‘It mustn’t be work’ says Gordon
He joined a club that had a racing team and as the years went by, he decided to try and make a living from racing.
“To succeed in mountain biking (MTB), you must love what you’re doing.”
Alan Gordon, professional cyclist and local cycle shop owner, told Herald he went to study in Centurion after matriculating at Merenksy High School. There he joined a club that had a racing team and as the years went by, he decided to try and make a living from racing. In 2012 he went to the Netherlands and later to Belgium to take part in events.
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“There are multiple competitive races every day across the country, with people lining the streets along the route, betting on and supporting the cyclists. The racing is hectic, aggressive and exciting, and takes a bit of getting used to.”
After returning to South Africa, he in 2015 made the transition to full time mountain biking and a year later, he opened The Cycle Cafe. His love for the sport can be traced back to growing up in Tzaneen.
“After school I would go riding. In those days cycling wasn’t a school sport. My first race was in 2002, the Magoebaskloof Classic. I’d just turned 12 and I did the 40km on a mountain bike with no front or rear suspension. I didn’t know any better and that was fine.” He said that coping with lockdown was eased by his sponsor, Insect Science, and the way they treated their team.
“I thought it was going to be impossible to stay fit, but luckily with technology and an indoor trainer that connects to the internet, you can do virtual training and racing. You’re even able to race against cyclists in other countries on a route on a different continent.
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Training definitely helped to pass the time and I was still able to follow my coach’s program. “But it isn’t the real thing in the outdoors with friends.” He said with lockdown moving from level 5 to 4, it was great to ride in the countryside again, even if it wasn’t far out.”
He did manage a 10km run around his house during the lockdown. “Been there, done that, don’t want to do it again,” he stated jokingly. To succeed in MTB you must love what you’re doing. “To stay motivated is not always easy but if you want to do it, it mustn’t be work. Don’t expect it to happen overnight.”
He said riders that stay committed, will achieve success. But it is essential to have a back up for the day you can’t do it professionally, he advised.
