Cyclist Andrew McLean to tear up the Alpine trail

McLean described his experience of cycling as “life-changing”. He began to think of himself as a cyclist after completing a triathlon, and after winning a number of amateur races was offered a professional contract. He has never looked back.

Today, McLean is one of South Africa’s most recognised cyclists, a passionate competitor in events both on- and off-road, and the owner of specialist cycling retailer, Cycle Lab, based in the Design Quarter.

After completing this year’s Absa Cape Epic, Mclean and top Austrian cyclist Heinz Zorweg have decided to take on the TransAlp Challenge, which McLean describes as “a tough but beautiful race”. The two-man team event takes place over seven days and will see McLean and his fellow cyclists travel the magnificent Alpine Divide from Oberammergau in Bavaria to Riva del Garda, Italy. Cyclists cover about 100km each day, and climb about 3 000m in altitude.

McLean loves the unexpected nature of mountain biking, which he describes as more technical, but less tactical than road biking. “Each discipline has it unique characteristics that I enjoy,” he said.

Johannesburg, however, is a tough place for all cyclists, who are vulnerable in the face of reckless driving and badly maintained roads.

Mclean would like to see cyclists safer on our roads – a process he believes starts with cyclists themselves. “It starts with us cyclists getting our house in order, obeying the rules of the road…once this is happening we can put pressure on motorists to respect us.” He would like to see a rule passed to enforce a compulsory 1.5m berth between vehicles and cyclists.

To budding cyclists, McLean said the most important thing was to enjoy riding a bike. His own club, Toyota Super Cycling, caters for all abilities, and runs free clinics for beginners every Saturday, training up a new generation of enthusiasts to blaze the world’s biking trails.