Cycling Coach David Low, who is guiding Cape Epic Cansa Warriors Con Malherbe and Jared Hinde, had an epiphany when looking behind him while competing in a mountain biking event in Wartburg.

“I was halfway through the race when I realised, I was competing with some of my athletes 20 years younger. I thought ‘what am I doing?’; at some point something has to give’,” said the former professional cyclist, who now runs Tipping Point Cycling Academy with his wife, Amanda, in the Midlands.

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Referred to by Malherbe as “the oldest pro”, Low knew that age — now nearly 44 — would stand against him in future, so he crossed the fence.

“In that moment, I realised I’d much rather be out here supporting my athletes than competing myself.” said Low, who studied Sports Management at Varsity College in Pietermaritzburg and who also holds Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Level 2 and Australian Level 2 cycling qualifications. UCI is the global governing body for the sport of cycling.

To keep up with the ever-evolving sport, Low has invested in TrainingPeaks, a highly sophisticated and user-friendly software platform for developing athletes’ training programmes, along with learning from other coaches who have coached him before, along with his years of continuous research and experience.

Much of the latter has been with young, aspiring athletes, including the Maritzburg College and St Charles cycling teams. However, it’s a Free State schoolboy who has given Low some experience of training the Cansa Warriors.

Like Hinde, 14-year-old Marthinus de Wet has type one diabetes and races with a monitor to check his blood sugar levels and a pump to feed him insulin if necessary. Low’s mission is to help young Marthinus’s condition not get in the way of his sporting dreams.

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Coaching Hinde, Low must encourage him to fuel correctly. “Jared is young enough to bounce back easily after a hard training session. Con, being older and a cancer survivor becomes fatigued more easily. Also, he’s so busy. The challenge is to encourage both to live balanced lives.”

They give him weekly feedback. “It’s a different challenge with these Cansa Warrior adults who aim to raise R250 000 for the Cancer Association of SA (Cansa),” Low added.

“With kids it’s easier and involves balancing their training with their homework and other schoolwork. Parents do the rest for them. There’s no one-programme-fits-all. A coach needs to engage with each athlete and develop a customised programme that suits their needs.”

Low didn’t participate much in school sports as a child, having suffered meningitis in primary school and being very introverted in high school.

However, in Grade 10, the sight of a Cannondale bike belonging to Greg Minnaar, who is now the city’s cycling legend, pulled at Low’s heart strings. He left Carter High School with colours for cycling.

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After hanging up his bicycle, Low and his wife set about growing the Cycling Academy. Their client base grew nationally, helped by referrals, one of which ended up being Mark Gutridge who wanted to compete in the Cape Epic.

He is the managing director of Brink Towing Systems South Africa, which is one their main sponsors alongside DHL Global Forwarding. AECI Plant Health and the NMI Ford Group also offer a helping hand.

Their job can be done remotely in today’s digital age. However, the Low’s like to have personal contact with their clients and are on the road a lot, laptops in hand.

I like to walk the courses with them, show the lines, and interact with my athletes and their families.

By the time of going to press, R8000 had been raised and at least R5 000 pledged.
To donate to Cansa Warriors, go to www.givengain.com/project/jared-raising-funds-for-cansa