing in a space of one hour they’ll probably
See me 20 times they will see the race involved they will see oh Ruan is not only setting the bunch he’s actually attacking or ran is just sitting in the bunch today like you know so they can kind of get involved in the in the in
The racing it’s like I think I’ve had the longest discussion about races when it was a criteria with my family because they can actually say oh on lab five I realized you were at the back of the bunch what what happened you know kind
Of O I saw you attack it’s it’s like I think what I’m trying to get to is like it’s to get people to come to races we need to make it attractive and that is in my opinion doing Criterium racing um and yeah I think for like for what I’ve
Seen where what you guys have been doing the last few weeks I think you like come and do one of the criteriums on the 25th I think it would be once a month maybe like some month would be one extra um do it like it’s the way you guys race I’ve
Seen in your in your videos that is if you do that in a criterium that that is criteria racing that is the excitement that is the the energy that you need and um I mean I think in one of the criteriums or maybe every one of them
I’m going to bring myself um my my Brian speaker and and some M John beer and then have a m John beer and music yeah know I mean we’ve actually been in contact with Jeremy so well I I’ll go to the first one just to have a
Look at at what it looks like maybe take some content um you know which is also quite key I think in exposing the sports to people who are currently yeah um sorry I think the biggest thing as is um it’s just like if you Vision what you
Are doing and if you like think back to Europe like there’s hundreds of people doing that I think Ruan can can uh for that like we both havei raced a few seasons in Belgium if you like it’s the same faces at every race there the same T coming there they just
Super passionate about R she’ll give you bottles give you a c she doesn’t even know you she just know you the foreign sou African they’ll support you they know your name and I mean um like I I always try to say to the my first time
When I went to Europe was a a 17y old racing Junior racing there and you’re racing actually very lucky if you guys a junior because you end up having racing world class Riders because when we go as under 23s in Elites they already World Tour you know like they already turned
World like when we were Juniors I was in the same bunch of fol and f um I was doing crits Withers and stuff like that you know like we didn’t know but he was killing us you know but you know like so you’re very lucky and for that instance
You know like you’re going in doing crits and you’re in a breakaway and there’s a car in the front with a massive speak on and as he passes the the mass crowds or the the biggest crowds he reads off the names and the numbers of who’s in the break and what
You’ve scored because a lot of the racing there works on prims where there’s every third or second lap there’s you race for a 5e or 10 Prim and then as soon as they figure out you doing but hours in by lab of a 25 lab
Days half of the crowd is all of a sudden like cheering your name and you’re like how the hell does this work you don’t you don’t know what what this is but they have actually have Tes and standing next toing for you and then you realize afterwards that’s how how
Involved they make the the people you know like and it’s like it’s a crazy thing is I went to a crit in in as a junior and uh after we were told that um the population of this little town like obviously it’s like um it’s not far from
A big city so it’s not like it’s in the middle of nowhere but it’s a if you must imagine like a malal or something close to Brussels something not too far whatever the population was 4,000 people but for junior race with the with the current world champion there was 4,000
People just in the last kilometer so yeah so if you can imagine it’s just the the the level of involvement at a junior level already I’m not I’m not speaking about what Elites and professionals racing there a school kids racing so it’s it’s it’s in the end of
The days involvement and making it fun for people yeah that’s that’s amazing I think and and I agree with you I think there’s so much we can do especially like what you guys are painting in terms of you know um the crit and and making sure that we bring the fun to the
Cycling and make it more accessible to people but I think uh if you look at the the landscape we’re in like you know how you guys mentioned you guys maybe started from an early age I think you find a lot of people um want to race
Right want to do better want to join these high uh impact and uh strong sort of uh rides and races but they they’re in that training phase right so uh coming from you guys what what do you guys think is is is is critical for for
People who are trying to take the sport seriously trying to get to that professional SE maybe they’re riding BL and they want to maybe make it to you know to the proper Elites proper professionals what what’s the advice you can give those those guys to sort of you
Know take their training and just their relationship with cing to the next level yeah and if I may add the Lio I think um it’s always good to marry training with nutrition you know we speak about beer T you know is it a good idea to grab a
Beer the night before a race so tell us about training in relation to nutrition and and that as well yeah yeah so yeah I think I think if I can like share my opinion on what I think somebody should do that’s currently racing Al for example CU in Al
It’s quite a mixed it’s like you have a 20y old but you also have a 45 or 55y old so for any one of those like Riders wanting to go into the license group um I think the most important important tip is to build consistency into your training uh
Program it’s you don’t have to be on the on a fix training program but just consistency um and I’m not when I’m talking about consistency I’m not saying every single day you have to go ride two hours that’s not I’m not I’m talking about in a in a week or a month’s period
