A cyclist of Redhill School has become one of the top-ranked young cyclists in the country.
Grade 10 learner Nicholas van Rooyen has been riding bicycles for as long as he can remember and first started cycling properly from age seven. Nicholas comes from a family of avid cyclists and took up the sport so he could be involved too. However, soon enough he discovered his own passion.
“I started getting quite good at it and it started a cycle of me wanting to ride more because I enjoyed it and as I got stronger and fitter I wanted to do it more and get better.”
Nicholas recently participated in the National Cross Country Marathon Championship and injured himself in the last kilometre but was still determined to complete the race. He had been preparing to take part in the XCO (Olympic Cross Country) Championship and had been placed 16th in the seeding.
However, because of his injury he wasn’t able to compete in the championships. Despite a broken finger, Nicholas said the potential danger was part of what made cycling so exciting for him.
“It’s challenging and in XCO you want to go back and see how you can improve and how quickly you can do it and the danger adds to the experience and makes the achievement even better.”
Nicholas has competed in many other races during the year including the National Road Champions in KwaZulu-Natal where he placed ninth, the Bell of Hope race where he placed third and in the Spur Schools Mountain Bike Series where he placed sixth.
Participating in races requires a lot of travelling outside of Johannesburg and occasionally across the country for big races. In the build-up to a big event, Nicholas trains six times a week often indoors as it’s difficult to travel long distances during the week.
“Cycling is a very mentally challenging sport… my dad always says that it doesn’t matter who is the strongest or the fittest, it’s all about who’s got the stronger head, it’s about who can hurt for longer and push themselves.”
Details: Redhill School 011 783 4707.
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