Bringing cycling to the youth
BRYANSTON - After representing South Africa in the 1996 Olympic games and starting his own cycling team, Bryanston resident Doug Ryder is committed to introducing the sport to a wider audience in South Africa.
Ryder’s passion for cycling began when he was 12 years old in Cape Town, fitting in training between school sports and in the early morning. He said, “I then won four Western Province road championships and cycled for the SA Defence Force in 1990, so I knew I had some talent and wanted to race internationally. “After the army I travelled to Europe and tried to make it is a cyclist, but it was really tough in those days for South Africans to get into sport abroad.”
He loved the freedom the sport gave him. “I am a Sagittarius so I suppose I loved the freedom the bicycle offers, being able to get away and feel free and independent.”
Ryder soon earned a place on the South African National team from 1993 to 2003, making his first appearance in the Milk Race in the United Kingdom. He also competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and three world championships. He said, “The national team is something that every athlete should aspire to be a part of. “It is an honour to represent your country in events around the world and carry the national flag on your jersey. I love South Africa and I have always supported the national team when I rode for them and also now as a team owner.”
In 1997 he started his own cycling team with sponsors Lotus Devlopment and IBM. In 2011, MTN became the primary sponsor and the team was subsequently renamed Team MTN-Qhubeka. He said the team was a way of giving young riders the support needed to compete and succeed on the world stage.
Ryder has high hopes for cycling in South Africa and has committed himself to growing a cycling commuting culture.
“Cycling is doing so well in the recreational area and is growing year on year thanks to amazing events. Now we need to take it a level lower and ensure it becomes as much a commuter sport.
“Then putting on an iconic road cycling event like a World Road Championships or a Tour of South Africa which attracts the best riders in the world will really make an impact and raise the profile of cycling in South Africa.”