Just have consistency um even if you ride four times a week make sure that you write four times a week consistently and building through that month on month year on year um there’s there’s definitely no short way of doing it um you will definitely get somebody
That is more um talented and uh sporty than than the person next stre so for that person it will be a little bit easier um it’s like i’ I’m one of the people I’m not uh super talented but I’m a hard worker I yes I do have a talent
But I work work hard um and I work and I stay focused in in what I am doing um so I think I think personally for me um that is that is probably the biggest thing that that people do wrong um and also that more is not always better so just
Because Chris is riding 5 hours on the Saturday doesn’t mean I have to also ride five hours 5 hours on a Saturday uh the 5 Hour riding works for him it doesn’t necessarily work for me um so it’s also in finding what works for you
Um is that riding one hour on a Tuesday two hours on a Wednesday maybe rest a Thursday and then ride Friday Saturday Sunday um so that again that comes in that consistency and I think it’s um everybody sells it that you hard work pays off which is true but you you must
Understand hard work doesn’t mean every day you go and punish yourself two hours interval trining heal repeats over and over and over that that doesn’t hard work is consistency and consistency is doing it week in week out but also doing the correct trading at the correct time
Um and there I can’t um I can’t say enough how important like Zone to easy training is so keep it easy just ride your parik just have fun but that is the most most important thing is to have fun because with fun comes your your mind’s happy your body is Happy emotionally
You’re happy and from happiness you grow um when you are in a depressed state and where you are sad overtrained you are not going to grow um yeah and I think your other question was about like nutrition and just repeat your question again sorry um what was your last
Question yeah I was just trying to understand from your perspective the importance of of nutrition you know to complement your your training efforts you know things like is it a good idea to have a beer the night before a big race and stuff like that how important
Is it to watch what you put in your mouth yeah for 100% I I do believe what you what you put in is what you get out that comes to nutrition also um and I like I would I would not say there’s anything wrong in having a beer
The KN before but there’s maybe not a deal to have two or three beers the night before um so that balance is key so I personally like to have a gloss of red one even when I was racing uh on a more professional level I enjoyed having
A gloss of red one it just maybe put a tingle in yourself and you have a good night’s rest um yeah but like I think General Nutrition is I would not say just eat salads and meats or be on like a the super strict local hydrate diet I
Think if you are cuz that is where you need to understand the balance like between performance and nutrition like if you undereat or under like um look let let me put it again if you do not focus on your nutrition well enough you are you cannot um expect your body to
Perform or your body to adapt um even in training um so what I personally like to rather do is look at something like my fitness spell like track my calories when I when I am in a a period of wanting to lose weight um I would rather
Do something like that I would rather I would make sure I eat enough vegetables throughout the week um I think I try almost every single meal that I do eat to try eat vegetables um and then make sure you have like a portion of carbohydrates and a portion of protein
In there um but I think I think most people are too strict on themselves when it comes to comes to diet because uh yes weight is a really important factor in in cycling um I think on any level weight does have an influence but um for
Me personally and I and I stand by it and I think it’s more important to be focused on consistency and being focused on being prepared for the race not just mentally but like make sure your bike is right your correct and working your gears are working your tires are in a
Good shape then rather than trying to lose a kilogram where you’re already 45 years old for example um and you it’s it’s already hard to to lose weight and you are um you know kind of working a full day life um um so yeah I think I
Think it’s more important to FOC focus on on other things than genuinely trying to be on a diet 365 days of the year because that is also not normal you can’t just lose weight every single month it’s it’s not good um and I do it from a from a coach’s perspective I do
It to my to my athletes also like I would I don’t think I would like less than half of my athletes I’ve ever suggested to them to go on a diet um whenever they come to me they join up with me I and the first thing they say I
Want to lose weight I always take a step back and I always say okay but what is your current weight why do you want to lose weight and just focus on the training focus on the consistency um but coming back to the nutrition part in racing and in training it is vitally
Important to look after yourself on the bike make sure you feel yourself for being on the bike um you can’t expect yourself to go do a three-hour training ride or a three-hour race and the only thing you had for breakfast was a banana um you are not starting off on the right
Foot um and feeling on the bike especially in the last few years in cycling has become uh a crucial part of professional racing and it’s gone over to amateurs also where 60 to 80 g of carbohydrate an hour if you are not doing that um you
Are kind of on the back foot already um it’s it’s feeling yourself on the bike and then also feeling yourself after the bike if you did A Hard Ride or hard training session you and you are not taking a recovery drink you’re not having like a like a decent meal
Afterwards you can’t expect yourself to perform tomorrow um so it’s yeah I think that that is my opinion and my take on on nutrition and you what you need to understand is also that what works for the one person is not going to work for the other person it’s important to
