We were not underdogs, we were serious

We were launching this Pro Continental team in the Cradle of Humankind just outside of Johannesburg.

There was a buzz in the cycling world because this team looked a little different. There were African riders and at the same time the team attracted World Tour riders to the project.

During lunch, I had a casual conversation with the Press Officer.

He told me the team was working with the organisers to get an invite to Milan San Remo and Tirreno Adriatico. There was a very good chance we’d get invited.

That was big news to me. Suddenly there was a major focus.

I remember exactly how I felt when I woke up the morning of the race. I felt two things: confident and stressed.

As a pro cyclist, when you know you’re in good shape and you’ve targeted a race, you get stressed on the start line of that race.

When you’re out of shape, you know there is no chance of being in the front so there is no reason to be stressed.

But when you’ve worked really hard for one particular day and you’re so focussed, for sure you are very stressed.

We were serious. 

The night before the race, I went out to the mechanics’ station and our mechanic Casper was still working late into the night on my second spare bike and checking it for the sixth time.

You could see the whole team was focused way before the start line. That gave me more confidence and responsibility.

I remember the words our Sports Director, Jens said on the bus during the team meeting.

He said we’re not the underdogs here just trying to get through the race. He said I was doing well in the races before so he had such a belief that we had a real chance of getting a result that day.

The plan was 100% for me and I had 3 guys who had to stay with me all the time throughout the day.

We had a clear plan. We didn’t end up on the podium by accident.

When the conditions started getting worse, rumours started spreading through the peloton they will be stopping the race.

At first, we thought it was a joke because this has never happened in cycling before. When they did eventually stop the race because of the snow, not once did I think of quitting.

I was concerned about the conditions on the Turchino but I thought I would get through anything that day.

On the bus in the middle of the race, it was important to stay active. It was important to keep the motivation and stress levels high and stay focused on the restart.

The first thing we did was to get warm again. I had a hot shower to unfreeze my hands and feet. Then we ate something. We had a lot of talking on the bus to stay focussed and stick to the original plan.

The guys were so focussed, it kept inspiring me.

I had a good feeling coming into the final of the race. Going into the Cipressa and onto the descent, I had a look around and I was there with all the favourites.

That gave me a lot of confidence. At that point, I wasn’t thinking about the win, I was just thinking about making a good result.

Ok, of course the victory passes your mind but you try to keep it away. I told myself, “Just focus, stay in the front and keep the position for the next climb.”

But, there was a moment when my mindset changed. 

With 1km to go, I looked around and saw there were only 7 riders left. It wasn’t just about being in the front to get a top 5 or a top 10 anymore. I had one thought, “I am going for it.” 

It was a special race. To my knowledge, never before has a race been stopped in the middle and started again. That’s what made the day special.

Standing on top of the podium at the end of the day made it special for me but there was so much more to that day.

It wasn’t just winning another bike race. Besides the weather conditions, it was also about the attention this result brought to this new team.

The attention was much bigger on the Qhubeka story than before. It had a big impact.

Usually, when you win a race, you get a lot of messages. There are usually, I don’t know, 20 – 50 messages. But this day I looked at my phone and there were hundreds of messages.

I asked my manager to get me a new SIM card because so many journalists wanted to talk to me and I didn’t want all of them to have my private number.

That was the biggest stress for him. He didn’t think that would be his biggest job after such a big result haha.