TIFFANY, a Gillitts resident, is a mountain biking (MTB) enthusiast. The Grade 11 learner attends Thomas More College and fondly recalls her first experience on a bike – she was just three-years-old when she climbed onto the saddle of a JD Bug pushbike, and as they say, the rest was history.
Tiffany said her father always encouraged her passion for mountain biking, he inspired and enabled her appetite for the sport and soon she was competing frequently. With all her accolades to date, she is well on her way to becoming a pro rider.
Her achievements are no mean feat. She said her most prestigious accomplishment yet was winning in her age category at the Spur Schools Mountain Bike League Inter-Schools Final in 2016. She represented her school, as well as her province for the past three years, which she described as an honour and big highlight.
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Tiffany is aiming high for rest of the season and her goals include qualifying at the 2017 Spur Schools MTB National Finals and representing SA at the UCI MTB World Champs in Australia. She was also recently crowned SA Junior XCO Champion.
With a rigorous five to six day training programme, it’s no surprise that Tiffany is one of South Africa’s most promising rising stars in MTB and is making a name for herself in the sport. She is also making plans to pay it forward. Her relenting passion to see more females participate in MTB has sparked a novel idea to start running a MTB clinic, allowing her to assist younger female cyclists with training, skills development and techniques on how to compete in the sport.
With a role model like Swiss cross-country cyclist, Jolanda Neff to inspire her, Tiffany maintains that if she works hard and remains focused, she can also be one of the top female cyclists in the world. She attributes her achievements and key successes to the amazing support of her family, who have made many sacrifices to keep her in the sport, her coach, Johann Wykerd, KZN Cycling, Prime Human Performance Institute and her friends.
When asked what it takes to be a great mountain biker, Tiffany said, “A good mountain biker has to be determined, have perseverance and a strong will to succeed. In this sport, having the right mindset is just as important as the physical aspect.”
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