To kind of go through these things and see what works for you and what does not um yeah and I think I think I’m at the point now where I also I understand how my body works I understand that if I have two beers it’s for example it’s not
Going to benefit me tomorrow it’s actually going to make me feel a bit slow but if I have one beer and maybe a shot of tequila I’ll be good for tomorrow thanks thank you so much that was quite insightful and maybe on Chris side any last words of wisdom before we
Closed I mean what did yeah ntion wise or whatever like a thing as someone learned me long ago is like we we’re not dieting and exercising we’re eating and training and uh I think that’s that that’s a that’s the biggest thing is like if if you like okay maybe in
December when we off or whatever I’m exercising but generally weet training like it’s it’s gone past the point of exercising you can maybe exercise and diet but it’s it’s not mentally healthy or physically healthy for yourself to be dieting and training yeah diet in the sense of yeah we eating and not eating
Blood and focused on getting in the right amount of carbs and and Greens and Proteins yes maybe that sense of diet or eating plan but there’s there’s no sense of restricting us you can do it and you come I’ve gotten away with it in the
Past but yeah in the long run it’s got It’s picked up with me and like going into the season weighing super light and focusing and flying for January and okay I might be winning the stage of banga 2 on the 15th of January but come leading
Up to the week of of uh cycle two and the pass I was sick and I’m heavier than I was in December when I you know in November when I was taking off because I’m sick my body’s keeping back everything you know so I think that that’s that’s the biggest part and then
If you’re losing weight I think it’s just patience like we all need to lose weight at time but we’re not shifting 5Ks in two weeks or that that kind of thing it it’s it’s a patience game and it it’s much more rewarding in the end when you take it off slowly because then
You’re actually losing fat and you’re just discarding water from your body and and muscle cells from yeah and I think it it probably sounds like we we are borderline drinking beer every single day it’s it’s not always true uh but I think that’s that’s kind of what I also
Refer to is like the consistency or just being you know like live live life you know have a beer when you feel like having a beer um and I think that is the most important thing that we are trying to to find the balance for ourselves
With this year but also trying to to kind of come back to grow the community you know it’s like just have a beer with people on a Thursday evening when you feel like it and after a race you know to have a bit of camaraderie with your your competitors and maybe somebody from
From a different batch or different group and just you know have have a social life also in in that way and yeah and I think that’s really what we would like to achieve this year is to be approachable of races uh because I’ve been I’m guilty of that of growing um of
Getting to the habit of if I’m not on the podium I get in my car and I leave after a race it’s what what I I don’t need to be here I have nothing to do here uh but it’s rather like changing that mindset of you know supporting the
Race themselves supporting the the people that is at the race the the sponsors the venue um but then in that way it also gives us an opportunity to to to do what we want to do and that is grow the community and grow our our
Friendship base at the end of the day uh so yeah that’s really um a big Focus for us is to be to be approachable for anyone and everyone even if you just want to say that you had a very bad race or you want to say how good my race went
It’s like then I can share then I can share five minutes of how my race went um yeah I think I think that’s pretty much what what we are and what we want to do yeah I think from from our side as as a team and just as a as a cycling
Community it’s um thank you to to to you guys you know thank you for for being so enthusiastic towards the sport um you know it’s it’s it’s things like it’s it’s things like this it’s chats like this it’s seeing you guys at races and people with the the same uh object that
You guys have um and that is that is fun that is nice and I I think I consider I consider this and what you guys are doing a community and that is and that is nice you know that is that’s good to see and it’s good to have in the sport
And uh it’s a small Sport and we all should be here trying to help one another in whatever form of way it might be no appreciate it man and I think yeah just just before we close I know the guys want to go and have dinner um I mean where do we find
You guys you know if there’s potential sponsors you know group rid that they want to maybe pot potentially want to join as well I think the easiest link will be our social media links on Instagram as rkc collective and then yeah connected to that we have got constant post of our
Community group will be posted on there and we we have all our rides posted on there we will have generally maybe more than one once a month but generally once a month ride from Shas or head office headquarters in Johannesburg from Broad acers and then yeah generally that’s where we grow our
Biggest community and in most races you’ll find us other will advertise beforehand with where kazeo either sh or me kazos and then yeah we’ll you’ll see us around and definitely through social media if you look for us rkc Collective where all of us are athletes are under
There as well and we are all our athletes pages are linked to them as well so it’s yeah awesome guys have a good evening thank you so much again for your time and we’ll catch you on the flip side yeah to be to approach us that’s
Generally what we try to we want to create the and we want we there for everyone to to chat to and enjoy the time see you guys this weekend it will be a the fast weend but this came right for Sight yeah y guys guys
2 Comments
Great episode, lots of gems shared by the guests!
You guys are doing amazing job. Big ups gents keep it going!!!🙌